swmnhay,  Whats does your reply mean oh they are teaching your kids alot (dying cattle hair)  I take pride in our cattle and am in the barn everyday and when we arnt around the calves are in their pen with four fans on them year round.  I am one the guys that spend 1 hour prior to show fitting up just the back legs. I take pride in doing a great job, don't be pissed anyone can do it pick up a pair of clippers.  I am in it to win it, we all have a great times at shows.  It takes money to make money in the cattle business but everyone has their own goals.  We are growing a herd and trying to make a name.  We want to sell steers and heifers thats why we spend more on our show heifers.  We wanna do good with them in the ring but they also have to come home and earn their keep as a momma cow. 

 
To get back to the original ? you can buy steers for 1200-50,000 but the majority of them are in the 1200-3000 range.  Also dont get stuck on hair, Yes hair is a good thing but you have to understand cattle structure, soundness, etc.  I was at a show this weekend and there was a kids 1st year project heifer and she was a hairy but was a mess structure wise, she could barly walk to the ring.  I felt so bad for that kid that bought that heifer and well she will be lucky to make it threw the winter let alone make them any money in the pasture.

 Also around here the only cattle at the stock yards are downer cattle or cattle no one can any make money on etc.  I would never buy cattle at the yards at least around here because you have no background on them or even know there true age and there is a reason they are there.

 Their shouldn't be 2 classes of cattle.  Showing cattle is our hobby we have a dually, aluminum trailer, chutes, blowers, etc. I feel no different than anyone else but we don't go to the lake and have a camper/boat, we have a Eby and a Chevy and our lake house is our show barn.  When I was in school I didn't play basketball even though the coaches tried but I farmed and worked cattle.  Nothing in life is FAIR, also I want to add before it is assumed My parents never bought our cattle for us we bought everything we have.  Me and my brother worked at the local butcher plant threw school and bought our 1st Eby at the age of 17.  So yes I see people that have bunches of money and use cattle as their write off but we have earned everything we got.  Its all about the love for the game.