Chasing a calf in a rodeo arena for the chance to earn some money may not sound like a lot of fun, but it comes with amazing opportunities if you are willing to give it a try!

I enjoyed it so much that I have actually competed five times across the state of Texas. It was a brand-new concept to our family when we first heard about it eight years ago. In fact, such an event is completely an original Texas-developed concept.

The history of the calf scramble program is noted to have first started as a part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 1942. It was built as a program to help promote agriculture through the financial assistance of helping high school kids raise a beef heifer. This program is still going strong today and is one of the cornerstone programs in the beef competitions of HLSR. They have grown to assist nearly 400 youth a year with financial assistance in the purchase of a heifer or steer.

The Austin County Fair Calf Scramble was established in 1990 by Mrs. Judy Tieman. She built the program similar to that of HLSR, and it has been thriving at our fair ever since. Mrs. Tieman was active in the program up until her passing in 2011. There is now a scholarship offered in her honor through our fair association. It is the desire of our fair’s scramble program to offer opportunities to the youth of our county, ages 12 to juniors in high school, to raise a beef heifer under the mentorship of the program, all while competing in a year-long contest. It is the hope that the heifer raised through this program would be the start of that child’s registered cow herd.

The ACF calf scramble committee spends countless volunteer hours gathering sponsors who are willing to donate $1,200 towards the purchase of a heifer. These cash certificates are earned by the scrambler during the final Saturday night Rodeo performance of the fair. The chosen scramblers, who were picked through the application process and their essay, are lined up on the dirt arena under the bright lights and are turned loose onto the oncoming 300-pound roping calves. Each scrambler is fitted with a new halter tucked perfectly into their belt loops, as they scramble to catch a calf. This event takes only minutes for those watching in the stands, but for us in that heavy, thick dirt, it takes an eternity to get a calf caught.

Each scrambler is assigned a mentor through the scramble program. This individual has years of experience working with various breeds of cattle as well as the youth. Your mentor will help you navigate finding the right calf for you. This mentor also helps you with learning the ropes of raising this calf by providing the necessary information to be successful. I have been blessed to scramble in this program twice and have interacted with each mentor within this program and they are outstanding people. I have never known the selflessness that is tied so greatly to volunteerism until being a part of this great program. They give hours of help, answer all questions, drive to meet you at a show, come to your home to evaluate your set-up, pens and heifer, check in on your progress throughout the year and even give you that hug when you finally meet your goals!

I have raised two registered Beefmaster heifers through this program and have advanced the genetics in my very small herd because of the opportunity in scramble. I have watched many of my peers do the same. They continue to show cattle through our Beefmaster Association and are having wonderful success as well. Both of my siblings have been through this program and have been successful in life because of the sincere level of mentorship in this program.

It is available to those who are hungry to learn and expand their horizons. I knew absolutely nothing about cattle when I started but can honestly say all that I have learned over the course of eight years has come both directly and indirectly from the mentors in this calf scramble program. If they did not teach me directly, they put me in front of someone who could! And what blows my mind, is that this passion is shared freely between the youth of our county.

So, you may say, “I’m not interested in raising a beef heifer forever,” or “I don’t want to start a herd,” well that is fine too. You can also use your certificate to purchase a commercial heifer and in turn, compete to sell her as a project at the fair. In doing this short-term project, you will gain great beef cattle husbandry skills, but will also gain skills in record keeping, boost your communication skills through your report writing and get to meet other peers who share similar interests. In fact, you may just change your mind and decide to keep that heifer because of the incredible bond that is built between you and your animal after the hours of care you put into her!

Calf Scramble programs also aid in growing you as a person and a more courageous human. It can build self-confidence, as you learn how to show your animal with poise. This great program has expanded my leadership opportunities and built strong friendships. I have conquered fears associated with anxiety and public speaking. I have also learned incredible time management skills while keeping to the deadlines of the program. The scramble program requires written monthly correspondence with your certificate sponsor and this is also judged in a side competition at our fair for best monthly reports. There is an opportunity to compete in a year-long photography contest, two essay contests, as well as a scrapbook contest to creatively catalog your accomplishments from the year-long process. The opportunities are endless in this program, you just have to step out and give it a try!

If you are ready to jump in with both feet and try something new and perhaps are interested in more information on the Austin County Calf Scramble, the rules, guidelines and application are all found on the ACF website, austincountyfair.com. The calf scramble information is found under the menu tab, scroll down and click to open the calf scramble tab. There, you will find the application as well as the complete set of rules. The application is fillable online but then must be printed out so you can obtain some important signatures. The deadline for entry for this year’s calf scramble is Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. Give it a try and see where this program takes you!