This month Sure Champ® is shining its junior spotlight on two exhibitors who are no strangers to the show ring or the backdrop. Fallon Gohr, Madras, Oregon, and Samantha VanVorhis, Bowling Green, Ohio, are life-long cattle enthusiasts who work hard to achieve their goals.
Both young ladies have shown some of the highest-caliber heifers on the circuit. They have #PreppedtoWin with their families and mentors to make sure their show string looks its best and feels its best, both at home and on the road. Let’s learn more about these gals and their achievements.
Meet Fallon Gohr
Fallon was born into the industry; her family specialize in raising quality Hereford, Angus, Charolais and Simmental cattle that are functional in the show ring as well as the commercial cattle market. They strive to be a one-stop-shop for cattle producers across the country while hosting an annual show heifer sale every fall, The Crown Jewel Event. The Event is hosted in Madras, at the ranch and consists of 25-40 show heifers that are marketed nationally.
Meet Samantha VanVorhis
Samantha is following in her mother’s footsteps. Her mom showed livestock growing up, and she sparked the interest in both Samantha and her older brother Marcus for showing cattle. Samantha’s love for the showring only grew more passionate as the years moved forward.
Learn more About Fallon Gohr & Samantha VanVorhis
Tell us a little more about yourself.
FG: My name is Fallon Gohr, and I am currently a senior at Madras High School. I am an active member in the National Junior Hereford, Angus, Simmental, Charolais, Chianina and Maine Anjou associations. However, Herefords and Angus are where my heart is at.
My parents both showed cattle when they were younger. My mom (Dawn) showed Angus, and my dad (Brad) showed Simmentals. However, once they moved out of their childhood homes, their parents both got out of the business.
Some years later, they invested in their first two heifers to begin building our herd. They built our genetics from ground zero. Eventually, they established a small, yet quality dense group of Angus cattle. In 2011, we started our sale, The Crown Jewel Event.
We have hosted a sale every year since and have continued to grow our name and expand the variety of breeds and genetics in order to offer cattlemen the highest caliber of cattle possible. I am also heavily involved in FFA, where I am a part of a highly competitive livestock judging team.
SV: My name is Samantha VanVorhis. I am 18 years old, and I am currently a freshman in college attending Oklahoma State University. My parents’ names are Dean and Michelle VanVorhis, and I have one older brother named Marcus. When I was 7, I showed my first ever heifer at my county fair; from there, I latched on to cattle and never looked back.
But I would be remiss if I did not say that growing up, I tried everything: softball, dance, basketball, volleyball, pretty much anything, and everything. Once cattle were thrown in the mix, they became my main focus 100% of the time because they were something I truly loved.
What species/breed do you show?
FG: I show Herefords, Angus, Simmentals and the occasional Charolais and Maine/Chi.
SV: I really only show heifers. However, I show across many breeds, but primarily Shorthorns, Angus, Chianina, Maines and Simmentals.
Which Sure Champ® and VitaFerm® products do you use?
FG: Our favorite products have to be the VitaFerm® Stress Tubs (formerly Vita Charge Stress Tubs) and Sure Champ® Climate Control Gel.
SV: All of our show heifers on our property have access to the VitaFerm® Stress Tubs (formerly Vita Charge Stress Tubs). We truly believe that this gives our heifers nutritional advantages and helps us maintain consistency in what they are consuming. At shows with some heifers, we also use Sure Champ® Liquid Boost®. While not all of them get it, it does help those that do get it digest food better, especially if we happen to be filling heifers two days in a row. We also use Liquid Boost for the occasional heifer that just needs a little flavoring in that city water to entice them to drink it.
What are the biggest benefits you have seen using our products?
FG: These products have kept our cattle on a consistent feed program, especially when on the road traveling through ever-changing temperatures and conditions. Being from Oregon, our cattle have to endure a longer, more hostile trip than most. Their health is our priority, and we never leave the ranch without either of these products on hand to ensure their wellness
SV: The biggest impact we see at home is the continued consistency in our heifers’ appetite. They don’t go off feed, and that’s by far the most significant impact we see each day. Simply put, if they don’t eat, they don’t perform. We ask a lot of these animals, but they also need the support from us to constantly look and feel their best and the stress tubs help us control that a bit better.
What is your favorite show and why?
FG: My favorite show is definitely Hereford Junior Nationals. The friendships and bonds that I have built throughout my years of attending the JNHE are absolutely second to none.
SV: My favorite show will always be the North American International Livestock Expo. There is something so special about those green chips and big purple banners with yellow lettering. They signify so much history and importance to our industry, and all the cattle kids know how it feels to walk down that ramp into Freedom Hall. It is just something special.
What is your favorite pre-show ritual?
FG: My favorite pre-show ritual is when I put the first clip on them at home. You’ve been washing and washing and feeding and feeding. And it’s FINALLY time to see it all pull together. There’s something special about seeing all the work you’ve put in tie itself together as you whittle away on a topline.
SV: I don’t have a ritual per se, but I am very superstitious. I only like to show with my showstick. It has had the same piece of blue electrical tape on it for years, and I refuse to take it off. And I have a love for blue striped show shirts. I own so many of them, and while I do show in different colors, it is probably because my blue and white striped shirts are dirty.
What are your plans for the future?
FG: I plan on attending a junior college to continue livestock judging, then moving on to a senior college in hopes of judging and studying Ag Business and Marketing.
SV: I am currently a freshman at Oklahoma State University pursuing a degree in Agricultural Communications and Business with a minor in Political Science. I plan to attend Law school and then become a lobbyist or follow in my mom’s footsteps and own a law firm.
Who is your biggest role model and why?
FG: I have a few major role models in my life that have helped shape me, but of course, my parents are at the top of that totem pole. They have worked exponentially hard for everything that my brother and I have.
From getting completely out of the cattle industry to our family raising and exhibiting National Champions in multiple breeds, I understand things like that don’t just happen. It took years of blood, sweat and tears, and today I get to share what they’ve built. I will always strive to be as ambitious, humble and hardworking as them.
SV: Hands down, my parents. My parents are two of the most loving and caring people I know. I am so unbelievably fortunate to have been blessed with two people who support me to the moon and back in everything I do. I look up to them in every way. Both my parents are two of the hardest-working people I know, and I could not have two better built-in role models who stand by my side through thick and thin.
What is your favorite/greatest accomplishment?
FG: I have been blessed with a few great accomplishments throughout my years of showing, but my favorite would have to be the day I exhibited the Champion Hereford Female at the Cattlemen’s Congress, and just minutes later my favorite Angus heifer from our 2022 sale was selected as the Reserve Champion Angus Female. It was sort of that “We made it” feeling, that all the work had paid off. I will never forget that moment of realization.
SV: My favorite accomplishment would have to be winning Supreme at Cattelmen’s Congress. It wasn’t just the win that was amazing, but the memories I made with my amazing friends and family were absolutely the highlight.
Did you have any special or major achievements that stand out?
FG: A special moment that stood out to my family and me was this year in Denver. My dad was selected to judge the Junior Angus Show, and I was exhibiting my Hereford heifer the same day, in the same arena. Just as the Hereford Grand Drive was entering the ring, they paused the Angus show allowing my dad a moment to look away from the Angus cattle and watch me in the Grand Drive.
A dream come true, my heifer got her 3rd slap in less than a week, earning herself the title of Grand Champion Female once again. Dad quickly hopped the divider to give me a hug then went right back to the Angus ring to select his Grand Champion Female. This was so special because it had been my dad’s dream to judge Denver, and it was my dream to win Denver. For these two things to happen simultaneously was a dream beyond belief.
SV: In 2016 I won my first national show with my heifer, Star, at the Keystone International Livestock Expo. I often find myself reflecting and thinking about how far I have come as both a showman and a person. It is crazy how life changes so fast!
#PreptoWin Like Fallon and Samantha
Fallon and Samantha have collected their share of banners and accolades this winter, but it hasn’t come without long hours of work or support from their parents. At Sure Champ, we are proud of their many accomplishments. We know that young exhibitors like these two are exactly what our industry and our world need – hard working, well-spoken leaders.
They also take care of their animals with Sure Champ and VitaFerm products powered by AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, a prebiotic research-proven to enhance digestibility. Since we know that 70% of the immune response starts in the digestive system, keeping that healthy helps keep your animals performing.
Give your Animals Sure Champ!
Find your Sure Champ products at your closest local dealer. Or you can always purchase them online, too.
Would you like to be featured in our Spotlight? Submit your champions to share any exciting show stories with us! Win a major or even your state show? We’d love to feature you in a future spotlight! ###
