This month we are shining our Sure Champ® spotlight on two young men passionate about he beef industry. Dylan Kottkamp is wrapping up his junior career, and Tyson Fox is just entering the prime of his show season.
Let’s meet Dylan and Tyson to learn more about these exhibitors, their favorite showing memories and how they #preptowin.
Meet Tyson Fox
Tyson Fox is 12 years old and hails from Fort Morgan, Colorado. His parents are Brian and Paula Fox, and he has two sisters, Hannah and Emery. Tyson is a seventh grader at the Fort Morgan Middle School. His favorite hobbies are any kinds of sports! He enjoys participating in baseball, football, playing guitar, church activities, 4-H and brain bowl. He started his show career at just 5, when his dad got him a Charolais heifer to work with.
Meet Dylan Kottkamp
Dylan Kottkamp is a third-generation Hereford breeder from Clayton, Indiana. He is a senior at Oklahoma State University studying Agribusiness with a minor in Marketing. This past summer his family completed their 27th consecutive Junior National Hereford Expo.
Tell us a little more about yourself.
TF: My first heifer wast the only white heifer I ever worked on, then I moved into the Maine-Anjou breed. My dad works for Blind Badger Ranch, so I have been very fortunate to get to work with some of the best Maine-Anjou show cows and family lines.
DK: My sisters, Chandis and Emilee, showed me the ropes and what it takes to be able to be successful in the show ring. They had some incredible show careers, and it has always been my goal to be able to keep success in the show ring going. The 2022 Jr National was my final one for my Jr career, but next year my oldest niece, Everly, will begin her junior career, and believe it or not it will probably start off with a Hereford! The cattle industry is going to have to watch out for the Foster Sisters in the future.
What species/breeds do you show?
TF: I mainly show Maine-Anjou, Maine Angus, and Mainetainer.
DK: I show both Polled and Horned Hereford cattle.
Which Sure Champ® and VitaFerm® products do you use?
TF: I use Sure Champ® Liquid Boost® (formerly Vita Charge Liquid Boost), Sure Champ® Cattle Drench (formerly Vita Charge Cattle Drench), VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® and Sure Champ® Cattle pellets.
DK: We mix in the Sure Champ® Cattle pellet every feeding. We also use Joint Juice throughout the summer and (VitaFerm) Stress Tubs when weaning calves.
What are the biggest benefits you have seen using our products?
TF: My show cattle consistently stay on feed at home and at the shows. I also see the benefit of the extra bloom and hair coat that we all desire.
DK: Being able to get valuable vitamins and minerals in our show cattle diets are essential, and the pellets are a very easy and simple way to incorporate them. Joint Juice does a great job to keep our calves’ joints flexible after long days in the show barn as well. We have also felt the stress tubs are great to calm down calves that have been freshly weaned, as well as work as great feed pans when empty(haha)!
What is your favorite show and why?
TF: Maine Junior Nationals is my favorite show to attend. I love participating in all the extra activities and meeting new people from across the country. I love challenging myself within the contests. It is also so much fun to travel to different places and really get immersed in the fun themes each year.
Another one of my favorite shows is the Cheyenne Livestock Expo. It is close to home and is such a calm, relaxing show. I’ve been fortunate to have some success there also, which gives me such great memories. At Cheyenne I won the Open Show in 2021 and the Junior and Open Show in 2022 and 2023.
DK: I am a big fan of the National Western. Growing up, it was the Super Bowl of cattle shows, and it was something I always looked forward to going to. Though times have changed a little since 2020, it is still special to go to because of the rich history that it holds and all of the great breeders that come and exhibit.
What is your favorite pre-show ritual?
TF: I usually fit one of the legs on my heifer and help my family get her ready for the ring. Also, right before I go in the ring, I say a little prayer for strength and understanding and my dad always tells me ‘BDE’ which means to have confidence.
DK: I wouldn’t say I have a specific pre-show ritual, but I never can eat before I show. I also always wear the same striped shirt for every show possible.
What are your plans for the future?
TF: Undecided
DK: I plan to graduate this coming May at Oklahoma State University. I then plan to stay two more years for my master’s in International Agriculture. I want to go into Ag sales, with hopes to eventually work my way into a management role. I also want to continue raising and selling Hereford cattle back home in Indiana.
Who is your biggest role model and why?
TF: My biggest role models are probably my parents. They help me with everything. When I am at school my mom keeps up on our regular routine of washing heifers and hair care. My dad is so good at knowing what to feed my show heifers and helps guide me so we can keep them fresh.
DK: My dad would absolutely be my biggest role model. He has shown me the ropes through our operation. He has given me an ample amount of opportunities and has taught me countless lessons that I will forever be grateful for.
What is your favorite/greatest accomplishment?
TF: I feel so blessed to have experienced several memorable wins throughout my show career. My greatest accomplishment is winning Supreme at the Cheyenne Livestock Expo three years straight. At the 2022 Maine Jr. Nationals I was 5th Overall Mainetainer Heifer. This past American Royal I was honored with Reserve Grand Champion Mainetainer in the Open Show. And most recently, I was awarded as the Grand Champion Mainetainer Female at the 2024 NWSS.
DK: I would say being named National Polled Show Bull of the Year this past year would be my favorite accomplishment. In the Hereford breed, we take great pride in raising and showing bulls. To have raised the most successful bull of the 2022-23 year is something that we couldn’t be more thankful and blessed to do. We do not have a large cow-calf operation, so to see that our small herd and genetics are able to compete at the highest level is a dream come true.
Did you have any special or major achievements that stand out?
TF: I feel so blessed to have experienced several memorable wins throughout my show career. My greatest accomplishment is winning Supreme at the Cheyenne Livestock Expo three years straight. At the 2022 Maine Jr. Nationals I was 5th Overall Mainetainer Heifer. This past American Royal I was honored with Reserve Grand Champion Mainetainer in the Open Show. And most recently, I was awarded the Grand Champion Mainetainer Female at the 2024 NWSS.
DK: These past two years have been very special. We have been blessed to have raised the Polled Hereford National Show Bull of the Year. Final Chapter went on to win Junior Nationals, NAILE, and the National Western, which was something we never dreamed of happening. This past summer I was able to accomplish some great feats, as I was named the Junior National Hereford Herdsman of the Year, National Champion Senior Showmen, was reserve horned Div 5, Champion team fitting, and was ultimately named the High Point Overall Exhibitor. This past NAILE we were then blessed to be named Reserve Grand Champion Jr Hereford Female, and then this past Cattleman’s Congress we were thankful to have Reserve Grand Horned Hereford Female. It has been an incredible run that I couldn’t have done without my family, mentors, and all of the crew that has helped along the way.
#PreptoWin like Dylan and Tyson!
Dylan and Tyson have put in countless hours to #preptowin. But they don’t do it alone. They have parents who support them. Sisters who support them, and a network of mentors and others who have helped guide them along the way.
From raising and showing champion heifers and bulls at their respective breeds’ junior nationals and national shows like the National Western, Tyson and Dylan know that cattle that perform must start by feeling their best. That good gut health is the foundation of overall performance. They power their champions with Sure Champ products that contain 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.
Turn to 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 shore stories with us! Win a major or even your state show? We’d love to feature you in a future spotlight! ###
