Built in the Barn: A Show Stock Family Story-John & Kaytlynn Lemley

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when a kid doesn’t start showing livestock at five years old?In this episode of Cheat Codes: Show Stock Edition, Tom sits down with father–daughter duo John Lemley and Kaytlynn Lemley to talk about late starts, family pressure, entrepreneurship, and what the barn really builds in kids.Kaytlynn didn’t grow up in the show ring. She tried dance, volleyball, band, and color guard before stepping into livestock in high school. What began with one Southdown sheep turned into a State Fair class win, years of hard lessons, and eventually the launch of her own business — Farm Fierce, a lamb leg wrap company now shipping across the country.Now pursuing her Master’s in Agricultural Communications at Oklahoma State University, Kaytlynn reflects on:Starting “late” in the industryLearning resilience through losingNavigating pressure from a competitive dadDiscovering that parents aren’t meant to be friends first — they’re meant to prepare youTurning a side idea during COVID into a real businessJohn shares the parent side of the journey — the balance between pushing and pulling back, the reality of breeding sheep (and losing them), and the hard-earned wisdom that success in this industry requires finding the right people and sticking with them.This conversation isn’t about banners. It’s about identity shifts, work ethic, entrepreneurship, and raising kids who can handle pressure long after the show season ends.If you’re a parent with a kid just starting — or a family trying to figure out how hard to push — this one’s for you.