06/04/2025
Cannon Brown turned his ag roots into a modern mission to educate—making content accessible to both insiders and outsiders of the industry.
"...There was never a question of whether I was going to stay in the industry—I was going to make sure I was always involved. As I went through my show career, I thought I would go to college, work at a feed company or on a sales platform, and judge shows. But when I aged out of showing, started college, and began pursuing what I thought were my dreams at the time, I started to feel the industry slipping through my fingers. I didn’t have as strong of a grip on it, and I didn’t like that feeling. I had to figure out what I needed to do to make sure this big part of my life didn’t get left in the rearview mirror..."
When Cannon set out to find agricultural media and came up empty-handed, he decided to create it himself—taking matters into his own hands.
"...In 2019, I started a podcast called The Show with Cannon Brown. Originally, I set out to find a podcast that offered insight and discussion centered around the livestock industry but couldn’t find one, so I made my own. There weren’t many at all at the time—it was the second livestock podcast released. By 2020, it was doing really well, getting nearly 50,000 downloads a month. Between my own podcast and a few others I was helping produce, we were creating a community that kept wanting to hear more livestock content. But when the world picked up again and everyone’s lives got busier, it became hard to consistently book guests or keep up with my own podcasts. So, once again, I was going to figure out a way to stay involved. I’ve always told my friends that someone needs to do stock show updates on social media—no one was doing video updates..."
With passion and joy, Cannon shares the industry's story in a way that resonates.
"...It doesn’t feel real that people in the industry—and even some outside of it—look to me and trust me to report these facts. When I make these videos, I just find it fun. If I can act as passionate as I feel, then hopefully the people on the other side will feel that and stick around..."
While Cannon has explored different roles within the industry, he still follows his original vision.
"...They’re expecting me to be the guy who gets all this info and becomes the source. I’ll happily be that person. It wasn’t what I was searching for, but it’s what the people want. It was always in the back of my mind throughout my youth career that judging was never my ultimate goal. But it was something I thoroughly enjoyed and wanted to do—I would’ve died trying just to judge one show. I was able to do even more than that. I’ve judged livestock shows in dozens of states. As a judge, I’m very engaged with the showman. I’m the judge who will talk to you while you're showing. In showmanship, if I think you’re doing well and there may be a couple of things that separate you, I’ll tell you right there. I’m very outspoken in the ring, especially in the market class—I’ll talk to every kid. I’d hate it if I left a show not knowing why I was placed where I was..."
Cannon takes every opportunity to create positive change in the industry.
"... It’s important to me to at least shake the kid’s hand—even if they placed last—and tell them what I did and didn’t like. Even if it’s two short sentences, I want to have a face-to-face interaction. I cannot stand when county fairs are treated like jackpot shows—when judges rush through, sort quickly, and let kids go without explaining. That should not be acceptable at a county fair. Most of these kids are only showing at the county fair each year; they don’t get other experiences. You’re going to take all their hard work and dwindle it down to two minutes, without even giving them an explanation why? That’s not fair, and it’s not what we should be doing as judges. We are there to inform and educate. My desire to educate is something I’ve always had..."
Cannon understands the importance of keeping this ever-evolving industry moving forward.
"...Share your experience—not just with social media followers, friends, or family—but with your city friends or people who don’t understand livestock. This industry is shrinking rapidly right before our eyes. Tell them about the county fair, because that prompts questions they don’t know how to ask. People don’t want to feel ignorant, so we need to open the story...Sharing your story grows, preserves, and reveals different parts of the industry. I will continue to maintain and grow this industry by any means necessary. We should all have this goal—we are all ambassadors. We are all a part of this industry, so we are responsible for it. If we don’t do it, no one else will..."
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