Unless it's Lane Bryant's spring collection, one would be hard-pressed to find big girls on the runway. And certainly not in Miami.
But, despite our hard body hankerings, 400 cows will show off their goodies as the second annual Miami International Agriculture and Cattle Show happens this weekend. The show aims to beef up (that's right, we went there) South Florida's international bovine cred.
"I'm surprised there's a show at all, frankly, because Miami is just not known as a big cattle area," Alan Hodges, a food and resource economist at the University of Florida, told the AP. "But it makes sense to have a show of any kind there that's focused on international trade."
Attendees this year include breeders from 12 states and 12 countries, and Bessie will have to bust out her fiercest strut on the cowwalk, as they'll be looking for excellent bone structure, muscle-to-fat distribution and bloodlines.
Last year, sales of embryos, frozen semen and agricultural equipment raked in about $600,000, and that number is expected to double this year. Organizers are hoping that the Miami locale will appeal to Latin American breeders, what with our large Spanish-speaking community and abundance of Latin food and entertainment and all.
"Houston is great ... but let's don't miss the boat on Miami," said Jim Strickland, owner of Strickland Ranch & Exports, Inc. and vice president of The Florida Cattlemen's Association, referring to the Texas city that hosts the largest cattle show in America. Last year he bussed in about 30 Guatemalan ranchers, and Strickland hopes that the Miami show will grow by word of mouth.
"It's kind of like the new business around the corner," Strickland said. "That place you go to one time, try it, and you tell everybody."
Especially if there's good swag.
