My First Educational Power Point

I finished my first educational power point for a 4-H work-shop that I organized on Beef Breeding.
The Work-shop includes my power point, and guest speakers. The guest speaker will give talks on, reading EPD & genetics, heifer and cow/calf nutritional needs, shots & vaccinations, and on setting a budget.

The fliers were sent out on January 1, 2013.

 The work-shop is free here is hoping that there is an interest in beef breeding.

This year one of my goals is to pass on as much information as possible to those interested in becoming a future cow/calf producer.

Future of the West

 This is my friend Kyle Bratton; Read all about him in the Angus ICON;

All it took was one show with his first heifer “Libby,” and Kyle was hooked.

Read this inspiring young Angus Breeders story.
 Future of the West

The 2012 Gooding County Fair Is Now In The History Books.

Steven (Red Angus)

This year my steer Steve (Red Angus) won the top gaining market steer award, he gained an average of 4.07 pounds per day.

Red Angus cow, sired by MBV Cherokee 326-SOL, with her bull calf sired by BJR JR 107

  














In addition, I my Cow/Calf (Register Red Angus) won Grand Champion Cow/Calf pair, and her bull Calf was champion Bull.

Commercial Heifer

My commercial Red Angus heifer also made into the spotlight as Champion Commercial Heifer.

Red Angus cross

 My Steer Buck was second in his weight class as was forth over-all

In horse showmanship, I placed first in the senior class and was Grand Champion over-all in Showmanship. I also received the top over-all best Horse book plaque, as well as winning County speech, and District speech contest; and I also placed third at the State horse public speaking contest. 

I had many FCS projects and will post them later after I complete the District. I will also post how I do at District Horse.

 

Idaho State Skillathon Contest 2012

The winners of the first ever Idaho State Skill-a-thon goes to Ada County their team will be going to Kentucky.
Congratulation Ada County.
The Second Place team Was from Gooding County. I place 4th over all.

Gooding County

 

 

Gooding County

I will post the winning County in the Jr. division when I find out the  who won.

The Difference Between HAD, DASH, and BOLD diets

I just got done with doing the Masters of Beef Advocacy coarse and someone at my JRA Loaded 4 Leadership told me to type in my search engine BOLD beef. I found out that the BOLD stand for Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet a diet for people with a high
risk for high colesteral and heart disease. I would appreciate it if would you look at it. Here is the link.
http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/CMDocs/BIWFD/121411_BOLDFactSheet_FINAL.pdf
What I found out after I read this that eating red meat and the BOLD diet is actually very good for you and is better than HAD or DASH diets.

Hot and Dry with a Chance of Rain; and Busy!

It is hot and dry here; my steers and heifer are all doing well, I am going out at least once a day to rinse them off to try to keep them cool. My dad has almost got all our hay baled and hopefully be stacked today.

Boy have I been busy! I have been to Lamb camp and learned to show sheep, to the Idaho Jr. Beef Expo in Twin Falls and showed Fabio and Lady, and Western Heritage Days and drove Tiny in the 4-H driving contest and Parade. Next week I will have my Heifer bred and attend the Southern Idaho Livestock Judging Camp and Contest; and in between all this I will be completing my quilt and sewing.

Me and Lady at the Idaho Jr. Beef Expo

Here are a few pictures of what has been
happening with my 4-H adventures.










 

Me and Fabio I am so glad he behaved nicely!

Western Heritage Days

Western Heritage Days Parade

Western Heritage Days 4-H Driving Contest

 Have to go I still have five more days of school will at the Lamb camps pictures later, Have a great day.

Life In The Show Ring!

On May 28^th I enter my steer Fabio and my heifer Lady in the Magic Valley Jr. Classic.

When I go to these shows, I have hopes of winning I guess we all what to win; but I also go for the learning experience. This year the quality of showmanship was out standing, the fitting and groomers were great, and all the cattle were fluff and fabulous.

To those who won Congratulation! You all did an outstanding job.

I knew from the time that Fabio stepped out to the trailer that I was at the Classic for the learning experience; his eyes got big and his head went up.

I had worked with him and all my other steers everyday and in the pen they all behaved great; Fabio does not have a mean bone in is body, but he is a little set in his ways and nerves. It was the noise, the strange environment, and people, that affected him, he just did not what to be there. I even thought about not showing him, but thanks to Mr. Hooper; Fabio did enter the show ring, he did not setup and behaved badly.  Fabio and I lived through it.

The lesson that Fabio learned was that no matter how he acts he would be shown; the lesson I learned is that I can handle my steers even when they act like spoiled fit throwing brats; (you must call your steers bluff).

 Mr. Hooper gave me a tip on how to correct Fabio’s behavior, and with his knowledge and experience with show cattle; I know that I will be able to take the brat out of Fabio. I am going to give it my best effort and we will see what happens at the next show. I am also going to use this tip on all my steers just to be on the safe side.

Check back and I will let you know how it goes and fill you in on the tip after a few weeks.

Fabio has never acted as he did at the Classic; so no matter how calm and well behaved your steers act at home does not mean that they will be that way in a strange environment.

Take your steers to a show or two for the learning experience. Maybe you will even come home with a ribbon or two. 

As for Lady; I did not place but she was very well behaved.

Beef Cattle and the Quest for Knowledge (Beef Production Medicine and Management)

I love to read;  everyone who has visited my blog knows that I truly believe that knowledge is power.

While on this quest for knowledge; last week I had a book dropped in my lap that I have not put down.

The title of this book is BEEF Production Medicine and Management; in section A; you can read about Anatomy, Biosecurity, Body condition Scoring, Nutrition, Normal ranges for temperature, heart and resporatory rates, showing junior livestock, prescription and non-prescription drug guidelines and the list goes on this is just section A.
Section B - Routine Observation and Procedures.
Section C - Vaccines and Parasite Control Products.
Section D - Tests and Diagnostics.
Section E - Flowcharts for Specific Symptoms.
Section F - Infectious Diseases, Problems and Treatment.

If you are in 4-H, FFA, or a cattle producer this is a book you should own. I have to return this one soon, but I have order my own and it will be here soon.

this book is a Animal Health Publications  you can order it on line or call 1-877-424-7838.

There is also manuals for;
Dogs and Cats
Horses
Sheep and Goats
Beef and Dairy

I think the next one that I will get will be the one for Horses. before I am done I hope to own all of them because my animal never seem to get sick on a week days.

Follow the links and check it out for yourself; KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Meet my 2011 Steers

 Well it is still raining here and it seems that the mud just keeps getting deeper. Just the other day we had wind, rain, snow, freezing rain and by the end of the day we had blue sky's and sunshine. Maybe that is the first sign of spring.

Weigh-in for my county has come and gone so here is a look at my 2011 Market Beef Project .

 My steer for 2011 are all different weights and frame styles this year; I am hoping that they don't all fall into the same weight class when our Fair rolls around.

As you can see all three are a little muddy; but they are healthy, happy, and they love to eat.
When the rain stops my steers will get their first bath, I am hoping it will be this weekend. So for now I just wait.

Just a reminder; with wet cold and changing weather that in a blink of an eye your animals can get sick so keep a close eye on them and watch for illness.

Oh Joy MUD !

How is the weather where you live? The weather here has warmed up and all the snow has turned to mud!
 
If you have a lot of mud you may want to keep an eye on your steers to make sure there hoofs are in good shape. I do checks everyday when the weather can't seem to make up it's mind.

I have also started some of my FCS projects and hope to have most of them done by spring so that I will have more time for my Market animal projects.

Well my break is over back to school!

Snow, Snow, and more Snow!

Fall this year lasted about A minute, we have lots of snow, wind, below zero weather and it is only Thanksgiving. So far we have had about one or two feet of snow; but in open acreage of flat ground and the wind blowing all the time it seems like a lot more.

I still have to go out and feed and water my steers and horses; boy it is cold! I still work with my steers at least twice a week no matter what. This is not the fun part of having 4-H steers but it is part of life if you want to be a cattle producer some day.

In weather like this I just make sure to wear the correct clothing; So bundle up and keep working.

I was told that "grand champions are made over the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks".

REMEMBER "you got to want it to win it"

I had to dig out the water troth.

this drift went from one end of my calf pens to the other; and the water troth was under there somewhere!

I just kept digging until I found it and then had to keep digging so that my steers could get to it!

Can you see the corner of the troth, I kept working for about an hour and got it uncovered.

This could be a long Winter if I have to dig every day!
Here is hoping that the snow melts a little.

What to Look for when Picking Your Steer

I have been getting a lot of hits looking for the qualities to look for when picking your 4-H steer. So I thought I would tell you what I look for when I pick my steers.
Muscle in the forearm, rib, loin, hip,stifle quarter and a wide base. If your young steer does not show potential in these areas when you buy him there is a very good chance he won't have it when he is finished.
Structure correctness look at the feet, straightness of the legs, and nice straight flat back with spring to the rib.depth of body, uniformity of body depth and chest width.

Now that has been said; you must have a picture of what you are looking for in your head and go into the pen of 75 to 100 head or more of cattle and pick your steer.

The way I do this is to pick 12 to 15 head that fit my list and chose from those; this only takes me about two or three hours; my cattle producer is very good to me.

I think the most important thing  to look for is a steer with as many great qualities as possible, and the most important of all is a great disposition because if you can't show them, and you can't touch them, you can't judge them.

So that perfect crazy steer that runs, jumps, puts his head in the air and paws the ground; you run don't walk away from him NO matter how perfect he may look; for he will most likely be crazy in the show ring. 

The last tip I will give is to pick what you like, and remember that every judge has their own list of qualities of what he or she looks for in a 4-H show steer and there is know way of knowing what is on their list.

One last thing the Producer knows their cattle so talk to them and always take in consideration  everything that they have to say, you are show casing their cattle and their brand is on your steer for all the world to see.

Show your steer with pride and confidence and no matter what the out come you can leave the ring knowing you did your best.
I myself have not had a Grand Champion Steer YET; but I have made it back to the championship round every year.

I do my best and  that's all I can do.

Good Luck

There Be Cattle On the Place !

My vacation is over; and it is time for the new 4-H projects to begin. All my steers are now in their pens and the breaking them to touch and to lead process has started.  This time of year is a lot of fun; I love naming my steers. It seems like the weather here can't make up it mind if it whats to be cold or spring like; so I will take advantage of the nice days and get as much done on my market animal project as possible. So let the fun begin!

Good luck with your projects.

Grading My Market Project Steers ( know what you are eating )

 Today I went to the Bates Custom Butchers and graded my two remaining 4-H steers.

Cindy Kinder the Extension Educator for Gooding County was my teacher.

To grade my beef we measured the size of the rib eye, back fat, and figure the kph fat, and you must have the carcass weight. 
These two beef graded prime minus and choice plus. my third beef graded prime plus.

Grades are based on the amount of marbling in the meat and the age of the animal. Marbling is the flecks and streaks of white fat you find distributed throughout the meat. In general, the higher the degree of marbling, the more tender, juicy, and flavorable the meat will be. Higher grade meats come at a higher cost.

Beef is best in flavor and texture when cattle are between 18 and 24 months old, so the grading favors younger animals.

Meat graders assign a yield grade to a carcass by evaluating:

1. the amount of external fat;
2. the hot carcass weight;
3. the amount of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat; and
4. the area of the ribeye muscle.

There are eight distinct grades of beef recognized by the USDA.

USDA Prime Beef

•  is the ultimate in tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.

USDA Choice Beef

Choice grade beef has less marbling than Prime, but is still of very high quality. This is the most popular grade of beef because it contains sufficient marbling for taste. 
Just over half of the beef graded each your earns a grade of Choice.

USDA Select beef

This is generally a lower priced grade of beef with less marbling than Choice. Select cuts of beef may vary in tenderness and juiciness.


USDA. In order of descending quality they are:

• Prime
• Choice
• Select
• Standard
• Commercial
• Utility
• Cutter
• Canner  

I got all my information from
http://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading.html 
http://www.bbqreport.com/archives/barbecue/2006/03/02/understanding-the-usda-beef-grading-system/
and from
Cindy Kinder Extension Educator for Gooding County

for more information click the links above.

Eastern Idaho State Fair Livestock Judging Contest

Clipping Your Steers for Begainners

By No means am I a steer clipping expert; but when I started learning to clip and groom my steers I could not find a place to show me just the basics. So this year one of my goals was to learn to clip and fluff my steers for the show ring and I thought I might share what I learned with you.

This year I had three steers so when my Dad was showing me what he knew my Mom was taking pictures for me to share.

The most important thing you can do long before you start clipping is to wash and blow-dry your steer. Make sure that you comb and blow the hair forward.

Next you will what to apply a styling mousse for steers, and comb it in I use a rice brush to do this. This foam creates a thicker hair coat without matting the hair. Great for training the hair, show day grooming or clipping. Now let the mousse dry.

 Clipping the the head, I was told to clip the hair in the direction that the hair lays. Try to not to clip to short; When I did my first head I clipped it to short; if this happens don't worry just spray pink oil on and it won't look so bad. I found that you should clip the head at least six or seven days before the show ( just in case ).
Depending on the style you can leave the hair on the pole of you can remove it. I did both ways this year .
You may want to leave the hair on the pole until you are at the show to see what the style is at that time.

The Brisket is next; when clipping the brisket you clip  from the head and neck downward. try not to take off all the hair you what this to be clipped but look natural.

For the hoofs we clip the hair that lays on the hoof to clean them up a little. DO NOT Clip the hair on the legs.

Now that you have just the beginners basics  go to the watch and learn and watch the pro's clip and groom.

Red Angus do not have much hair in the summer so there is not much clipping to do; here is Munch he was my highest placing steer and graded prime plus.

this is  Pepper my Black Angus.

Remember you are trying to make your steers look the best that you can.

You will always what to follow the rules of the Show, Fair or Association that you are participating in.