Banned From Cows! :(

When the average mom would want their average teenage daughter to study for tests she would usually take away the kids iPod, phone, computer or other electronic devices that keep teenagers off-task. Well as my mom found out many years ago, I’m not your average teenager.



Picture from:http://www.wallstreetoasis.com



Around the middle of June starts the time all kids in school dread, final exams. As my mother is well aware of, I get distracted quite easily and she knew that she should do something to help keep me on task. So like most average mothers she decided to help me by eliminating something that she knew would be a huge distraction for me. No it wasn’t the computer, my phone or my iPod, (and not just because of the reasons that I hardly use the computer or the not a lot of different people text me) it because those weren’t my biggest detractions.

Now being on an agriculture blog you can probably guess what is. Yes, my cows! Before exams started creeping up on me, I spent every day outside working with my cows for hours, getting them ready for the next show, but now all of that stopped because of school.

Although as much as I don’t like being forced to study, I must admit that being banned from cows had really helped me concentrate and I have actually managed to study quite a bit. But the good news in its only 3 more days till I get my cows back!

Harsh Yet Abrasive

Being that today is Father’s Day I thought id show you a video that my sister and I found a few years ago that we found perfectly explained our dad. Ok well maybe not perfectly, we had to change a few of the words, as you can see from the lyrics I have put in below. Like the girls in One More Girl, we really do appreciate all that thinks my dad has done for us and mean this all in fun! Thanks dad and Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads in the agriculture industry!


Harsh Yet Abrasive

I watched him pack his bags today, he’s goin’ on the road
A full complement of underwear (and a dinosour) completes his heavy load
He’s fussin’ and he’s fuming, he’s done his idiot check
He’s the cock of our little walk, we salute as he exits

CHORUS:
He’s harsh yet abrasive, that’s our dad
He might scream and yell a lot but he’s still mad
Efficiency is everything
Every castle needs a king
He’s harsh yet abrasive, that’s our dad

He leaves the house at ten a.m. to catch his 11 o clock flight
Just drive a little faster - that’s his motto, am I right?
Leave no time for incidents - a flood, a war, a quake
And don’t forget those assholes on the road, over  use their brakes

CHORUS

When he gets home there’s lingerie strewn out on the floor
There’s oneless cat and one less bull he can adore
My sister’s got him all worked up ‘bout how many boys she’s kissed
And my boyfriend drank up all his Crown Royal  and now he’s pissed

CHORUS

I guess I’ve talked a lot of smack about my dear old man
But I know he really truly does the very best he can
I know I got my chops from him and my sense of right and wrong
And a little bit of temper too but that’s another song

CHORUS

Toddlers and Tiaras Vs Beef and Banners



From:http://justcallingthecrapoutonlife.files.wordpress.com

A few weeks ago my sister and I were watching the show Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC. About half way into this program my dad comes down the stairs and looks at the TV with kinda a funny look on his face. He then points to one of the little contestants on the show and says, “this one is going to win.” My sister and I laughed and asked him what he could possibly know about beauty pageants and he said, “well it’s the exact same as cattle shows.”



For anyone who hasn’t seen this show Toddler and Tiaras, it takes you into the lives of young girls and boys that are involved in beauty pageant about a week before their big event. And although I wouldn’t say it was exactly like cattle shows, I do notice many similarities.



In these beauty pageants the little children are judged on their beauty, personality and costumes.

In cattle shows this can be a lot the same. When cattle are being judged, most judges look for how they are going to perform down the road and how they look today (beauty)

In the beauty pageant word, the contestant work hard weeks before so that they know their routine and often hire coaches to help these girls perform their best.  The show also gives you a look at the struggles parents can often have when their children get moody or not want to practice anymore.





I think this in one of the parts of the beauty parent I can relate to. Weeks before a show I try to work with my animal’s everyday so that when our big day comes they will act their best and will be easy to work with. Now as for the hiring coach’s part, I will admit I have more than once had to phone a friend in get help will an animals that had, well... an interesting personality.  But I think the moody apart is the one I know best! If you have ever tried to lead around three year old cows on a hot summer day it really isn’t the easiest and I know all about them not wanting to cooperate! Now I’m not meaning to relate three year old girls and three year old cows in a bad way, I’m just saying I can sometimes see similarities in the tantrums they may have.

And finally when the pageant comes around, these little girls are often spray tanned, have to wear makeup, fake eye lashes and fake hair.

Now although I can’t exactly remember the last time I spray tanned a cow or gave her fake eyelashes, I still have the same goal and the beauty pageant moms. At show many people will often clip the animals and add products to their hair. The goal that both the beauty pageant moms and I are trying to reach is to make the little girl, or in my case a cow, look as good as they possibly can.

My intent in this blog was not to offend beauty pageant contestants, but to give you a better idea of what cattle shows enquire and for you to hopefully get a laugh out of it.

Tattoos

In the cattle industry today, identification is the most important tools used by ranchers. Identification is not only a must for selling animals, but also come in handy when a rancher needs to identify a calf from his/her own herd. Cattle identification has come a long way throughout the years, and a very common and reliable way of cattle identification now is tattoos. These tattoos will code for a farm name or breeder name and an animal’s registration number and are found in the animal’s ear.

This method of identification involves the use of needle points in the shape of letters and numbers to pierce the front surface of the ear. You rub special tattoo paste or ink into the pierced area. As the punctures heal, the ink or paste is trapped under the surface of the skin, and it shows up as the numbers/letters, which can be used when registering the animal. If you do the job properly, tattoos will remain in the ear throughout the life of the animal and they do not scar the animal.

But the cattle industry is not the only one that has become a fan of tattooing, many industries today use tattooing as a favourite way of identification.

Racehorses have been using tattoos for a very long time. It has become a custom that North American racehorses get tattoos in their upper lips so that owners and people working with these animals can identify them. This series of numbers and letters code for the animal’s birth date and registration number.

Many other animals get tattooed in order to identify them such as purebred rabbits (left ear) dogs(ear) and even geese (on their feet)

Tattooing animals is a great way of identifying them and is safe for the animals.

EPD's

EPD’s are just one of may tools used in selecting cattle .  They show expected performance of an individual and allows breeders to compare cattle of the same Contemporary Group. They evaluate traits such as growth related traits (BW, WW, YW, Milk), carcass traits (REA, FAT,)  and reproductive efficiency ( CE, MCE)

 Benefits of EPD’s:

üHelp determine the breeding value of future progeny.

üThey allow a fair comparison to be made  by eliminating environmental factors such as climate, management and feed.

üAre the best tool available to compare animals in different  herds, countries or of different ages.

 

  

How to use EPS:

EPDs are used to compare animals by comparing that animal to an average. Averages are created every year and give a guide line of what to look for in an ideal animal. 

Examples:

When selecting for

üCalving Ease you would look at an animals EPDs and compare their number to the average (4.5)  and aim for being as close to average as possible.

üTotal maternal traits are made up of : TM EPD = Milk EPD + 1/2 (WW EPD) . You compare the TM on the animals EPDs to the average (31). Keep in mind average is ideal but above average is superior.

üThe carcass make up of an animal consists of may different components such as REA, MRB and FAT. Each of these components can be compared to the years average to make up an animals carcass value.

 

Explanation of terms:Contemporary Group: A contemporary group is a group of calves that were born in the same year and season, in the same herd, of the same sex and were managed alike. The differences in performance among those calves are mostly genetic, because all those calves were exposed to the same environment.

BW: Birth Weight

WW: Weaning Weight

YW : Yearling Weight

MK: Milk

TM: Total Maternal

CE: Calving Ease

REA: Rib Eye Area

MRB: Marbling Score

STAY: Stayability (predicts the probability that a bull's daughters will remain in the herd until at least six years of age.)

Crazy Clipping

unclipped Animal

As the countdown to my 4-H achievement day is well under way (with only 3 days remaining) this week has been extremely hectic. These past two days I have spent helping other 4-H member clip there steers. Clipping steers helps to give them a more finished look and if a steer has enough hair you are actually able to hide some flaws that you don’t like about the steer.

For 4-H we try to keep it simple so the members can get right in there and not have to be worried about messing up.  The easiest and part of the steer that fits these criteria the best is the head. Clipping the steers head really makes a big change to the steer’s image and has no certain way of clipping that a member must fallow.

Clipped Animal

I usually like to start with the top of their head, starting at their nose and going up first and then going down to endure that all the hair is shaved right down. Near the top of their head you can see where the animal’s head will peak, this is called there poll. Here we will unusually leave some hair so that the animals face will look longer and can make some look a little more feminine.

Next I like to move to the side of the head, where we will go straight up to get all the hair off. We then will do a v-shape from the bottom of their neck to the line we created from the side of their face. This helps to make the steers shaved head flow into their body making them look a little more natural.

Then I just continue cleaning up around their face in different direction to get all the hair off. As you can see just clipping an animal’s head really makes a big difference to their overall look and is a great start for members to learn how to clip. So although this week is hectic and crazy, it is great to see members getting involved and wanted to learn more about clipping and making their animals look as good as possible.

My Boys

I strongly believe in the old saying it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s about how you play the game. Now me being the farm girl that I am have found a way to relate that to my life and to cows.

 For the past two years I have been showing a blue roan steer in my 4-H club. A blue roan is a calf that is a cross usually between something like Black Angus and a Shorthorn, creating a calf with a blue tinge to their hair.  When I first discovered these steers I fell in love with their colour and the amount of hair they had, I decided to show them in 4-H.



Steve Earl!



I was the first one in a long time to show a blue roan steer in my district so I have heard many comments about them. Everything form they will never be as good as a red steer to they are just big puppy dogs and have even had people worrying that it was because my steer was a blue colour, it was sick.  

Last year my first Blue Roan steer was named Steve Earl. He was the friendliest steer I every had with a very laid back personality and ended up weighing over 1400 pounds! Steve Earl has helped me learn more about clipping and fitting than any other project I had ever had. Even with his large ears and big head, I still thought he was beautiful!



John Wayne!



 My steer this year is names John Wayne and even though he doesn’t have the weight that Steve Earl had, he is very easy going and is a little more proportionate. I am very excited to see how he will do this weekend at our 4-H Show and Sale!

I have always called my two blue roan steers my boys because of how important they have been to me and all that they have taught me. But most important they have shown me that it’s not about winning, it’s about enjoying yourself and doing your best.

Oyen Adventure

This past Monday I spend my day off in Oyen Alberta.  Considering there really isn’t a whole lot in Oyen you’re probably wondering why I would travel 3 hours to spend a day there. Well it was because this is where the 2011 Regional Heifer show was held!

Over the past 6 years I have been very involved in beef 4-H and have had a steer project and also a female project. In a female project you start as a heifer then bring her back and show her along with her calf as a 2 year old and a 3 year old. In order to continue bringing her back you must show her within your 4-H districts show but there have also been shows like the Regional Heifer Show and the Provincial Heifer Show that have been created to give kids a chance to show their projects more than once.

This year I took my entire breeders herd (consisting of a heifer, 2 year old and 3 year old) up to Oyen along with a great crew of people to help me! When I was there I was able to win Grand Champion 2 year old and Grand Champion 3 year old and also won with my breeders herd.

We had a great time in Oyen! It was great seeing a member of my club win Grand Champion Female and also to get a new member addicted to showing!

When I Grow Up

Even as a kid I loved being involved in agriculture, everything from riding in the tractor with my grandpa to walking through fields with my dad. My grandma always tell the story when I was 4 years old of me getting a hand full of seeds from my dad and planting them in her flower garden, cause everything grows best there! She also enjoys tell the stories of me walking around the farm saying “when I grow up I want to be a famer.”

Well since then not a whole lot has changed. Well except the fact that I have now learned to say my “r’s” and have been banded from growing anything except flowers in my grandmas garden( there was an incident with barley taking over the garden, my bad) but other than that I still enjoy the simple things about farm life. Things like looking into a field and seeing happy, fat cows, walking through fields with my dad and seeing small seeds grow into tall corn plants, riding in the tractor with my grandpa and watching baby calves learn how to finally run and play without falling down. Even though things have changed a little from the time I was 4 and farm life has become a little more chaotic, I can still honestly say, “When I grow up I want to be a farmer!”

Too Many Birds and Not Enough Krickets!

On every farm you always need one “good dog.” You know the kind I’m talking about. The ones that are always in the wrong gait at the wrong time, always chasing cats and right when you need them the most are nowhere to be found. Well that’s my dog Kricket. Although she may not be always where you need her, she still pulls through for us some times and has become a great source of entertainment.

Ever since Kricket was little, her favourite time of year was seeding time. My dad would always take her in the tractor with him when he was working land and then as she got older she loved chasing the birds instead of sitting in the tractor. So as my dad would work up land and bird would be landing on the ground, you would always find Kricket not far behind making sure those birds weren’t on the ground for too long.

We have now has my dog for almost 6 years and well she’s kind of starting to get a little old. This year when it came time to work the fields, she still came out and chased birds constantly but she wasn’t able to keep up with all the birds as well as usual. She would come home at night very tired and you can tell she was wishing for a few more Krickets and a few less birds.

Winter Wheat

For the past year or so i have developed an addiction to winter wheat! So here is some information that i find really cool.

Winter Wheat is an effective alternative to spring seeded crops in our area. It provides higher yields, allows more efficient use of crop inputs and allows farmer to spread out their workload throughout the year.  

Winter Wheat is a type of cereal that is planted ideally between September 10^th and 20^th. In order to stand the harsh climates of winter, Winter Wheat must have enough time in the fall to develop healthy crowns and at least two to three leaves. Throughout the winter months Winter Wheat becomes dormant, meaning it hardens off and doesn’t grow.  

Although too much snow cover can cause winter kill, temperature and timing play a much larger role in winter wheat survival. Winter Wheat is only able to handle -18°C soil temperatures before freezing and planting too early can cause the plant to mature too fast and not be able to survive harsh winter temperatures.

Winter Wheat has a high glucose protein making it useful for yeast breads and can be blended with soft wheat to make all purpose flour. Winter wheat can also be used as a feed grain for animals.

Winter Wheat also allows waterfowl a safe habitat to return to in the spring. Duck Unlimited Canada is a big promoter of Winter Wheat and is working to increase the amount of Winter Wheat grown in the prairies. 

Rain is a Good Thing!

Finally after what seemed to be a never ending streak of bad weather and winter storm warnings, farmers have finally been able to get going in the fields. Over the years, around here famers have really learned how to just deal with the conditions the Southern Alberta weather has thrown at them, this year being the excess amount of water in their fields. I know many farmers in this area had started pumping out water weeks before they were ready to seed rather than pouring it on the fields (which is what we usually see). Even now driving down old dirt roads you see many fields that have what I like to call "nature reserves" in the middle, or areas that the farmer gave up pumping and now taken over by ducks. Although you would think with this amount or water, farmers would be praying for sun, think again. Now that the farmers have gotten in the fields, worked the land, then probably worked it again, then finally seeding it, the top layer of the soil is dry and moisture is needed to get the little seeds growing. This is where water comes in or also known as the most important factor in the whole system. So right now as the clouds are starting to roll in you can see the grin starting to rise on farmers faces because around here even though we have had a lot of moisture this past year we can still say Rain is a Good Thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VKy69sE4VY

Cancer

According to http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/facts-you-need-to-know-about-cancer.html  one in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in some point in their lives and according to the American Hospital Association within five years, cancer will surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death. I’m sure you didn’t need these facts to agree that cancer is a disease that hits close to home and everyone probably knows someone that has had cancer effect their lives.

At our school some boys got together and decided they were tired of just sitting back, they wanted to do something about it. So they decided they were going to raise money and shave their heads for cancer. So for the past few months they have been getting together as much sponsorship and other volunteers that were willing to shave their heads as possible.

Today was their big day. People from the cancer foundation came down to our school and ended up shaving many children’s heads. At first there were mostly boys signed up and only 2 girls. But as the day went on more girl started getting involved and many girls with long beautiful hair shaved it all off and donated it to cancer.

A few years ago I cut my hair to donate it to make wigs for cancer patients. The thought this small gesture of mine could put a smile on a disserving face make it all worth it to me. I am so proud of all the people that shaved their head for cancer today!

Go o our school website at http://www.holyspirit.ab.ca/sms/ to see pictures in a few days!

Love of the Land

I believe that it is far from an understatement to say that the agriculture industry is one that is becoming more and more technologically advanced to fit today’s demands of the consumer.  Although technologies have made farm productions faster and more efficient, not all farmers believe in the new ways of all technologies. These are the types of farmers I like to call the back bone of today’s industry! What I am referring to is the small scale farmers or ranchers.  Although they made not be able to make the kind of money that the big farms are making, they still stay in this industry for nothing more than the love they have for what they do.

When I think of small scale farmers and ranchers, I can think of my grandpa, dad, uncles and even just the farmers in my community. Although these people may not run farms the same or may like doing things a little different, I believe they all have something in common. These are the people that define the word tough. They are determined in getting done what needs to and no matter if their ribs are broke or they feel as if they can’t take another day walking through the mud.  They continue to do what they do and find enjoyment out of the small things around the farm. I know that no matter how busy or hectic things get around our farm my dad and grandpa always find some times for the little things like walking through the pen of bull calves to find a champion.

It is these kinds of ranchers that I love listening to their stories. They’ve experienced the tough times where there isn’t enough water to grow crops or when they have to seed around the puddles in the field. But it’s their determination and compassion for this industry that makes it all worthwhile and what keeps them going for long days. So it’s really the small farmers of our industry that have helped paved the way for future generations and that have inspired me to stay with this industry.

Highway Cleanup

Today many 4-H kids across the province took place in this year’s Highway Cleanup. This is an even that all clubs take part in that not only helped clean up the ditches on the side of the road, but gives the kids a chance to make some money for their clubs. This event takes place on the first or second Saturday of May depending on the weather. Much planning and preparation must go into this event before it can take place which consist of getting an area, making sure enough parents are willing to come and to make sure all kids know that is expected of them. After the clubs are assigned there area to clean they are given an educational video that tells of all the rules and regulations of Highway cleanup. This video must be watch by all members and parents that are planning to attend. Next comes the big day where before heading out our club had a short meeting where we are given gloves, bright orange vests and garbage bags. Next we set out in groups, keeping the smallest kids closest to the fence, to see what fun things we can find along our journey. Today our club was able to walk 9 miles and found many interesting items along the way. We first were able to collect over 6 garbage bags full of pop cans that our club uses for money. Along with that we found everything from old broken cell phones to soggy ripped chair cushions to a role up the rim cup that had a free coffee on it. Overall it was a great day and it makes you feel great to get your whole club together to help keep Alberta’s highways clean!

Picture from:http://bernalilloextension.nmsu.edu/documents/power4h.gif

Producers and Consumers

When asked to design this blog our goal was to create more of a contact between producers and consumers and in this case between farmers/ ranchers and the general public. There was one company that came to my mind when I was given this topic and that was Adfarms. Adfarms is North America’s largest marketing company that works with countries around the world that want to market a product and try to give urban people a better understanding of agriculture. Their goal is to connect clients to their customers through new and upcoming market techniques.

15 years ago Art Froehlich bought out the company and last December he sold the company to his employees who were farm kids with agricultural degrees. This last November I got the opportunity to meet with Art and got to introduce him at a conference for farmers. Meeting Art was a great experience and made me realize that agriculture has a lot to offer and on the future it will have even more jobs available. Art really got me interested in marketing and made me realise that a strong relationship between a consumer and a producer and very important.

For more information about Adfarms be sure to check out this website and explore one of the many career path agriculture offers!http://www.adfarmonline.com/

The NASCARs of the Show Ring

For about 5 years now I have been very involved in showing cattle all across southern Alberta. At these shows you see many different breeds of cattle represented and one of which is known as the Club Calves. Club Calves are a lot like the cars you see raising in the NASCAR series. These cars are flashy, eye appealing and built to race on the track, and although they may come off as all that, there are not built for the road.  Club calves are a lot the same. They are makeup of a crazy amount of hair so they can be made to look as flashy as the race cars. These calves are bred mostly for eye appeal, carcass quality is still important but these steers are also meant to look good in the show ring. Today you see more and more younger kids getting involved with Club Calves because of the thrill of taking that crazy amount of hair and trimming it up and shaping them down to look like a champion.

Here is a link that will give you more examples of what Club Calves look like. http://www.showsteers.com/NAV/upcoming_sales.htm

 So if you ever have an opportunity to watch a cattle show, try to point out the club calves, or NASCARs as I like to call them and you will see they look as good in the show ring as race cars do on the track.

Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome to Corn Country Cowgirl! This blog will give you an inside look at the life of a farmer's daughter. Here I will tell my story of my  family farm, our product and the good times we have! Being very involved in our farm has been like living to dream for me even though its not always pretty and some days you feel like nothing can go right, it is very rewarding to see hard work paying off in the end. Weither it be keeping little calves warm in a snow storm, feeding yearling bulls in mud to my knees or getting the tractor stuck in our corals, there are always leasons that are learned and fun story's to tell. Our family run farm consists of my parents, older sister, my grandparents and me meaning there is never a dull moment around our ranch. I hope this blog makes you apreciative of all farmers and helps you to realize their are so many dedicated people in this industry that provide you with every meal you have. So be sure to keep checking in on the new events happening around my farm. You are sure to get a laugh or two!!!

Things I Have Learned Today

As my 4-H districts key member it is my job to plan at least one district 'fun day' This year I decided to rent a hall and play fun games and give away some amazing prizes to extremely well behaved children... well that was my plan anyway. Obviously things did not go as planned but it was an interesting evening and gave me an opportunity to learn about event planning. This is the top ten things I hope you find helpful if you ever have to plan an event like this:
1) when planning a potluck insure that someone actually brings an entre
2) I must learn to better utilise my loud voice
3) Planning an event requires an amazing crew of people to pull it all together
4) When renting a hall make sure that it has tables that are not older than the combined age of all the members attending
5) When planning for 40 kids you probably don’t need a box of 500 plastic utensils
6) A scavenger hunt is a great way to give you time to re-group and prepare for the next event
7) At a 4H event people will probably be late, so when there are only 3 people there on time, doesn’t worry more will probably show up
8) Don't accidently pop a 3 year olds balloon. They will start crying
9) Serving spoons are a great idea, people don’t like using plastic knives to try to fish out cake
10) Powdered donuts on a string turn children of all ages into hungry piranhas
Overall it was a great night with enthusiastic members, supportive volunteers, and a great opportunity to meet new people and see old friends. Although I am absolutely exhausted tonight, I had a great time and can’t help but look forward to next year. I know that all the things I have learned will help make next year’s event even better!