My plans for next year!

      Today I will be talking about my plans for this week and for next years show season.

      I have decided that next year I will be showing a steer as well as a wether goat. For those of you who do not know a steer is a bull that has be castrated. These are primarily meant for consumption, in other words they are food. A wether goat is also a male goat that has been castrated for consumption purposes.

     We are going to be keeping them at a place in Keller. We are going there tomorrow so that we can set up the panels so that they will have pens to go into whenever we get them. These pens are going to be about 10'x20' pens so they will be pretty big. Steers need to have plenty of room to be able to move around in their pen. This will be temporary as out barn for next year is currently being built. It should be ready around the end of July so we will only be at this place for a couple of months.

     I am going to go look at steers this weekend with my uncle and parents. Hopefully we find something we like so we can bring one home. There are lots of things to consider when getting a show steers, it's not all about colors and size, but also conformation as well. I will most likely be getting a British steer. This includes but is not limited to: Angus, Herford, and Shorthorn breeds. I hope I get either a shorthorn or a Hereford because they are a lot less competitive compared to angus steers and they have lots of hair which I think looks really cool!

     We will be having state validations in June, so it is very important that I find a steer that I can show and fast. I need to be able to lead him on a halter by that time so that whenever we go to tag them in he will be able to unload from the trailer and walk. States validations is pretty much where you go to get the animal registered in your name so that the sate and county know that that's your animal and nobody else's. The also put an ear tag in their ear so that they can easily identify one from another, again the tag number identifies the animal.

     Hopefully all goes well and I get a steer next weekend! I'm so excited to be trying something new and I can wait to get started working with him! I hope all goes well and that I am successful!

Ear Tag. N.d. National Band and Tag Co. Web. 05 May 2014.

Shorthorn Steer. N.d. JBS Shorthorns. Web. 05 May 2014.

Wether Goat. N.d. Mock Livestock. Web. 05 May 2014.

Cattle Pen. N.d. Traders City. Web. 05 May 2014.

Livestock judging results

Last week we went to Texas A and M Commerce for our livestock judging contest. It was a 2 hour drive there and a 2 hour drive back. It was awful. We had to take an old school bus. Anyways back on topic, when we arrived at the contest there were tons of people. There were about 69 schools there  so it was pretty crowded. 

We arrived at the indoor arena at 8:00 am, thinking that we were running late. We rushed there and barley had time to pack our stuff before we left the hotel. Anyways, the girls stayed at one hotel and the guys stayed at the other. We arrived there first of course because girls take FOREVER to get ready. We were waiting there for an hour before they finally arrived. They were actually on time and we were super early because the contest actually started at 9:30.

Whenever the contest started we had about 12 classes to judge. 

Categories: Breeding Heifers

Market Steers

Market lambs 

Market Hogs

Breeding Pigs

Meat Grading 

Breeding Lambs

Market goats

Breeding Goats

As a group we did terrible, but as an individual I did pretty good. Out of 600 people I got 106 and one of my teammates got 130. That is pretty good considering that this was our first time to do this contest and that we only had 3 weeks to study. Hopefully we will keep getting better and better, and next year we should do a lot better.

Meat Grading. N.d. Cheflehr. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

 Texas A&M Barn. N.d. Pinterest. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

Photograph

More 

 Livestock Judging Arena. N.d. University of Arkansas. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

Photograph

More 

Number 1. N.d. Icon Art. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

How to use EPD's to your benefit

     EPD stands for Expected Progeny Difference. Progeny refers to the offspring produced by that animal. They are an evaluation of an animal's genetic worth as a parent. They are based on standards or average statistics for the breed, some characteristics you want to be higher and others you want to be lower. These can greatly help livestock ranchers or producers when choosing which traits they want to bring into their herd or group of animals. The whole objective of raising livestock animals is to improve meat production and body structure of the animals, as well as milk production if raising dairy cattle.

     This is an example of an EPD. This is for a bulls. When looking for a replacement bull you want to consider each of the following. Birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, and milk production. When choosing a bull you want one with a low birth EPD, this means that the calves born generally weigh less making it easier for the cows or heifers to gives birth. Number 1 would be a good example of this. Number 2 would not because his calves would be too big to have naturally, causing problems for the calf and cow.Next is weaning weight, generally all cattle are weaned around the same time so this is a good time to compare them to see how the look or weigh compared to others aroundx the same age. You want a high weaning weigh as this directly corresponds with how efficient they are at putting on weight. Number 2 is a good representation of what you want, considering the other bulls being compared.He has a much higher weaning weight than the other bulls, therefore his offspring would weigh more compared to the others. Number 1's calves would be small and not be very profitable if selling for meat. 

Next is yearling weight, this is there to show the efficiency or rate at which the animal gains givean a certain amount of feed over a certain amount of time and feed. An animal who is more efficient at converting feed to muscle is desired. This means less money the ranchers has to spend and more muscle the animal produces. Bull number 2 is a great example of this.

Last but not least is milk production. This is VERY important when planning on keeping his offspring for future breeding. A cow or heifer who can't produce milk is useless. The more milk they can produce the healthier the calf will be and the more likely chances it will have to survive. If this were to be a dairy type operation this would be the most important aspect of the EPD. The more milk a cow can produce the more money the rancher or operator can make. Bull 4 would be the best in this category, he has a higher number than any of the other bulls. It costs about the same amount of money to feed an ok animal vs an amazing one. This is just one of many ways a livestock racher or operation can greatly improve their herd in just a few generations. To learn more about EPD's click 

EPD. N.d. Genetics. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

 Bull. N.d. Doris Show Cattle. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

 Dairy Cattle. N.d. Climate Change. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

Now that we are done showing....

A couple of weeks ago we attended our last show. Now that we are done showing for the 2013-2014 school year we have moved on to CDE's. CDE stands for Career Development Events. These are usually held in the spring after all of the stocks shows are over with. There are many different types of CDE's from a tractor team to habitat evaluation. Here is a list of all the different types of CDE's.

What is a CDE?  Career Development Events help FFA members develop the abilities to think critically, communicate, and perform effectively in the ever changing job market. There are 24 CDEs, covering everything from communications to mechanics. Some events you can compete as an individual and some you compete as a team.

What team will I be participating on? I will be participating on the livestock evaluation  team. This is were we will be judging livestock based off of the "ideal" animal. The competition consists of  eight evaluation classes of steers, heifers, breeding sheep, lambs, swine, wether goats, barrows, and gilts along with a 1 page essay on livestock production. Each team competes at the local and state levels for the privilege of representing their state at the National FFA Convention & Expo.

We will be going on some practice contests to get a feel of how they are run and what it will be like. Our FFA will be gone next Wednesday, and Friday. we will be going to Weatherford and Texas A and M. Hopefully we will learn a lot and do well in the practice events! If all goes well we will be moving on to state later on in the year.

 Livestock Judging. N.d. Buncombe County. Livestock Judging. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

 Livestock Judging. N.d. CEV. Web. 24 Mar.2014

 Livestock Judging. N.d. CEV. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

  

   "Cde's." National FFA Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Livestock Shows

What is a livestock show?

     A livestock show is a place where kids and adults go to show their livestock animals. This purpose of this is to show off their animals to show that they have good stock. The objective is to breed/ make an animal as close to the "ideal" as possible. By showing their animals and winning or placing in the class it shows of their great characteristics and lets others know that their genetics/ animals are superior over the other animals. It is very good publicity when they win at a major stock show because it make people want to buy into their stock and genetics.

Visit the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo for more info!  http://www.fwssr.com/#

Getting their name out there....

      

     When a breeder has animals that win major livestock shows it really helps their business. When the kid wins Grand Champion or Reserve Grand Champion they get recognized for their hard work and nice animal that they are exhibiting. This makes other people showing or that are in the business want their animals, in hopes of winning the title and money.

How to go about buying a show project...

     Find a reputable breeder that you want to do business with. Peferably one whose stock/ animals have placed or done well at major or junior shows. Contact them, weather it be in person, email, or phone and explain to them your budget and a time to go look at their animals for sale. When going to look at animals don't be afraid to get you hand on them and feel the muscle on them. Be educated on what type of animal you are looking for and make sure you are getting/ paying a fair price. Also, make sure that the animal is physically sound and not sickly as this could effect them in the long run.

What to do when you get your animal home...

   When you get you animal home make sure it is in a low stress environment. This is especially important when discussing pigs, as they can stress out very easily, to the point where they can start having seizures and possible die. Next is to get them to eat, you want them to stay on their feed as this is important to keep the muscle and fat on the animal. Getting them to trust you is essiental to a successful show season. Watch your animal drink water to make sure they stay hydrated, if they don't they could develope kidney stones and die.

Fort Worth Barn. 2012. Photograph. Fort worth Texas. Russel Feed. Jan. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

Show Wether. N.d. Photograph. Sure Champ Blog. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

Show Pig. N.d. Photograph. Marketing and Development Division. Web. 4 Mar. 2014

Tarrant County Junior Livestock Show

     Today I will be talking about the Tarrant county junior livestock show. This will be our next and last show we will be attending as an FFA. Last year was the first year that our district has a livestock team! I was fortunate enough to be one of the first people to be on the BCTAL FFA livestock team. BCTAL is a abbreviation for Birdville Center of Technology and Advanced learning. Last year there were about 300 livestock animals at the show and countless more arts and crafts projects. The Tarrant county junior livestock show has been around since the 1950's and insnt going anywhere soon.

Birdville Independent School District also know as BISD recently bought a roller rink for our FFA to convert into an Agriculture barn. I am really excited about this opportunity that the district has offered us! This program went from 7 goats the first year, to currently 12 goats, 3 steers, 15 rabbits and 2 lambs, and it's still growing!

Anyways back on topic, last year at the Tarrant county show I was fortunate enough to win Reserve Grand Champion market wether at the 2013 show. I got second out of 77 overall behing the Grand champion goat! I feel that I was truly blessed to have had that opportunity to be able to show and get to experience something as cool and interesting as this.

Earlier this week I was interviewed by the star telegram about my experiences with FFA. The lady asked my how FFA how positively affected my life and the many benefits I see and have experienced being in the amazing program. She went on to question how I felt about the district buying and renovating a new barn for our program and how we felt about it. All in all FFA has greatly effected my life in many positive ways and will continue to support this program well into the future.you can see the article here.

 

 

 

Campbell, Elizabeth. "Birdville School District Converts Roller Rink into Agricultural Facility." Star Telegram. Star Telegram, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.

 

FFa Emblem. N.d. Photograph. North Dakota. North Dakota FFA. 15 June 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2014

 

.N.d. Photograph. TelegramStar. 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

 

Tarrant county show, Fort worth Texas. Personal photograph by author. 2013.

 

Agriculture in the news

Agriculture is Everywhere all the Time

Agriculture is all around us, all the time. In the supermarket, clothing stores, and even in your house! Today I will be talking about agriculture in the media. As you may know the Fort Worth stock show recently ended last weekend. Thousands of exhibitors and live stocks animals attend in hopes of winning the grand or reserve grand champion title. 

Types of animals shown at the show: 

Cattle     Chickens     Rabbits       Ducks     Goats      Pigs     Sheep 

Most of the animals raised by the 4-H or FFA members will become food for people all over the country. Most of them are put on the meat truck after the show is over and head to the butcher plant to be processed and sold as meat to the public. In total there were about 29,000 livestock animals show and about 11,000 were market animals were shown and sold/ took to butcher during the 23 day event (star telegram).

The grand champion steer "Here I Am" was owned and shown by, Flint Newman. He got named that Grand champion at the 2014 Fort worth stock show on Friday. He sold the next day on Saturday for $200.000. This was $5,000 less than lasts years grand champion.

watch the video here!

Sakmari, Elvira. ""Here I Am" Named Grand Champion Steer." NBCDFW [Fort worth] 7 Feb. 2014: n. Web. Print.

Bahari, Sarah. "Stock Show Wraps Up, Attendance Tops 1 Million." Star Telegram. N.p., 9 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.