Saturday, May 5, 2012

By Special Request: HEAT DETECTION FOR BREEDING

I don't want to be confusing, so I looked up an uncomplicated way to say this.  According to the internet, "Heat (estrus) is simply the period of time when a cow or heifer is sexually receptive, and it signals that an egg, ready to be fertilized, is about to be released."



Since breeding is so important in having a successful project or program or business, heat detection is not taken lightly.


I use Estrotect heat detection stickers.  

You place one of these stickers across the spine of the female just above the tail head.  Mine look silver when you stick them on, and when they are rubbed, they reveal hot pink underneath.  The way the sticker gets rubbed is when that female gets mounted.


Since we use artificial insemination and rarely use an on site bull, the mounting comes from other females in the same pasture or pen.  It seems strange, but the other females sense heat and try to mount each other.  (They even show it on the logo of the Estrotect website above.  You can see that both of them have udders.)  If a female is truly in heat, she will not walk (or run) out from under the other one.  She will stand still and allow herself to be mounted by a female.  This is what is known as "standing in heat".  So when she is standing in heat, the contact of the other female as she jumps up on her rump causes the sticker to be rubbed and expose the hot pink.  When we see hot pink, we mark it on the calendar.  This helps us track her heat cycle.  We like to track it for several months leading up to time for breeding.  This helps us know when to arrange a visit from the professional so she can be A.I.ed (artificially inseminated).


Heat occurs every 18 to 24 days in sexually mature, open females.  "Open" means not currently pregnant.


Even though young heifers start showing signs of heat much earlier, we haven't bred any of mine until they were over 14 months old.  Once a cow has calved (given birth) she can be bred again in as few as 45 days.

Breeding is a science, but it is not exact.  Just because you do it by the book doesn't mean your animal is going to get pregnant right off.  This can become expensive.  Each time you A.I. you are paying for semen and you are paying for the A.I. process unless you have earned your own A.I. certification.  Sometimes you have to just send the heifer to visit a bull to get the job done.  This costs money, too.

Many things will keep your animal from conceiving.  She might have cysts in her uterus.  One of mine had a simple infection.  At another time, the weather was just too hot for her body to work properly and conceive.    Those are just a few of the reasons I know of. 


I put two heat detection stickers on yesterday.  I've got a cow that needs bred this month, and a heifer that needs bred next month.  So I'm keeping my eyes peeled for HOT PINK!







Dairy Promotion

Dairy promotion is another of the things I do.  I promote the breeds, and I promote lowfat dairy as a part of a healthy diet.

My booth toward the end of the day.  (This table started out PILED FULL of stuff!)
I am blessed to be supplied by Susan Allen from Dairy Max!  She makes sure I have all sorts of pamphlets, cookbooks, and other hand-outs for my booth where I promote dairy.




Friday, May 4th was the most recent event for me.  It was the Living Healthy Fair.  My friend Betty Thompson was there. (You might know her as Miss Oklahoma and First Runner-Up to Miss America!)   I think it's cool that her  campaign platform was "Milk:  It Really Does a Body Good."

The event started at 8:30 A.M. and lasted until about 2:00.  During that time, approximately 770 people came through and stopped at my booth.  I visited with ages ranging from Pre-K to adult.

Overall, I would say this year's fair was better than the last.  I talked to people about lowfat milk as part of a healthy diet.  I gave away refrigerator magnets reminding people to Fuel Up with lowfat milk and get physical exercise for 60 minutes each day.  I also gave away coloring books and posters and zipper-pulls and buttons and bracelets and pencils and stickers and pens and stress balls and cookbooks and
milk mustaches!  Whew!  What a day!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

By Special Request: DAIRY SHOWMANSHIP

Local 2011












Local 2012

As a third-year dairy exhibitor, I've won showmanship at Local the last two years.  I also won Overall 4-H Exhibitor at Local the last two years.
 
OKC 2011



I won showmanship in my age division the last two years at OKC, and  I won Jr. Showmanship this year at Tulsa.

Tulsa 2011









You would think that after all that, I would know exactly what to say about showmanship.  I'm a little unsure, but I'll give it a shot...since this post was another special request from my friends at the Tulsa State Fair office.  = )


DRESS
You can spot a dairy showman a mile away.  Dairy showmen wear white:  white shirt with 4-H or FFA patch and white jeans with black belt and black boots.  I'm not sure why we wear white other than maybe because white clothing is traditionally what milk men wore.  Showmen used to have to wear a black bow tie and a little white paper hat.  I'm glad we don't have to do that now.  I've seen pictures on the internet that at some shows, the showman has to wear a body harness of their own with a number on it.  I've never had to do that either.  Appearance is important.  I was watching a show one day when the judge got on the microphone and told everyone about appearance.  I was embarrassed for the kids in the ring he was teaching the lesson, but they should have known better. 

HALTERS
Dairy cattle wear a leather show halter with a sliding chain under the jaw attached to a leather lead.  The lead comes from the factory measuring about four feet long I'm guessing.



Problem is, you don't want to be that far away from your animal.  You also don't want the lead to drag the ground.  For one thing it is bad on the leather.  (You have to take care of your equipment.) For another thing, you don't want to step on the lead or worse, you don't want your animal to step on the lead or get it wrapped around them and do a somersault and take you down, too.  (Been there.  Done that.  Praise the Lord, neither of us was hurt.)  To fix this, you can do one of two things:  either cut the lead down so that even if it is hanging straight down from the halter, it will not touch the ground, or you can do what I do...I slip the lead through its own hardware ring and fold it in half.  This gives me more bulk on the lead so I can get a better grip if I need to use some muscle, and it does not affect the original condition of the lead.

The normal color of a dairy animal's show halter is black leather, with the exception of Ayrshire and Milking Shorthorn, I believe.  They wear brown leather.  I would like to have those fancy halters that have rhinestones on them, but I've been told that certain important people in my life would be embarrassed if I tried that... along with bedazzling my show pants!

A leather halter is used on the animal during shows and during training/practice.




A rope halter is used at all other times to lead them around, load them, etc.



A leather halter allows for better control of the animal.  It also lets the animal know when it's time to work the ring!  The idea is to work with the animal to a degree that the animal will "set-up" in show position with a gentle touch without the need to use a great deal of muscle on them.  Older cows that have been worked well and shown for a long time will many times just walk into a set-up position and stay on their own.

SHOWING
An animal must learn to set-up and stay in show position for an extended period of time.  The judge has to evaluate all the animals in the ring, and that takes awhile.  Hold her head.

A showman must always keep his/her eye on the judge.  You must also not turn your back on the judge.  You must always know where the judge is at all times.
You also re-set your animal in a slightly different position depending on where the judge is standing.  The showman must also move and stand in different places according to the position of the judge.

When showing a heifer, the exhibitor should position the heifer's front legs straight underneath her, evenly.  The rear legs should always be positioned so that whichever side the judge is seeing, THAT rear leg closest to the judge should be farther back than the other rear leg...but not too stretched out looking.  If the judge walks around to the other side, then you make your animal "switch legs" so the same effect is created.  Heifers don't have a visible, "bloomed" udder for the judge to look at.  If she's nervous, she might arch her back.  Give her back a quick touch to make it relax and be straight again.  Straight backs are a must.

When showing a cow, the exhibitor does just the opposite.  The rear leg closest to the judge should be forward.  This allows the full udder to be viewed.  The judge wants a clear view of all four quarters of the udder, the placement of the teats, their length, and the degree of levelness of the udder floor.  When the judge walks behind a cow, the rear legs should be made even with one another.

I haven't had any experience yet with showing a dry cow, so I'm not sure what the rules are for setting them up.

The dairy showman walks and stands on the left side of the animal.  Depending where the judge is, the showman will walk forward, backward, or sometimes a little sideways always keeping face forward to the judge.  When the animal is set-up and the judge comes near you, you step away a little farther to the left side of the animal so the judge can see from nose to tail and down both sides.

EXTRAS
The judge will also ask questions.  He/she will want to know the animal's birth date.  The judge may ask you the sire's name (the animal's father) and the full registered name of your animal.  You may be asked any number of trivia questions about dairy:  anatomy, processes, anything.

Some judges make you switch animals with another showman toward the end of the competition.  He/she wants to see how you handle an unfamiliar animal.  I've always wondered if it looks good on the showman if their animal is easily lead by a stranger.  You know, like they have trained it very well.  I'm thinking it has to look bad if a stranger can show your animal BETTER than you can.  Maybe I can ask a judge that one day.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
You can work your animal very well throughout the year, but you don't know how it will behave in the ring until you get there.  Many animals don't like to be with a new mix of animals.  Some don't like it when another exhibitor pulls their animal too close behind them in the circle.  Some don't like strangers.  My Ayrshire never has cause to kick until we get to a show.  Several shows in a row, she somehow managed to kick me right before we went into the ring.  Last year, she kicked my FINGER just three minutes before we walked into the ring at County.  It was my halter hand.  It was like it was on fire.  Yes, I cried, but I sucked it up and did my job.  Since she's an Ayrshire, we were the ones to actually start the show.  No time to recuperate.  Another time she kicked the dairy superintendent in the leg as he walked past her entering the ring at OKC.  She's multi-talented.  She can kick forward, backward, and to the side.  She never has that problem except at shows.  Lucky me (sarcasm).  Other animals can be the same way, so you should always leave one animal length between your animal's nose and the rear end of the animal in front of her.  You can't control the person behind you, but you can control the space in front of you.  Animals sometimes get squirrely when the judge has you line them up side by side.  You also never know which animals might end up being in heat during a show.  They will try to mount each other.  One of my friends (age 10)  was standing next to me when her yearling tried to mount her three or four different times in the ring!  Yes, you read it right.  Her own animal tried to mount her.  She got pretty beat up.  Each time it landed, her animal slammed into mine (Posey) and it just about knocked both Posey and me over the fence onto the ribbon table.  People went scattering.  You have to be super aware of EVERYTHING going on around you:  your animal AND every other living thing in the ring.


From the time you enter the show ring until the time you are dismissed from it, you are constantly working.  You don't just set-up your animal and stand there; you're not done. 

You should have worked with her enough that the two of you have a relationship by now.  You are the boss, but you are gentle, and she does what she's "told".

I should probably stop here.  I have super-secret training techniques and showing strategies that I'm afraid I would reveal to the world if I keep going.  I have to keep my competitive edge, you know!

The one thing I just can't ever seem to remember when I'm in the moment is to shake hands with the judge when I leave.  I'm so mentally worn out, I can never remember to do that consistently!  Maybe this coming show season I can add that to my list of things I do in the ring.






To Make the Best Better!

The 4-H Motto:  "To Make the Best Better"













That's the whole point...to make the best better.  Whatever your skills, whatever your project, you can always learn more, do more, and make it better.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Don't laugh. Parades are hard work.

2011 - 89'er Parade
Before...it's just a little cool.  I've got a light wrap in case I get too cold.  I'm crisp and shiny and ready to throw some candy!


and After...the gloves are gone, the hair is windblown, my crown is crooked, I'm sunburned, it is 250 degrees Fahrenheit under the floor length ball gown...
WATER!  Someone give me some WATER!

Premium Sale!

Okay so, county was a couple months ago, and I just now realized that I never posted anything about it!  The kicker is that I think this is the best year ever in my showing career!!! I got  reserve breed champion Holstein, breed champion Ayrshire, breed champion brown Swiss, and..... SUPREME FEMALE with the Swiss!!!!!  (and I only showed three animals!)

Our county only accepts ONE dairy heifer into the premium sale, so this was the first time I've ever made it! It was so exciting.  We were nearly last to sell that night. The auctioneer was laughing and joking with the crowd that night, so when he started off at $1000 and a bidder immediately raised it to $2000, I thought they were just fooling around and the auction would start in a few minutes when they were finished goofin'...but I was wrong.  They just kept going!  Finally he said, "SOLD!!! $4100!!!"  My eyes were as big as dinner plates!  Later I found out that amount was just an outside bidder.  It didn't include the $950 that I was getting from the Booster Club OR the add-on money that friends and businesses had contributed to the pot!

I've got plaques, ribbons, money, and a giant trophy!  WooHOO!!!

Countdown to CALVING!


The first calf to be born to one of my heifers is due on June 2nd.  Recently, one of my friends was surprised by her calf being born two weeks early (which is a normal, healthy thing, just like for humans).

I don't want to miss this event if I can help it.  So I'm plotting on the calendar, and I'm going to start looking for signs EARLY!!!

She looks BIG.  I can't imagine what she'll look like when her time comes!

Stay tuned.  I'm not afraid of all the blood and slime.  I'll be sure to give all the gory details!  Shoot, I'll probably post the VIDEO!

If you're the praying kind (and I hope you are) please pray that everything goes right and that my Holstein has a perfect, healthy, thriving heifer calf!

I FINALLY have a SPORT!!!

Because I live about half an hour from my school, and because of all the other stuff I do, I've never been able to be in sports.

I'm an active kid.  I've been in dance for the past ten years:  ballet and tap, and now I'm on POINTE!  For several years I did Irish dance.  I had to quit because the state competition was always in the middle of the OKC Fair's Dairy Show.

No basketball.  No softball, but all that has changed now!  I have TRACK!!!

I look kind of funny doing my chores after a meet.  I'm still in my team jersey while I run water and throw feed, but I don't care.  I'm in a SPORT!!!

I'm a geek...and I have the t-shirt to prove it!

I advanced to the TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS in Language Arts a couple of weeks ago.  I placed 15th in the state.  I'm good with that!

The Lord gives, and sometimes He takes away.

When you deal with livestock, you can't help but learn about the "birds and the bees", because if you don't get animals bred, then you can't make any advancements in herd size or profit or anything.

It's hard to say which is more exciting:  winning a purple ribbon or having a new calf born.  That's a tough one.

It's spring again and that is the ideal time for calving.  If you've got a March heifer, you can get more showing time out of her in the heifer classes before she is bred, has a calf of her own (hopefully a heifer) and has to move up into a cow class.

As exciting as calving is, it is also nerve-wracking.  What if it comes early?  What if the calf gets stuck and has to be pulled, and no one is there to help it?  The list of "what if"s goes on and on.

My friend's Guernsey aborted a fetus last year.  It was only about the size of a cat and it was missing part of its leg.  It just never developed those bones.

She bred her again and this time had to have a c-section.  It was a bull.  She decided to bottle feed it for awhile.  It died within the week.

Another friend had a Milking Shorthorn calve last night.  It was full term and perfectly formed, but in miniature.  It was too weak to stand or hold its head up.  They fed it and stayed up with it all night, but it just wasn't right, and it died.

The death of an animal can make you feel like a failure.  It can make you feel ashamed, like you did something wrong.  It isn't anyone's fault.  This thing happens in nature all the time.  I also lost my first heifer at six months due to digestive malformation.

The other kick in the pants is all the time and money invested in the lost animal.  You buy semen.  You pay for someone to artificially inseminate (A.I.) your animal.  You pay to have it fetal sexed.  You watch over it and care for it.  You fret through the weeks before calving.  You lose hours of sleep checking on her...and to wind up with nothing for your efforts...it's a very defeating feeling.

My family has been praying for months about my heifers and their calves-to-be.  We know how terribly wrong things can go.  We just pray that God protects them all and makes them perfect and healthy and strong.  I do what I'm supposed to, but the rest is in God's hands.

BIG THANKS to sponsors!

The donations of sponsors make it possible for exhibitors to win money and prizes at many shows.

For Local, I sent out twenty-two thank you letters.   For the county show/premium sale, I sent out twenty-six thank you letters.  I didn't have to send out that many, but there were some people that I wanted to thank for their donations of hay and straw for the whole group.  Every thing that every person does for the show teams is important.  We should ALL show our appreciation.

I don't actually send thank you cards.  I send thank you LETTERS.  I include a collage of photos of the work and the awards from the year.  I also write at least a one page (usually two page) letter telling who I am and what I do and thanking the donor for their money or trophy or prize donation.  I want them to know how much their sacrifice means to me.  Money is tight for everyone.  I want them to know that what they do is appreciated.  It's the least I can do in return for all that they give me.