Slaughter & Processing of Beef Cattle

The people have spoken... a post topic is chosen! Slaughter and processing of beef cattle is the topic the majority of people wanted to know about according to the votes in my recent poll. So here it is all you curious to learn more about the slaughter and processing aspect of beef production!


The beef you're eating for supper tonight (well one can hope right!!) has gone through a long process of getting from "gate to plate". For simplicity sake, I will give you an overview of how a steer goes through the stages of beef production. Steers are not the only animals used for human consumption, however they are the most common especially when you are talking about where your delicious premium cut of steak comes from. 

Cuts of Beef

A steer is born on a cow/calf operation where a rancher keeps cows who will produce calves which he will sell for a profit. The steer is then sold by private treaty (many show cattle are sold this way), sold in an auction sale, or sold directly to a feedlot. Some cow/calf producers and feedlot operators keep will keep their lighter weight steers (about 350 - 550 lbs.) and "background" them using low cost medium to lower roughage feed (turn them out on pasture for the summer or choose to use harvested feeds like corn silage and hay) until they reach a larger weight (around 700-900 lbs.) before being finished in a feedlot. Some people will specifically buy steers or heifers from the auction mart to background on pasture. In order to "finish" (get the optimum amount of fat and muscle on a market animal) a steer they will be sent to a feedlot. There has been a lot of speculation from consumers regarding how humane feedlots are... perhaps this is a topic for another post, but in just a few words here I would like to dispel this myth. If animals were treated inhumanely in Canadian feedlots the feedlot would not be making a profit. Happy cattle are productive cattle!! Cattle raised "free range" or solely on grass do not taste remotely the same as grain fed cattle so feedlots are a HUGELY important element of an animal's journey from gate to plate. Once cattle are in the feedlot they usually stay there for about 60 to 180 days. A lot of factors determine how long a steer will remain in the feedlot before it is finished; weight coming into feedlot, breed, genetics, health, weather, etc. In the feedlot cattle are fed mainly grain (can be mixtures of barley, alfalfa, corn byproducts, etc.) and whatever supplementary feed is readily available in that year in that location. Supplementary feeds can be a wide variety of things such as oats, low grade durum wheat, chick peas, potatoes, sugar beet pulp, etc. as well as silage. From the feedlot cattle are transported to a slaughter house or abattoir. The slaughterhouse process differs by species and region and may be controlled by civil law as well as religious laws. A typical procedure goes as follows:

1. Cattle (mostly steers and heifers, some cows, and few bulls) are received by truck or rail from a ranch, farm, or feedlot.
2. Cattle are herded into holding pens.
3. Cattle are stunned by applying an electric shock of 300 volts and 2 amps to the back of the head or a captive bolt pistol (a pneumatic or cartridge-fired captive bolt) to the front of the head. This renders the animals completely unconscious.
4. Animals are hung upside down by both of their hind legs on the processing line.
5. The carotid artery and jugular vein are severed with a knife, blood drains, causing complete death through exsanguination.
6. The head and front and rear legs are removed. Prior to hide removal, care is taken to cut around the digestive tract to prevent fecal contamination later in the process.
7. The hide/skin is removed by down pullers and side pullers. Hides can also be removed by laying the carcass on a cradle and skinning with a knife.
8. The internal organs are removed and inspected for internal parasites and signs of disease. The viscera are separated for inspection from the heart and lungs, referred to as the "pluck." Livers are separated for inspection, tongues are dropped or removed from the head, and the head is sent down the line for inspection of the lymph nodes for signs of systemic disease.
9. The carcase is inspected by a government inspector for safety. (This inspection is performed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.)
10. Carcasess are subjected to intervention to reduce levels of bacteria. Common interventions are steam, hot water, and organic acids.
11. Carcasses can be electrically stimulated to improve meat tenderness.
12. Carcasses are chilled to prevent the growth of microorganisms and to reduce meat deterioration while the meat awaits distribution.
13. The chilled carcass is broken down into primal cuts and subprimals for boxed meat unless customer specifies for intact sides of meat. Beef carcases are always split in half and then quartered.
14. The remaining carcass may be further processed to extract any residual traces of meat, usually termed advanced meat recovery or mechanically separated meat, which may be used for human or animal consumption.
15. Waste materials such as bone, lard or tallow, are sent to a rendering plant. Also, lard and tallow can be used for the production of biodiesel or heating oil.
16. The wastewater, consisting of blood and fecal matter, generated by the slaughtering process is sent to a waste water treatment plant.
17. The meat is transported to distribution centers that then distribute to retail markets.

In the latter part of the 20th century, the layout and design of most U.S. and Canadian slaughterhouses has been significantly influenced by the work of Dr. Temple Grandin. While Grandin's primary objective is to help slaughterhouse operators improve efficiency and profit, she suggested that reducing the stress and suffering of animals being led to slaughter may help achieve this aim. In particular she applied an intuitive understanding of animal psychology to design pens and corrals which funnel a herd of animals arriving at a slaughterhouse into a single file ready for slaughter. Her corrals employ long sweeping curves so that each animal is prevented from seeing what lies ahead and just concentrates on the hind quarters of the animal in front of it. This design also attempts to override the animals' survival instincts and prevent them from reversing direction.

The Canadian Beef Grading Agency (CBGA) was created to deliver grading services for Canadian beef. The key grading criteria for the quality grades are carcass maturity, muscling, meat quality, external fat covering, and marbling. For maturity, carcasses are evaluated as either "youthful" or "mature" according to the degree of bone ossification. Youthful carcasses are produced from cattle generally less than 24 months of age and no more than 30 months of age. Carcasses showing more advanced ossification are considered to be mature and must be graded in one of the Canada D grades or as Canada E in the case of a bull. The four high quality grades (A, AA, AAA, Prime) represent 98% of all youthful graded Canadian beef carcasses. The grade criteria for these four grades are identical, with the only exception being degree of marbling. Carcasses must be youthful to be graded in these grades. This ensures a high level of tenderness in all four grades of high quality Canadian beef. Muscling must range from good with some deficiencies, to excellent. The ribeye muscle must have a bright red colour and be firm in texture. There is a minimum external fat thickness of 2 millimetres required at the ribeye measurement site, and the external fat must be firm and white, or no more than slightly tinged with reddish or amber colour. These criteria are identical for all four grades. To distinguish between A, AA, AAA, and Prime graded carcasses, the grader evaluates the level of marbling.

Sources Cited:
http://www.cbef.com/Industry.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaughterhouse
http://www.cbef.com/beefquality.htm
http://www.opusgrill.com/USDAbeefgrading.html
Photograph Credits:
http://canfieldcooking.com/beef-dinner/
http://www.grandin.com/references/solv.lvstk.probs.html
http://www.cbef.com/beefquality.htm

4-H on Parade 2011 - One for the History Books!

This past Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday spent at 4-H on Parade at the Calgary Stampede Grounds seemed to go by in a blur! But what a fun and successful four days it was! I kicked off my sleep deprived weekend by washing my cattle (which I mentioned in a previous post... two of them are awfully white and have an affinity for mud) until 1:00 am, made a stop at McDonald's for supper (more like a midnight snack!) and hit the hay!

Doing some last minute clipping touch ups on my 2 year old cow.



My homegrown Shorthorn X Saler 2 year old cow "Denali"

and her March 30th heifer calf "Annabelle".

Grand Champion Commercial 2 Year Old Cow with Calf at Side


Friday morning it was up bright and early at 5:30 am to head to the barns for the daily "push out" of dirty shavings and giving your cattle fresh shavings to stand and lay on. Feeding and watering of your cattle is the next priority and then you worry about feeding yourself! The beef female show began in the Big Top at 10:00 am with commercial and purebred rings running consecutively side by side. As I fit my yearling heifer, Global Television video taped and interviewed me for their evening news segment! The Commercial Show was judged by conformation judge Peter Boake, junior conformation judge Lindsey Douglas, and showmanship judges Quinn Hamilton and Myranda Stewart. In my first class, the second split  of Senior Commercial Yearling Heifers I placed 3rd behind Andie Hadway of West Didsbury in 1st and Cody Coleman of our very own Sundre Multi in 2nd! My next class was Commercial 2 Year Old with Calf at Side... and I won it! Cody Coleman won the next split of Commercial 2 Year Old with Calf at Side so the two of us were pretty excited to both be getting into the Commercial 2 Year Old Championship class! I ended up coming out of the class leading my Commercial Grand Champion 2 Year Old, with a buckle in hand! =) Cody followed close behind me with the Commercial Reserve Champion 2 Year Old and a buckle as well! Cody and I also went back for the Senior Commercial Showmanship Championship in which I won Reserve Champion Senior Commercial Showman, and received a buckle and banner! Wow!! My cattle sure did me proud that day! Friday evening I competed in the multi judging competition, placing and giving reasons on classes of yearling heifers, market steers, horses, dairy heifers, market lambs, and a consumer decision making helmets class. I ended up 4th in the steers, 4th for overall reasons, and 4th place judge overall - yay for consistency haha! Friday night a few of us went out for supper at the Cheesecake Cafe (YUM!) and then headed back to the Best Western Hotel which was entirely taken over by 4-Her's... so of course we didn't exactly get to bed early! I capped off my night by putting the final touches on the team grooming list!

Reserve Champion Commercial Senior Showmanship



Beef Female Team Grooming Competition



Saturday morning was another early one, and after tending to the cattle, we got ourselves some pancakes and sausages at the awesome free Encana breakfast! I then busied myself for the rest of the morning organizing the beef female team grooming... shuffling teams around, setting chutes and blowers up, bringing in prizes, rounding up the competitors, etc.! We managed to get it all done and congratulations to Shallaine Daley and Coulton Zouppas for being the Grand Champion's in the Team Grooming and Halyea Jones and Taylor Konschuh for being the Reserve Champion team! Following the team grooming I finally had a chance to sit down and complete my work for the marketing competition. This year each senior member had to plan an event that would celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede as well as youth in agriculture. I ended up getting Reserve Champion! The Lifeskills awards were presented Saturday afternoon and much to our amazement Sundre cleaned up! I won Grand Champion in the "Action" category with a picture of a high school rodeo member calf roping and Reserve Champion in the "Creative" category with a picture of steam coming out of the nose of one of our cows on a cold day! My friend Ashley Thompson of Sundre Multi won overall Grand Champion Photography with her "Portrait" picture and I took Reserve Champion Photography with my "Action" picture! Not too shabby for a little 4-H club in the sticks that just started the photography portion of our club this year! Saturday evening we tore down our beef female stalls and moved cattle out. We then had a great time at the tug-o-war before calling it another solid day of 4-H on Parade!

My Reserve Champion "Creative" Photo

My Grand Caption "Action" Photo

Tug-o-War!!

Sunday was a bit more relaxing without the cattle there and in between shifts working at the photography showcase and silent auction I got to take in some of the horse show and steer sale (Grand Champion steer went for $9.80/lb.!!!). With the sale of two of my photographs in the lifeskills silent auction the weekend was sadly over for another year. Even sadder is that this was our AWESOME Calgary Regional Specialist Rob Smith's last year at 4-H on Parade before he hits the big time with the Canadian Angus Association! He has given 4-H so many years of hard work, dedication, and has made every event better with his presence! We'll miss you Rob!!

Rob Smith and myself after I won my trip to Denver at Provincial Judging last summer!

Due to our scores in the heifer and steer portions of the multi judging competition I, along with my great team judging partner Travis Hunter of West Didsbury, qualified for the Western Canadian Team Judging Finals in Bashaw, Alberta August 10th - 13th during the All Breeds Junior Cattle Show! I also won the Grand Champion Senior Aggregate award for my overall scores in all of the competition areas and earned a spot to compete in the National Young Cattleman Competition also at All Breeds! Yahoo! I predict she's gonna be a good summer!

Travis Hunter and myself in the Western Canadian Team Judging Finals last August in Bashaw... time for round two this summer!

I'd say a huge congratulations is in order for ALL of the 4-H members exhibiting beef females, steers, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, lifeskills projects, and everything in between! Particularly a shout out to the Mountain View 4-H District who I'd say really kicked the proverbial "butt"!! And of course to Sundre Multi who really cleaned up in the conformation, showmanship, multi judging, marketing, and lifeskills! Succeed? Yes, yes indeed I'd say we did succeed! =) Can't wait for next year!

Unfortunately we are missing most of our horse members from both clubs and some of Sundre's photography members but here are the ones we could round up for the picture of Sundre Multi & Bergen Multi members with their 4-H on Parade winnings!
Congratulations everyone!!!

Sundre & Bergen 4-H Beef Show & Sale

Man oh man this has been a busy but great week! I have made it home from 4-H on Parade and caught my breath! Now I can keep updating my blog... finally! So back last Tuesday, May 24th we had our hometown 4-H beef show and sale with the club I am in, Sundre Multi, and our neighbouring club Bergen Multi! Our senior conformation judge was Rod Morrison, the junior conformation judge was Jared Hunter, and the showmanship, grooming, and trainging judge was A.J. Smith.

And the big winners are...

Interclub Grand Champion Steer: Jill Jackson

Interclub Reserve Champion Steer: Cache McLerie

Interclub Supreme Champion Female: Kayla Jones

Interclub Reserve Supreme Champion Female: Tessa Nybo

Our steer sale went very well with 21 steers selling for an average of $2.32/lb.



Interclub Pen of Five (left the winners Bergen Multi, right Sundre Multi) - Kohler and I are second from the right!



My Interclub Reserve Supreme Champion Two Year Old homegrown Shorthorn x Saler "Denali" and her March 30th heifer calf "Annabelle".

I had an awesome day with my 4-H friends and cattle! Congratulations to each and every member for exhibiting their beef projects! Thank you to the leaders, families, and everyone else that has assisted us 4-H members in getting to where we are today!

The Greatest Weekend Evaaa

Whew! What a crazy past few days!! I had an awesome weekend up in Morinville with Colin and his family! Friday Colin and I drove from my place to Morinville, went horseback riding and had a great time with family! Saturday was Colin's grad... where over 350 grade 12 students from Sturgeon Composite High School got their diplomas! We had a great time at the ceremony, banquet, and grad party... and there's nothing like going to bed when the sun is coming up! Sunday we hit the field and spread some fertilizer and then came in for a barbecue, games, and movies with family! =) Monday we hit the highway back south in time for me to begin washing my cattle (In the rain! Hurray!) to get them looking all spiffy for our 4-H achievement day Tuesday! Watch for an update on the Sundre & Bergen 4-H Beef Show & Sale coming soon...

Busy Times Ahead!

Happy May Long Everyone!!

We kicked off this weekend with our May Queen dance... our school raised over $52 000 again this year!! Way to go Sundre High! This weekend I'm going to Edmonton for Colin's grad and then we have our 4-H achievement day show and sale on Tuesday! For those of you around the Sundre area wanting to attend... the Sundre & Bergen 4-H Show and Sale will be held in the Sundre Hockey Arena. The show begins at 12:00 noon, followed by complimentary supper at 5:30 pm, and the sale to start at 7:00 pm. There will be about 23 top quality 4-H steers raised by the Sundre and Bergen 4-H beef club members on auction. On the Thursday following our achievement day a few members from our club with female beef projects, as well as our horse and photography members will be going to 4-H on Parade at the Calgary Stampede Grounds. It's going to be a very busy weekend and week ahead! I hope that everyone enjoys the long weekend and see some of you at the Sundre & Bergen Show & Sale and at 4-H on Parade!! =)

Heifer International... Pass on the Gift

Did you eat three meals today? Millions of people around the world didn't. Did you buy or sell something today? Millions of people around the world couldn't. Hunger and poverty are a worldwide issue that is always present, but often overlooked. There are numerous organizations that aim at ending hunger and poverty, but often only offer a short term solution to the people in need. However, there is an innovative idea that I personally believe could truly work...


The following information is from Heifer International's website http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/?msource=kw7289&gclid=CLfc3b_29KgCFUcKKgodQ1FEVA

Heifer International is a global nonprofit organization with a proven solution to ending hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. Heifer helps empower millions of families to lift them out of poverty and hunger to self-reliance through gifts of livestock, seeds and trees and extensive training, which provide a multiplying source of food and income.

Heifer envisions… A world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet. 

Heifer’s mission is… To work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.

Heifer's strategy is… To Pass on the Gift. As people share their animals’ offspring with others–along with their knowledge, resources and skills–an expanding network of hope, dignity and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe. 

Heifer’s history... This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief–a cow not a cup–caught on and has continued for more than 65 years. Today, millions of families have been given gifts of self-reliance and hope.

Heifer's simple yet powerful approach to lifting families out of hunger and poverty has been recognized worldwide, with honors that include the prestigious Conrad Hilton Humanitarian Prize. But the real success comes from the personal stories of families themselves, of using their own talents, their own skills, working with Heifer, to achieve self-reliance.

Here is a true story of how Heifer International can help people help themselves out of poverty:

Chandrakala Giri has always been a farmer. She considers herself fortunate compared to other members of her Jagriti Swabalamban Group in Nepal. She had a house and a farm and some goats even before she participated in a Heifer International project. She and her husband have worked hard to make ends meet for the couple’s two sons and two daughters, but they haven’t earned enough to be able to save. They were average farmers in their village of Pairoha. For Chandrakali, like many others, working with Heifer was more than just animals. It was about learning new and better ways to do what she and her family had done for generations. She was raising a few goats and was growing maize, rice and paddy. She didn’t know the dangers of inbreeding or that animals needed to be taken to a doctor when sick. And though her goats were profitable, they didn’t make her as much as they do today. Heifer supported her with a lactating buffalo, along with vegetable and forage seeds and saplings. She received training in Heifer’s Cornerstones, group management, improved animal management, organic kitchen gardening gender justice and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS awareness training. She also received fodder and forage production training. The animal management and organic kitchen gardening trainings were especially beneficial. Chandrakala has built a better pen for her 30 goats, most being raised as meat goats. Her lessons on inbreeding has produced more live births and the buffalo she received in July 2008 is producing good quantities of milk for her family, giving her excess to sell to a local milk collection center for income. Chandrakala and her husband are also diversifying their farm. Planting the vegetable sapling they received from Heifer has given them vegetables for the family and saved them money. This year they planted tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and chilies, and the tomatoes are almost ripe and ready to sell. Chandrakala is certain the vegetables will bring a good income for her family. The family also looks forward to selling the next batch of meat goats for a profit, and since they started planting their own fodder, raising goats seems to take only half the time it used to. Before, Chandrakali spent almost half the day collecting fodder from the forest, and planting improved fodder like mendola, napier and bhatmase, has improved the animals’ health. The goats are growing faster and look healthier, and healthier goats weigh more and sell for more. For Chandrakala Giri, a little help went a long way. Heifer's unique "giving" options allow for many choices to be available to those who want to help end hunger and poverty worldwide. On Heifer International's website there is a detailed description of all of the gift options, and how they will benefit people. You can choose from a number of different animals at varying prices, fund a project, or simply donate money to be used where it is most needed. So the next time you can't decide what you want for your birthday, or are having trouble finding the right gift for someone, consider giving and getting the gift of hope and life. It's a great way to help someone in need, and create a sustainable future for agriculture... on a global scale! For more information or to donate please go to: http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/?msource=kw7285&gclid=CNL8ypf-9KgCFYEUKgodu1YoVA

Farm Safety Hits YouTube!

Safety is a major concern for all farm workers, everyday, all day. Every task you perform on the farm has risks associated with it. From working with livestock, to operating machinery - there can be major hazards involved.

The following are some statistics and graphs on farm injuries in Alberta for the year 2009 from the Government of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development website http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/aet13045

Gender					Total	Percentage
Male					416	78%
Female					116	22%
Total					532	100%

Earlier this year I, along with J.T. Ross, were asked to be the voices and faces of a series of educational clips as part of Alberta Agriculture's "Safety Up!" Farm Safety initiative. A big part of this initiative is getting the word out to producers about the importance of daily safety on the farm. As our evolving world is currently in a technology and social media craze, what better way to spread the word far and wide than on the World Wide Web!

J.T. and myself spent a day filming in Olds, Alberta, at Mark's Work Warehouse and The Tack Corral. We filmed numerous short clips about Personal Protective Equipment, and other items you can buy to keep yourself protected in your daily tasks on the farm. Safety Up! and check out our videos at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlbertaAgriculture?blend=11&ob=5#p/c/7628148DD747FA90

For more information on Safety Up! and how to keep yourself safe as a farm worker visit: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/aet11610

Lazy Is Not the Man Who Shows White Cattle

Yes indeed, any man (or woman!!) who shows white cattle is certainly not lazy! Fortunately, I only have one roan cow and her white calf to contend with... unlike some Charolias breeders who have an entire herd of the ghostly white creatures! Now it's one thing to be a slightly dirty shade of white when they're out in the field doing their cowish duties of eating, reproducing, and making cow pies... but it's a whole different story when you're showing a white animal! Man oh man the time you spend in the wash rack, scrubbing and scrubbing away at that never ending yellowish tinge, and those pesky stained knees! It is at those desperate times you want to hug the brilliant person that created purple shampoos! This whole "white cow" business is just a lead in to what I spent a good part of my day doing...

Wash, blow, clip, repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and once more... repeat! My great herd of show cattle got the royal treatment today courtesy of a garden hose, dish soap (and purple shampoo for the white cattle!), a blower, comb, and clippers! I am so vastly out numbered by my cattle that this process is not exactly a quick one... and I am lacking in the siblings department so help isn't quick at hand. One by one I managed to get them all clipped up and ready for our achievement day and 4-H on Parade next week - and the chute only came crashing down once today haha!



Sometimes it doesn't matter where you clip 'em, as long as they get done! Annabelle certainly wasn't too concerned about her haircut!

Now, for all of you non-cattle showing people out there, you are probably wondering why on earth I am washing and clipping (yes like a hair cut!) my cattle. Well first of all the washing part is just so your animal is clean and free of dirt and debris so that you can clip them... then the real fun begins! Everyone has a different way they prefer to clip show cattle - but basically you are trying to minimize their faults and accentuate their good points. Some general areas you would clip would be the head, neck, brisket, part of the tail, as well as taking off some hair along the back and any high points on the legs. Essentially: any area you want to appear smaller, clip short... any area you want to appear larger, leave hairy.

All in all it was a fine day to be out in the sunshine, listening to some good tunes on the radio and working with my cattle!



 

Judging Showmanship at Eckville & District 4-H Female Show

Today the mighty winds blew me up to the Eckville and District 4-H Female Show held in the Dickson Arena! It was another excellent show with exceptionally dedicated 4-H members, many of which had not only yearling heifer projects, but also 2 year old and/or 3 year old cow/calf pairs. I was once again thoroughly impressed with the high caliber of livestock and showman that entered the ring today! I got to share the ring with the conformation judge and my friend, Lindsey Douglas, the winner of the 2010 Agribition Judging Competition! As I had mentioned in my last blog post, it is so awesome that the committees of these shows are choosing current and recent past 4-H members to judge! It is a great honour to be asked to judge no matter what your age or experience, but it is especially rewarding when you are just an up and coming "newbie"! I look forward to having the opportunity to judge again in the near future!


 Yesterday I missed the Canada's Richest Youth Steer and Heifer Show, due to my judging commitment, however I heard that it was a very successful show! If only I could be in two (or maybe three - because I could also have been working May Queen!) places at once! That sure would make life a lot simpler... being able to be everywhere at once! I guess that's when you have to prioritize and look at your values - something farmers and ranchers have to do everyday!

The next couple weeks are going to be jam packed! May needs to slow down a little - I don't think there are enough hours in the day to get everything done... but I also can't wait for the upcoming events this month!

Judging Showmanship at Crossfield/Madden Achievement Day

Well it seems a wonderful cold has momentarily hindered my ability to speak without sounding like a croaking frog... however me and my croaky voice still made it to the Crossfield/Madden Achievement Day today held in Haven's Arena just outside of the metropolis of Madden, Alberta! I was asked to be their showmanship judge for the day, and what a great day it was! I got to work alongside Aaron Grant once again, as he was their conformation judge. All of the members did an exceptional job and displayed some top quality cattle! I would also like to commend the leaders, parents, and volunteers for organizing an easy to follow, fast moving show. I really enjoy judging showmanship because it's all about what you can do yourself and how much effort you've put into making yourself and your animal shine - regardless of your animal's conformation!



Tomorrow I am off to Dickson to judge showmanship once again! I am very honoured that these clubs have looked back into the 4-H program to find their judge - it really means a lot to me to have been asked to judge another club's members... when I am still a member myself! We all need to get our start somewhere, and I am thankful that these clubs have given me the opportunity to start what I hope will be a lifetime of giving back to the 4-H program, which has given so much to me!

May Queen Madness

May is quite the month! Between Provincial 4-H Selections, Young Farmer's Safety Workshop, announcing, judging showmanship, our 4-H show and sale, 4-H on Parade, school, and the many other events in May there is never a dull moment! To top it all off there is one big annual event in May that never ceases to amaze me! MAY QUEEN!!

Living in the rural community of Sundre, Alberta, I am one of roughly 350 grade 9-12 students that attend Sundre High School. Each year in May the four grades compete against each other to see who can work to raise the most money per capita for our school. The girls in each grade vote to appoint a "May King" for their grade and the guys in each grade vote to appoint a "May Queen" for their grade. The king and queen candidates in each grade work to sign job contracts for their grade and organize students to fill the jobs. I was our grade's "May Queen" last year and this is certainly a big undertaking! All willing students work doing jobs such as hauling brush, painting fence, raking leaves, cleaning up garbage, gardening, washing windows, etc. the second Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of May. The following Thursday our school has a big dance to celebrate all that we accomplished during our four days of work! The king and queen candidates from each grad get on stage and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place grades are announced! Last year we broke the record of the most May Queen money ever earned with a whopping $52,755.76!! This money is used to fund grad, school sports, band, field trips, scholarships, fun events, etc.

Me as the Grade 10 May Queen Candidate last year.

Wind + Paint = Green Tessa!

During May Queen our school and community come alive
with spirit! One of the greatest benefits of May Queen is getting to really know your class mates! Many of the jobs you work require lots of people, and you are not always with your best friend. It's one thing to see a person in your class every day, but when you actually work for hours on end with them, you really get to know them!

Wednesday we worked from 2:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Thursday and Friday from 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm, and tomorrow workers will be busy from 7:00 am - 11:00 pm! The first day of May Queen I worked painting fence... it was rather windy so the fence was not the only thing that got painted! At the end of the day it's great to look back and see all that you and the rest of the workers accomplished!

It's a crazy, busy, tiring, and wonderful thing - and I'm so glad that our school still does May Queen each year! 

Successful day of rock picking.

The Politics of Agriculture

Well friends, I hope that all of you in the over 18 (at least in Alberta) category cast your ballots last Monday! Some of you, like myself, may not yet be of age to vote, but that doesn't mean we can't still be informed about what is happening in Canadian politics... after all, we are going to be voters in the next couple of years and the decisions we make can shape our country and way of life. I'm not going to tell you who you should be voting for - because that depends solely on yourself and your values as a Canadian... however I will tell you that you really should get out and vote - exercise your democratic right and let your opinion matter, it will only take a few minutes out of your day, and then you can feel empowered by the fact that you just had an impact on the future of Canada! Kinda a big deal when you think about it that way hey!? The election has come and gone for this year, but when the next one rolls around will you be informed and ready to choose your leader?

As hopefully everyone has heard by now, our Conservative leader, Stephen Harper, has finally achieved a majority government! A majority government is when the governing party has a majority of the seats in parliament and the opposing party (in this election's case the New Democratic Party also known as the NDP), have the second highest number of seats in parliament but that number is still less than half. The remaining parties such as the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois, and Green Party have the remaining seats in parliament. This is great news if you voted Conservative,because as a majority government, the Conservatives now have the power to make their platform (their plan for Canada) a reality without being stalled by the other parties as they were before when they were a minority government. Besides the big news of the majority government, the fact that the NDP are the opposition party and not the Liberals is a historic upset! Time will tell but being the optimistic person I am, I would like to think that these big changes are going to be of benefit to Canada.

Now, the big question... what does this all mean for agriculture!? In April 2011, the month prior to the federal election, Stephen Harper announced the following plan to support farmers in Canada should he be re-elected as Prime Minister:

• A two-year Agricultural Innovation Initiative to support knowledge creation and transfer, and to increase commercialization of agricultural innovations.
• A management and monitoring strategy to contain and prevent the spread of plum pox.
• An extended strategy for disease control in the hog industry.
• Ensuring that the Agri-Québec program is accorded the same tax treatment that is currently provided to the federal AgriInvest program.
• Increasing the budget of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for five years to improve food inspection capacity.
• A five-year national farm and food strategy to guide Canadian agricultural policy and to ensure the survival of family farms.

Prime Minister Harper also announced that he will “continue to resolutely defend supply management in current and future trade agreements.”

The above information was gathered from: http://www.conservative.ca/press/news_releases/harper_announces_support_for_farmers

Photograph Source: http://www.hackettitc.com/mandrfeeds/

Today, there seems to finally be a glimmer of hope in the agriculture industry... and a much deserved one at that! Farmers and ranchers have been hit hard by one issue after another in the last decade - from BSE to weather, we haven't been able to catch much of a break! Looking outside I can draw parallels between the weather this year and the agriculture industry today... it was a long, bitter winter but today I look outside and see the sun shining, green grass growing, and each night I can finally hear the chorus of frogs outside! Somehow this seems very similar to the hard times the agricultural industry has seen, but now things seem to finally be improving! Today just feels like an optimistic day, and I think that as agricultural producers we need to be some of the most optimistic people around! So lets look forward to a positive future for agriculture with our newly elected majority Conservative government!! 

Announcing for the Olds & Eagle 4-H Beef Achievement Day

Today I had the privilege of being the announcer for the Olds & Eagle 4-H Beef Achievement Day! I had a great time working alongside the conformation judge, Aaron Grant, showmanship/grooming & training judge, Jared Hunter, and ringman Brad McDermid. Thankfully, I also had Robyn Neufeld up in the announcer's stand to help me get everyone's names pronounced correctly and keep things running smoothly! I saw many familiar as well as new faces at the show today and had a few chances throughout the day to have a great chat with many different people.

Aaron Grant, former coach of the Texas A & M and Michigan State collegiate judging teams, and myself chatting about judging during a break in the classes.

I would like to congratulate all of the Olds and Eagle 4-H Beef members on a job well done today! Each of you did a fabulous job whether it was by exhibiting the champion animal, being an exceptional showman, helping out a fellow member, or doing your part to keep your club's stalling area in tip top shape - everyone was a winner today in my books! Two members I would like to make special mention of are Jason Roemmele and Wylie Ness. These two Eagle 4-H members both had full 4-H Project Herds. For those of you who are unfamiliar with 4-H, a 4-H Project Herd is when a member has a yearling heifer project, a 2 year old cow/calf project that started out as a yearling heifer project the year before, as well as a 3 year old cow/calf project that also started out as the member's yearling heifer project, progressed to be a 2 year old with calf and finally is now a 3 year old with calf. This may sound simple but actually having the fortune of both your animals being bred and having healthy calves is not something that happens every year. The amount of time and effort these hard working members must put into their project herd is something few 4-H members will ever get to experience. Last year I myself had a project herd and I can tell you it is certainly no easy task! You must train, feed, and clip not one but  five animals... I also had a steer project, so that makes six animals to take care of. Once you are at the show you seem to be in and out of the show ring constantly! At some of the larger, fast paced shows I had to line all of my cattle up ringside and go into class with one, come out and pass my animal to another person, switch show numbers, grab the next animal and go back in! By the end of the day the judge often just laughs when you walk into the ring because you have been in literally almost every class! When you show your entire herd together you must organize enough people to lead your animals while you act as the showstick handler and set up your herd to your liking. Although it was a lot of work I immensely enjoyed showing my 4-H herd last year - it was a huge accomplishment for me! Unfortunately today Wylie was not able to show his herd because his 2 year old cow decided that show day would be the perfect day to calve! She caused quite a commotion this morning when everyone realized Wylie's cow had two little calf hooves sticking out, ready to come out into the world! I guess Mother Nature doesn't really care if it's show day or not... if a calf is ready to make it's entrance into the world, there's no stopping it! The cow was taken to the auction mart where she could deliver her baby in peace, and word came a couple hours later that she had gave birth to a healthy bull calf!

All in all it was an excellent day and I would like to thank both the Olds and Eagle 4-H Beef Clubs for asking me to announce their show today!!

Spring Cattle Shows

This spring I have had a great time showing my 4-H steer and heifer. So far I have attended three shows, and there are still more to come! Even if you are not in 4-H there are numerous junior and open cattle shows that you can participate in, but if you are already in 4-H then all of the work of halter breaking and feeding an animal is already done! I would encourage any young cattle enthusiast to check out some of the junior or open cattle shows besides 4-H shows that are in your area! It's a great way to get your cattle exposed to the hustle and bustle of shows, practice your skills, and have a great time with friends!

So far this year I have been to the following shows...

Olds Spring Classic Steer & Heifer Jackpot

April 16, 2011 at Olds Cow Palace 

Bashaw Spring Roundup

April 23, 2011 at Bashaw Ag Grounds

Chinook Junior Stock Show

April 27, 2011 at Claresholm Ag Grounds

Here is a list of upcoming shows you can still enter this year...

Canada's Richest Youth (CRY) Steer & Heifer Show

May 14, 2011 at Olds Cow Palace

http://www.calberta.com/newpage1.htm

Provincial 4-H Beef Heifer Show

Deadline to Enter: June 1, 2011

July 10 - 12, 2011 at Olds Agricultural Society Grounds

http://www.4h.ab.ca/EventDetails.aspx?a=59

Summer Synergy

Deadline to Enter: June 1, 2011

July 13 - 15 (16th if you make it to Calgary Stampede finals), 2011 at Olds Agricultural Society Grounds

http://www.summersynergy.ca/

All Breeds

August 10 - 13, 2011 at Bashaw Ag Grounds

http://www.juniorshows.ca/

Olds Fall Classic

September 30 - October 2, 2011 at Olds Cow Palace

http://www.oldsagsociety.com/lbeef.html

If you have any questions about these shows or how to enter feel free to contact me at cowgirlupcattle@hotmail.com

Mother's Day on the Ranch

Mother's are what all livestock ranches are built on. We need mother animals to produce young. Usually the male young will be sold for a profit and eventually will be what we consume, and the female young will be selectively chosen to either stay on the ranch and become mother's themselves or else sold to another ranch or sold for meat. This time of year is when most baby animals are born. At our ranch we raise commercial cattle (mixed breed, not purebred). There are also many other types of animals besides cattle that are raised for consumption such as pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, etc. Here is some terminology to describe each animal:

Cattle (Food: Beef)

Bull - Male that can breed

Cow - Female that has had a calf

Steer - Male that cannot breed (has been castrated)

Heifer - Female that has not yet had a calf 

Long Yearling - An animal that is almost 2 years old

Yearling - An animal that is 1 year old

Calf - A young heifer/bull/steer

Swine (Food: Pork)

Boar - Male that can breed

Sow - Female that has had piglets

Barrow - Male that cannot breed (has been castrated)

Gilt - Female that has not yet had piglets

Piglet - A young pig of either sex

Sheep (Food: Lamb)

Ram - Male that can breed

Ewe - Female

Wether - Male that cannot breed (has been castrated)

Yearling - An animal that is 1 year old

Lamb - A young sheep of either sex

Goats (Food: Goat)

Buck - Male that can breed

Doe - Female

Wether - Male that cannot breed (has been castrated) 

Yearling - An animal that is 1 year old

Buckling - A young male goat

Doeling - A young female goat

Kid - A young goat of either sex

Poultry (Food: Chicken)

Rooster - Adult male

Hen - Adult female

Cockerel - Young male

Pullet - Young female

Chick - Young chicken of either sex

Poultry (Food: Turkey)

Tom/Gobbler - Adult male

Hen - Adult female

Jake - Young male

Jenny - Young female

Poult - Young turkey of either sex

Ranchers take very good care of their livestock because our livestock is our livelihood! During calving time, cattle ranchers are up at all hours of the night and day checking on their cows and heifers that are about to have their babies. Heifers need to be watched especially closely because they have never had a calf before and can have a difficult time delivering it. If the cow or heifer needs help having her calf the rancher can pull the calf out using calving chains or a calving jack, and if there are serious problems the rancher may need to call a veterinarian who can perform a caesarean section which will surgically remove the calf. Once calves are born ranchers often give them shots to prevent disease and give them a head start in life. They also will disinfect the calf's navel with an iodine dip. Calves must be tagged in order to identify them from the other calves in the herd as well as given a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) CCIA (Canadian Cattle Identification Agency) tag. If for some reason the calf is not sucking (drinking milk from it's mother) the rancher must bottle feed the calf many times a day. If the calf will not suck, then it must be given it's milk with a stomach tube. If the rancher raises purebred cattle he/she must select the best male calves to keep as bulls to be used for breeding and the rest will be castrated and become steers to be used as meat. In the summer cows and heifers are bred so that they will have calves the following spring. Breeding can be done naturally with a bull on pasture or by AI (artificial insemination) in which the cow or heifer is bred manually by a trained AI technician with semen that has been collected from a bull and stored in nitrogen tanks. Calves grow up and in the fall the rancher selects which heifers and bulls he/she would like to keep in his/her herd. The rest of the heifers, bulls, and steers are sold by private treaty, at an auction mart, or directly to a feedlot.

Besides the animal moms, human moms are an integral part of many ranches. My Mom is one of my best friends and has supported me in everything I do. She is also a very important part of our ranch... she can get up first thing in the morning to feed cattle, drive tractor and pull calves, work all day, and then come home and make us supper, do laundry, and all the other things Mom's do that we take for granted everyday. 

Mom & myself at Ya Ha Tinda

Happy mother's day to all the amazing mothers out there!