4-H club gets ready for fall fair!

Submitted by
Mitch Haw

A fresh year of the United Beef Club commenced Monday May 6th, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the McDonald Residence of Stratton. Volunteers Bud McQuaker and Murray McDonald began the evening by introducing two new members, Ashley Croswell and Braydon Kreger, to the club’s eleven returning members. As custom, the 4-H pledge was recited and a new set of executive members were installed. The United Beef Club then completed Project Animal Identification Forms under the guidance of Bud and Murray. These forms serve the purpose of describing each member’s 4-H steer to be raised for the Emo Fall Fair. With this task complete, 4-H membership fees where collected and the dates for the remaining four meetings were declared. The next meeting was set to be held at the home of Nick Teeple on Monday May 10th at 7:00 pm. Club volunteers then circulated various documents which are to be compiled by members in the completion of the project. One such paper was the Feed and Growth Record. This sheet featured charts which allow members to track the growth and cost of their project animal. Bud McQuaker noted that with less than 100 days until the fair, members must ensure that their steers are growing at a respectable rate. The volunteers reassured that suitable weight gain can be achieved with a substantial grain ration. In turn, the club member’s shared the approximate weight of their animals, and how much feed each is currently consuming. The meeting then shifted focus to the topic, “The Beef Herd,” which will be covered this year. 4-H articles including “Selecting the Project Calf” and “Breeds and Crossbreeds” were read aloud as a group. The club noticed that there are many breeds of cattle which are strange to this region. However every breed possesses its own strengths and character traits, which are suited to a variety of environments. As the meeting neared completion, volunteer Murray requested that all members research a local crossbreeding program and prepare to discuss their findings at the next meeting. At this time President Jared McQuaker adjourned the meeting. Members then had the opportunity to view RJ McDonald’s steer and enjoy snacks before dispersing.

Second meeting held
Another successful meeting of the United Beef Club was held On May 10th at the home of Nick Teeple. This meeting was called to order by Jared McQuaker, who then led the club in reciting the 4-H pledge. Next, each member answered the meeting’s roll call question: “Name one thing that you think is important when selecting a project calf?” Leaders Bud McQuaker and Murray McDonald praised members for their reasoning in recognising important features in calves. Damon Short was also commended for researching an uncommon breed of cattle, known as Heck cattle. He explained that this hardy breed of cattle was obtained by crossbreeding various breeds, in an attempt to reproduce an extinct the extinct Aurochs. Both members and leaders found Damon’s information fascinating. As a result, every member was asked to present some information about a breed that is uncommon to the Rainy River District at the next meeting. With the new roll call set, the last meeting’s minutes were reviewed, and the next meeting was confirmed to be held Tuesday May 18th at the McQuaker Residence. At this time, members of the United Beef Club took turns sharing which breeds of cattle they would use in a crossbreeding program. Many members included Simmental, Angus, Charolais, and Hereford breeds in their unique programs for reasons like carcass size and temperament. After this activity, new material was introduced, entitled “Selecting and Raising Heifers”. This article outlined the importance of recognizing and culling unproductive heifers in order to maintain a profitable herd. It was noted that there are several key times during a heifer’s life when her development should be closely monitored. The heifer should typically reach reproductive maturity by the age of 12-15 months, and should be strong and well grown by the time she produces her first calf at two years old. Bud McQuaker noted that at the next meeting, members will have a chance select heifers to be used in a herd. Members were reminded to “bring their rubbers” for this hands on experience. Before concluding the meeting, leaders enquired how each new member was making out with his / her first project animal. All first year members expressed notable achievement and presented few issues thus far in the project. The meeting adjourned minutes later and the United Beef Club visited Nick Teeple’s steer “Bud” and then enjoyed refreshments.