Tag: cattle

STATE ASSOCIATION CO-OP ADVERTISING PROGRAM UPDATED GUIDELINES

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

STATE ASSOCIATION CO-OP ADVERTISING PROGRAM

  1. The state association coop advertising program is designed to help ASA and state associations share the cost of promoting the Shorthorn breed.
  2. Advertisement requests must be made by state association’s president, vice-president or secretary manager. Advertisements cannot be requested by groups of breeders or individuals.
  3. The ASA will reimburse 50% of the ad cost, up to a total of $650 per state per fiscal year.
  4. There are limited coop funds available for states in each fiscal year. No more coop ads will be funded when available funds have been utilized.
  5. Each state association must pay advertisement and send paid invoice to ASA to be reimbursed. ASA encourages the state association to include a copy of the ad placed with paid invoice.
  6. ASA will have 4 general ad choices and 2 contract ads for state associations to choose from. ASA encourages states to use contract ads for more Shorthorn promotion throughout the year.
    1. General Ads are a minimum of a quarter page in size and not larger than a full page in size.
    2. Contract Ads cannot be smaller than 1 column by 2 inches.
    3. Ads will have space to include the state association logo and contact information.
    4. Ads will include the ASA logo and contact information.
    5. Ads can include state events, dates and locations but not individual breeder information and dates.
    6. All ad requests must be submitted to ASA at least 5 business days before deadline. Ads will not be eligible for ad copy approval if received less than 10 business days before deadline.
  7. State Associations must provide the following ad specs to the ASA.
    1. Publication name, phone number and email address
    2. Ad Deadline
    3. Ad Size
    4. Full Color or Black & White
    5. State Association information to be included in ad
  8. State associations are required to meet above guidelines in order to be eligible to receive reimbursement for coop ads.

Guidelines updated September 26, 2018

KY State Fair Super Regional

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

On Friday, August 24, 2018, Shorthorn exhibitors showed at the Kentucky State Fair. The Super Regional Show was judged by Josh Taylor of Perkins, OK. Taylor evaluated 32 purebred females, 9 purebred bulls and 14 ShorthornPlus females.

Grand Champion Female was awarded to BRH Proud Fool 1720 shown by Caroline Winter of Ashville, OH.

Reserve Grand Champion Female honors went to GCC Evolution Charm 7102 ET, exhibited by Kolten Greenhorn of Waynesville, OH.

Grand Champion Bull was Armstrong Easy Rider 1603 exhibited by John Allen IV of Saxonburg, PA.

Reserve Grand Champion Bull was EGL Neptune MX 759 exhibited by Eva Ennis of Martinsville, IN.

In the ShorthornPlus show, Grand Champion Female honors went to 4D Mae Lynn D21E shown by Rachel Drumm of Winchester, KY.

Reserve Grand Champion ShorthornPlus Female was LCF Roxie Diamond 727 exhibited by Reba Prather of Nancy, KY.

Adios Interns

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

Today marks the last day of our internship here in Kansas City. It’s been a whirlwind of a time learning about the association, working with junior members and planning Junior Nationals and the IGS Summit. These summer months have flown by and we are going to miss all of the staff members in the office, but we are leaving with some great memories and experiences. Working in a breed association has been the perfect opportunity to help us grow in our professional skills and give us a look into career possibilities. Everyone in the office has been so welcoming and helpful, and we are grateful for the friendly atmosphere we were able to work in.

 

For our last day, we decided to throw a potluck brunch. This year, for the Beef Cook-Off contest at Junior Nationals, the key ingredient was steak. We decided to center our dish around this cut of beef and thought breakfast burritos would be the perfect way to start our last day. After searing the steak on the stove, we added some scrambled eggs and bundled the mix up in individual flour tortillas. Shelby brought potatoes as her side dish, which made for a great addition to the burritos. After a healthy dose of some salsa and cheese, the perfect burrito was born and the fiesta began!

 

Once everyone had eaten their body weight in burritos and side dishes, it was time for Anna and Emily Dyes to return to college for their final year of school, and Emily Meinhardt for her junior year. Our time here may have seemed short, but we will remember our experiences for a long time to come.

Weekend in Cow Town

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

Emily Meinhardt

My first trip to the historic “Cow Town” was definitely a memorable one. Summit offered so many great opportunities to grow your industry knowledge, experience the Stockyards and see breeders’ operations. For me, getting to know people and making connections always ends up being my favorite part. I loved getting to meet kids my age across the different breeds, along with learning about their breeds by attending the ranch tours. I am not much of a history geek, but I found the Stockyard history very interesting to learn with the impact Fort Worth had on the cattle industry. This is a great opportunity that I believe every junior should take advantage of.

 

Anna Miller

I was excited to attend Summit this year because it was held in the historic Stockyards of Fort Worth, Texas. The Stockyards has such a fun atmosphere, and there is so much western expansion history in the area that it makes for an interesting visit. My favorite part of Summit was being able to interact with the juniors on a more personal level compared to junior nationals. In Madison, I mostly dealt with the junior members on paper and didn’t have many opportunities to get to know them. However, at Summit I was in charge of icebreakers and group activities. This gave me more of a chance to interact with members from across the three different associations. My family raises Red Angus cattle, so it was interesting for me to tour ranches from three different breeds that I am not as familiar with. Overall, Summit was a blast and felt more like a vacation than a weekend of work!

 

Emily Dyes

For me, one of the highlights of our trip to Fort Worth was the quick tour we had of the Stockyards. I grew up in Texas and have been to the Stockyards numerous times, but I still found it interesting to learn about the role that Fort Worth played in shaping the cattle industry and learned a lot of facts I didn’t previously know. A fact I learned was that cattle were only worth four dollars in San Antonio area and worth $40 in Kansas City — it definitely makes sense why everyone was moving cattle up the Chisholm Trail! Also, Bonnie and Clyde stayed at the Stockyards Hotel, so it was pretty cool to be in a building they once were in.

Interns Views on NJSS

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

Now that we are all settled back in from the NJSS we want to share with you what us interns enjoyed about the week in Madison.

 

Emily Meinhardt

Growing up attending Hereford Junior Nationals, being part of NJSS was a different experience for me. I have enjoyed seeing all the little and big details that go into planning a national event. Attending Junior Nationals has always been the highlight of my summer, so I enjoyed attending another one and getting to know exhibitors and breeders within the Shorthorn breed. I spent a large majority of my time capturing those precious moments through a lens at NJSS. Getting to photograph each exhibitor showcasing their projects and watching their passion shine was definitely the highlight of my experience. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the week “Under the Big Top.”

 

Emily Dyes

My favorite part of Junior Nationals was getting to see all of the time and hard work put into each participant’s projects. Whether it was in the show ring or contests, kids from across the country took pride in what they brought to Madison. Being the Registrations intern, I felt like I knew every kid’s name by heart and talked to many parents on the phone, so finally putting faces to all the names was awesome. Thanks for a great NJSS this year, good luck to everyone next year!

Anna Miller

The National Junior Shorthorn Show was one of the first times I have experienced a Junior Nationals. It was a huge learning experience for me, and I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes aspect of helping to organize the event. As the Youth Activities intern, I enjoyed organizing contests and meeting contest judges, putting together scripts and presentations, and helping with the odd tasks that needed to be done. It was exciting to arrive at the NJSS and finally be able to put a face to all the names I learned in preparation for Junior Nationals. Overall, the show was an incredible opportunity and I have so many fun memories!

 

Essentials for a Successful Week

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

Only 6 more days until we are all “Under the Big Top” in Madison, Wisconsin! Here in the office we are packing things up and figured we would remind you all about the essentials you need to survive the week.

As you pack your trailer to head to Junior Nationals here is a tune (and show packing list) for you to listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS8nU9qxVTk.

ESSENTIALS:

                                                      WATER

HYDRATE. HYDRATE. HYDRATE. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Days in the barn can get long and will be even longer if you’re not properly hydrated.

 

SNACKS

Busy days at Junior Nationals can cause kids to get “Hangry.” Be sure to pack all your favorite snacks. Here is a list of our favorite snacks at cattle shows:

Emily M.: Grapes, Chex Mix, Pringles

Anna: Pita Chips, Hummus, Salami

Emily D.: Cheese sticks, Cheez-Its, Cinnamon Rolls

 

COMFORTABLE SHOES

Standing on cement all day can be hard on the feet. Be sure to pack a variety of shoes to switch out from day to day. You will appreciate this decision later in the week.

 

HAIR

Your cattle’s hair typically always comes first, so remember Revive and brushes to make sure their hair is on point for the show ring. Next, your hair. Rain is in the forecast!! Hats are a lifesaver on rainy days, or even days you just want to sleep in an extra 10 minutes.

 

REGISTRATION PAPERS

Don’t get to check-in and end up getting the “YOU HAD ONE JOB” look. Make sure those registration papers and health papers are in a safe spot to bring to check-in.

 

PROJECTS

Don’t forget to pack those projects you have spent countless hours on! Make sure to bring extra supplies, just in case something gets messed up on the drive!

 

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

The most important thing to pack along: a positive attitude. Cattle shows call for early mornings and late evenings, but a positive attitude always makes it more enjoyable. This week is about making memories that you’ll cherish for a life time, while making new friends along the way.

 

Hope we could help with your preparation for Junior Nationals! Safe travels as you make your way to Madison!

Contemporary Grouping: Why, When, and How

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

Proper contemporary groups are just as important to our database and genetic evaluation as proper data collection. Data and contemporary groups build on each other in order to have a strong genetic evaluation. Contemporary groups can be a bit overwhelming, and rightfully so. Knowing which animals belong together in one group or another can take some time to fully grasp. It’s a topic that has been covered many times, but a little refresher course hasn’t ever hurt anyone. Hopefully by sharing some background information and a few helpful hints, your understanding of contemporary grouping will become clearer.

Why We Need Contemporary Groups
As you know, not all weights and measures are created equally because not all cattle are managed in identical environments.

So how do we use data in genetic evaluations when it’s not all collected on an equal playing field? By utilizing proper contemporary groups! Our EPD calculations are driven by comparisons in performance between animals, rather than actual measurements for a trait. Contemporary groups are used to define which animals are to be compared to each other within a herd. By making sure we compare the right animals to each other, we get the best information available to fuel the EPD calculations. Having weights recorded is important, but having the right weights recorded in a contemporary group together is equally necessary.

When to Worry with Contemporary Groups
I commonly get asked when in the production cycle to start paying attention to contemporary groups. The answer is the day your first calf is born, and every time you collect a new piece of data in your herd. Contemporary groups start when birth records are recorded. It is important to ensure that you have your calves grouped correctly at birth, because all subsequent contemporary groups are based off the initial birth groups. The largest contemporary groups will always be for birth records, since cattle can only be removed from the original contemporary group over time. Every time a new data point is collected, the contemporary group should be examined for animals that might have been treated differently and are no longer fairly compared to the rest of the group. Once an animal is no longer on the same playing field (either advantaged or disadvantaged), they need to be regrouped. If you have a calf that gets really sick between birth and weaning, or if you choose some calves to begin prepping for the show barn, those cattle should be removed from the larger contemporary group. When collecting data such as weaning, yearling, or ultrasound, the date of data collection also dictates contemporary groups. All the calves that need to be in the same weaning contemporary group need to have their weaning weights taken on the same day. If there are multiple weighing days, then you will have multiple contemporary groups.

How to Build Your Contemporary Groups
There are some rules you will want to follow when putting your cattle into the proper contemporary groups. The sex of calf is a major factor, always sorting heifers and bulls into their own groups at birth, and then into heifers, steers, and bulls for any data collected from weaning onward. Grouping calves by calving season is also important. Most breeders calve in smaller windows and don’t have to worry too much with season. However, if you don’t have a tight calving season, it is recommended to group your birth contemporaries into 90-day windows to get a fair comparison. Obviously, management and location are a major factor. If you run cows on multiple ranches, then you will have contemporary groups for each ranch. Fortunately, Digital Beef does a pretty good job of covering some of these bases for you. If you need to manually put cattle into different groups, there are functions available to help you do so, such as the “Season” (birth recording) and “Mgmt” (Weaning) options when recording data.As always, we want to help you if you have any questions with your contemporary groups. Not only does having them done correctly benefit you, but also the rest of the breed as we continue to build our database. A stronger database is the foundation for better EPD calculations.

 

2017 ASA/University of Illinois Sire Test Early Results

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

Early results are in from the 2017 ASA Sire Test with the University of Illinois, and Shorthorn genetics look to be proving their mettle in a real-world commercial setting. Even though they are heavily involved in cow-calf research, the University of Illinois runs their cow herd as close to a no-nonsense commercial operation as you will find in any university system. It’s a great opportunity to work with cattle that are forced to work in tight breeding seasons, have quality udders, and maintain themselves while raising a calf on minimal supplementation. A special thanks to the breeders who participated in the 2017 Sire Test. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to gather this valuable information that will help move the Shorthorn breed towards our goals of growing commercial acceptance for our cattle. From September 8- October 4, 151 Shorthorn-sired calves were born, with 91% of the calves born in the 17 day window from September 13- September 30. Using UI’s SimAngus cow herd resulted in 123 black-hided calves, 15 black calves with white markings/blue roans, and 13 red hided calves. These calves were raised without creep feed until weaning on February 14, 2018. After some time to precondition the cattle, they will be shipped to the UI Farm near the university campus this month, where they will go on feed. Data collection in this phase of the trial will include gain, feed efficiency, and eventually carcass data. Initial reports indicate that these weights stack up comparably to other calves within the UI herd, showcasing the value of Shorthorns as the British breed crossbreeding solution. Keep in mind that it can be difficult to draw any conclusions comparing groups of extremely small size. Having only 1 or 2 calves may not be a fair representation of a sire’s genetic capabilities. Unfortunately, nature didn’t bless us with perfect distribution of steer and heifer calves across all sires. Weaning weight data listed is adjusted to a 205 day weaning weight. All data has been uploaded to Digital Beef. We are working with UI to plan a field day in August. This will include a chance to see the cattle on feed, as well as educational presentations and fellowship with other Shorthorn breeders. Be sure to look for more information on this event in future issues of the Shorthorn Country. View Full Report Here!

American Rancher featuring Shorthorn Cattle

Posted on by Shelby Rogers

This is the most recent American Rancher featuring Shorthorn cattle. The ASA slogan ‘Performance with Purpose’ truly describes the Shorthorn breed and the breeders that raise Shorthorn cattle. Check it out!

 

Saturday August 25: National Shorthorn Sire Test Field Day

Posted on by Shelby Rogers
Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 25. The ASA and the University of Illinois will be hosting the National Shorthorn Sire Text Field Day.
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Join us on the U of I campus for an educational program as we discuss the ASA Sire Test. Speakers include Dr. Dan Shike from University of Illinois, Matt Woolfolk from ASA and more.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch catered by the U of I Meat Science Club
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. –  We will head out to the University Farm to view the calves in the feedlot from the 2017 ASA Sire Test
If you would like to join us for this event, please contact Matt Woolfolk to RSVP (matt@shorthorn.org).