4-H on Parade Weekend

Last weekend was 4-H on Parade, this was in Calgary at Stampede Park. Friday was the female show. I did very well with my heifer, I got Reserve Champion of my breed! I was super excited and I won a belt buckle for all my hard work.

Saturday was the steer show, I did not do so well with my steer. I got 6th in my class, but I was still glad that my steer did not try and get away from me.

Sunday was the sale, I sold my steer to Moody's Equipment and I was glad to be rid of him! My steer has been a handful this year and I am  very glad that I don't have to deal with his many quirks anymore. I'm glad that 4-H is over because now I can focus on Summer Synergy and my upcoming exams.

Achievement Day!!

Today was my 4-H Club's Achievement Day. This is the day when we get all of our animals ready and then show them. The animal's all looked great, and there were no major wrecks. The morning started off with me waking up early to go out and feed my animals before the show, then organizing all my things and loading the trailer. The last job before we loaded the animals was to catch them and spot-wash them.

When we arrived at the show, we unloaded the animals and began to fit them. Fitting involves blowing the animals dry with a cattle blower, keeping them clean, trimming any last spots of hair off, and gluing the legs and tail-heads of the animals.

The first animal I showed was my heifer. She was very reluctant to walk around the ring, but I showed her to the best of my ability and got second place with her. We advanced to the next "level" of the show, but did not place.

My cow-calf pair was the second animal that I showed. I got Champion Cow-Calf pair in my club with my pair. I moved onto the next level, and got Grand Champion Female with my pair. I was very happy and surprised because I did not think I would do that well!

The final animal I showed was my steer. I was nervous going into the ring with him because he tried to get away from me the other day. But he was perfect in the ring! One of the best animals I have shown. Despite all this, he wasn't the most attractive animal, so I placed 4th (which was also last in the class).

Once the show was over we loaded the animal's and came home. They were very happy to be home and so was I! It was a long, tiring day, but I am happy that I did as good as I did with my cow, its always a nice surprise to do better than you think you will.

Well, its nearing 4-H on Parade, and the 4-H aspect of the year is almost over. The final show in Calgary is next weekend, I wonder what surprises await me there? Only one way to find out...

A Working Day

This morning I went out and caught my heifer and calf, they were extremely good. My heifer followed me perfectly around the yard, and even stood when I show-sticked her. My calf was not quite as good, but at least he didn't get away or jump on me. I am looking forward to showing my animals at Summer Synergy (a cattle show during the summer), because I had so much fun last year.
Well, I have to run put up some fence, have a great day!

A typical Monday

Well today was a typical Monday; school, chores, and working with the cows. Today was a continuing day in the halter-breaking process of my 4-H projects. I have a steer, heifer and cow-calf pair for my projects this year, it is a lot of work! I have to get my animals quiet enough to be able to show them; this takes a lot of time and patience. My heifer (for those that don't know a heifer is it would be like the teenage girl of cattle) is very quiet and easy to work with, and my steer (well...lets just say its a bull that will never get the urge to breed anything...) is not too stubborn or difficult, but he is a big fellow to work with. The animal that is the biggest handful is the little calf that's 4 months old. For a little guy he sure can pull!! So there you have it, a typical farm-girl Monday!

Howdy Partner!

Welcome to Farm Girl for the Future! I am Alex, a fourth generation farm girl who raises cattle, and grain crops. I am also involved in 4-H and show cattle in my spare time. We have currently 150 cattle, 100 of those being purebred Charolais. My sisters and I are involved in the feeding, raising and selling of the calves. In March we are able to put our marketing skills to the test and sell bulls to buyers from across Canada. Through these experiences I have learned a great deal about myself and the farming industry around me. My blog will be an insight into what it is that a typical farm girl goes through in order to keep the farm up and running. Enjoy!