Brazos County Livestock Newsletter May 2016 Edition Inside this issue: State Fair Broilers 2 Major Turkey Orders 2 Poultry Workshops 2 Livestock Ambassador 3 Sheep & Goat Selection 4 Summer Cattle Care 5 Workshop Dates 6-7 State Fair Updates 8 Validation Dates 8 Show Dates 9 Contacts 9 Special points of interest: Summer cattle care Sheep & Goat selection Livestock Ambassador Program State Fair of Texas updates & Judges Major Show Dates Validation Dates Livestock Workshops State Fair Sheep, Goat & Swine Validation This year we will validate all State Fair animals at once at the same location. Date June 24th Time 7:30am-9am Location Pearce Pavilion Packets will be ready to pick up the week prior to validation. If you have a conflict with this date please contact us here at the office to make arrangements to get your projects validated prior to this date. Date June 18th Time 7:30-10am Location - Bryan Auction Barn Steer Validation Validation packets will be available the week prior to validation Packets will be ready to pick up the week prior to validation. If you have a conflict with this date please contact us here at the office to make arrangements to get your projects validated prior to this date. Date June 18th Major Show Heifer Validation Time will begin at the conclusion of steer validation approximately around 10am, we will close the line at 12 noon Location - Bryan Auction Barn Packets will be ready to pick up the week prior to validation. If you have a conflict with this date please contact us here at the office to make arrangements to get your projects validated prior to this date. Also we will once again need a color copy of your registration papers prior to validation so please send me a scanned color copy or bring the original by and we can scan a copy into the system. The heifer can only be in one exhibitors name, not a partnership or a farm name and must be in the exhibitors name on or before June 30th. Also once a heifer has been validated they are covered for their entire show career unless they change ownership or change breed, besides that this is a one time process. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at 979-823-0129
State Fair Broiler Orders State Fair broiler orders are due to the Brazos County Extension office by May 18th. The cost is $1.30 a bird and you must order in groups of 25. Birds will be picked up in August. Major Show Turkey Orders Major show turkey orders are due to the Extension office by June 17th. The cost is $3.50 a turkey and orders are in groups of 25. Poultry Institute for Youth June 12-14, 2016 The TAMU Poultry Institute for Youth is held on the Texas A&M campus once a year. The Institute is a 3 day camp for students with an interest in the poultry industry. Students will attend mini lectures taught by Texas A&M University staff on topics such as anatomy, embryology, immunology, nutrition and processing. Students will also participate in field trips to a commercial layer facility and a local processing facility. Registration is open students who will be enrolled in the fall as high school juniors, seniors or college freshmen. For any questions about the Poultry Institute for Youth, please contact the Poultry Science Department at 979-845-1654. 2016 TAMU Poultry Institute for Youth Application -(due by Friday, May 11, 2016) http://posc.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/02/2016-tamu-poultry-institute-for-youth- Application-revised-2-17-16.pdf Page 2
2016 Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador Program It is time once again for youth who are interested in becoming a Livestock Ambassador to apply for the 2016 year. Below is information about the application process, dates to hold open for trainings, as well as some of the impact data from this past years ambassadors. Program Highlights and Impact: Current Ambassadors report their service to an online reporting system. Service Hours: 14, 564 Educational Contacts: 450,000 Program engagement County, Regional and Major Livestock Show Responsibilities Represent Texas 4-H and Animal Agriculture on TV, Radio and at the Texas Capitol Making an impact in mentoring novice 4-H youth NEW nation and international travel experience 2016 Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador Short Courses: Texas Tech University/West Texas A&M University July 5-8, 2016 Cost: $200 Texas A&M University July 18-21, 2016 Cost: $200 Selection Criteria: Senior age (14-18) 4-H youth that have exhibited a superior level of ambition regarding his/her livestock projects Students with a profound interest in animal science and animal production Students have shown advanced leadership qualities and a willingness to help others Top 25% class rank Application Process: Applicant goes to https://agrilife.az1.qualtrics.com/se/?sid=sv_0pypo9djxaynpfb Student will complete the application and enter the contact information of supervising County Extension Agent CEA will be automatically emailed a recommendation survey A selection committee will review the applications and accept 25 participants per university Applications are due June 1, 2016. Applicants will be notified by June 17, 2016 regarding application result Please contact me with any questions or concerns about this. Page 3
Sheep and Goat Selection It is about that time of year again to begin looking and purchasing your goats and sheep for next years stock shows. There are many things to consider when purchasing your next animal, like what age does it need to be, where can I look for these animals, and what do I need to do to be prepared for the project once I get it home. Well here are a few tips to help you prepare for your next project. Make sure your pen is clean and ready for new animals Decide which shows you would like to attend Decide on a budget for your animals Make sure you have fresh feed and water available for the project once you get it home Decide where you would like to purchase your project, whether it be from a sale, or an individual. We can give you some names of people or sales that may fit your needs. We are also more than happy to help you select or find a project for you. Just allow us enough time to locate one in your price range. What to look for when purchasing your project: Structural Correctness- this includes the skeletal system/ bone structure of the animal. Look for a project that is heavy boned, level topped and level in his hip. Note the animal s movement as he walks and look for the project that stands and walks out wide off of his front legs and back legs. Pay attention to the rear legs and avoid any lambs that might walk with their back hocks pointing in or out. Check the pasterns, making sure that they do not flex excessively in their pasterns. Muscle- muscle will always be one of the primary factors for success. The purpose of a market wether is to provide meat for consumption. Consequently, judges will prioritize muscle as a major factor in placing. A wether that is wide based in structure is going to be heavier muscled than a narrow based one. Have someone hold the project in a driving position and handle the top right behind the shoulder and across the loin. You want as much width as you can get. Analyze the rear leg muscle by watching the wether walk away from you. Look for the width and depth of the leg muscle to compare. Volume and capacity- this refers to the width of the body and rib shape. Wethers that are shallow in their body with a tight rib shape are not going to eat, gain and grow as well as one that is deeper bodied with more spring of rib. On the reverse side, wethers with excessive middle are not desirable because of the waste in dressing percentage when they are processed. Show wethers have to have enough rib shape and capacity to be productive, but they also have to be shallow enough in their depth of rib to have that show look that the judges are looking for. Style and balance- this refers to the combination of muscle and structure that gives the project that show look. You might own a project with a lot of muscle and capacity, but if they do not have the right look, you probably will not win the class. This factor in selection takes time to learn. Generally, look for the wether with a long neck that blends smoothly into the shoulders with a smooth and level top and level hip (few wethers are perfectly level in their hip/ avoid excessive steepness). The project should be smooth shouldered with a trim middle section. The underline should be level. Balance refers to the length of body in relationship to the height. I also try to avoid excessively long bodied animals as well as short bodied ones. The longer bodied wethers will usually break in their top where the short bodied ones do not balance well from the side view. Size potential- all animals will mature at different weights depending on genetics. Most shows have many classes broken into weight ranges. Each class has a winner. I believe that you should feed your project to his full potential and manage his weight at the end to fit into a desirable weight class. It is also important to match the size of the project to the size of the exhibitor. Younger exhibitors are better off showing smaller projects while tall exhibitors are better off showing heavier projects. Page 4
Summer Care for Cattle projects By now most everyone has had time to find and get your new cattle projects home and have began working with them. There are a few things to consider once you get them home and to do during the summer months. Make sure they have plenty of fresh, clean water Make sure they have some sort of shade If they have lots of hair you may want to keep a fan, and misters on them or if you don't intend on showing them with hair, you can shave them to help keep them cool. Monitor feed intake over the summer months, try to refrain from feeding feeds heavy in corn or fat during the summer months. Make sure you get them dehorned (if they need it), vaccinated, and wormed even if the original owner did that before you purchased them. It is always good to give another booster to keep them from getting sick. Make sure to get them validated and monitor that their ears don't get infected after they are tagged It never hurts to take them to a few shows throughout the year to get them out and for them to get some practice in, however it can be harder on them during the summer months with the higher temps. So if you do haul them make sure to keep them cool to prevent them from getting sick. If you have any questions or would like for us to come take a look at your projects, just contact us and we would be glad to come out. Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
2016 State Fair of Texas Updates & Judges Dates September 30th October 23rd 2016 Market Swine will come in two separate waves this year. (Wave one Dark hogs 10/3-10/4) ( Wave 2 White hogs 10/5-10/6) Detailed Schedule at: http://bigtex.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/16_ls_schedule_1.3.pdf Rule Book: http://bigtex.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/16_livestock_premiumbook_1.1.pdf Judges Steers Dan Shike, Barrows-- Jim McCoy, Lambs Cody Sloan, Goats Keaton Dodd Steers Heifers Sheep Goats Swine Brazos County Validation Dates Major & BCYLS June 18th @ the Bryan Auction Barn starting at 7:30am BCYLS Only October Summer June 18th @ the Bryan Auction Barn at the conclusion of steer validation Fall October State Fair June 24th Location Pearce Pavilion Major & BCYLS-October 17th at the Brazos Expo Center from 5:30-7:30 State Fair June 24th Location Pearce Pavilion Major & BCYLS October 19th at the Brazos Expo Center from 5:30-7:30 State Fair June 24th Location Pearce Pavilion Major November 21st at the Brazos Expo Center from 5:30-7:30PM BCYLS December 12th at the Brazos Expo Center from 5:30-7:30PM Page 8
Brazos County Extension Office 2619 Highway 21 West Bryan, Texas 77803 Show Dates Phone: 979-823-0129 Fax: 979-775-3768 E-mail: Brazos@ag.tamu.edu Wer e on the Web! http://brazos.agrilife.org/ Upcoming Events: Validation Dates: Steers 6/18 Heifers 6/18 State Fair Sheep, Goat, & Swine-6/24 Other: Major Turkey orders due 6/17 State Fair Chicken orders due 5/18 Sheep & Goat workshop 5/21 State Fair & HOT entry night 8/4 State Fair of Texas Market Swine Wave 1 10/3-10/4 Market Swine Wave 2 10/5-10/6 Market Steers 10/4-10/6 Sheep & Goat 10/3-10/5 Gilts 9/29-10/2 HOT Fair October 6-15 Brazos Valley Fair October 21-23 Sandhills Livestock Show TBA Ft. Worth Livestock Show January 13 February 4 San Antonio Livestock Show February 9 26 San Angelo Livestock Show TBA Houston Livestock Show March 7-26 Rodeo Austin Livestock Show March 11-25 Brazos County Youth Livestock Show April 4-8 Contacts Jerod Meurer Dusty Tittle Arvita Scott Flora Williams Ashley Skinner 4-H & YD Agent AG/NR Agent 4-H & Youth Development CEP Agent Family & Consumer Science Agent 4-H Program Assistant Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating