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From farm to fair

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Do you ever go to fairs during the summer? Do you ever walk through the animal barns and see rows and rows of calm, clean cows and calves?

Those calves don’t become calm and clean over night, and they certainly aren’t born that way.

Getting animals to the fair takes months and months of preparation before the fair even begins! So what exactly happens before the fair?

The very first step is picking out  cattle. That sounds pretty easy, right? But there’s a couple key things you have to look for. Picking out cattle involves selecting an animal that fits into a class available at the fair, and choosing an animal that has desirable traits- which tends to vary a bit by breed and of course by species.Fischerdale Charles Rella

Next, you have to get your animal used to a halter. It’s just like when we get a new pair of shoes. Usually they’re a bit stiff and uncomfortable when you first slip them on. The next couple times you wear them, your feet may be a bit sore because your feet still have to get used to them. After a couple days though, your feet have adjusted and have become used to your new shoes!

Halters are just the same on calves. When a calf first gets a halter on, it just feels a bit funny. Getting them used to the feel of the halter is important.

After an animal is used to a halter, the next step is leading and washing.

Leading and washing go hand-in-hand. When you are leading and washing your animal, you are developing trust and creating a bond with your animal. To get your heifer or cow used to you and into a new routine, you have to wash and lead your heifer almost every single  day.

Once in awhile, it’s okay if you miss a day. That just means the next day you go to work with her, she’ll likely be a little dirtier and a little tougher to catch.

After working with your heifer on a daily basis, she will usually be calmer, cleaner and enjoy spending time with you. Then you’re ready for the fair!

At most fairs, there is a dairy class and a showmanship class. The dairy class is all about how your animal looks, whereas the showmanship class is all about your interaction with your animal and your interaction with the judge. That’s the class where your daily leading pays off!

Getting your animal from the farm to the fair is a lot of hard work. This brief description is just that- BRIEF. There are many different aspects of getting animals from the farm to the fair. But hopefully this gives you just a tad better of an idea of how those animals get to the fair and how hard exhibitors work to get them there!


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