ELKHART COUNTY 4-H DAIRY FEEDER CALF CLUB – 2024 Manual
PROJECT OBJECTIVES 1. Each dairy breed shown at State Fair will be eligible for competition. That includes Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey and Milking Shorthorn. 2. Calves will be grown for a feeder calf (not veal) finishing operation. All 4-H members will be welcomed to raise calve and enter the project whether they own dairy cattle or not. This project is a short-term project. It only requires owning a calf from May until the fair. Calves will be sold at the livestock auction if the 4-H member wishes.
2024 Dairy Feeder Calf Club Adult Leaders Organizational Leader: Ken Metzler 535-3018 [email protected]
-- All meetings begin at 7:00 pm at the fairgrounds (unless otherwise stated). Registration begins at 6:40 pm.
-- In case of bad weather, watch for a text message, email or your local television stations for meeting info.
-- Programs may change due to availability of speakers.
January 18, Thursday @ Home & Family Arts Program: Information Stations and Elect Club Officers February 15, Thursday @ ECCC building Program: Vet talk with Emily Blough March 14, Thursday @ Home & Family Arts Program: 1st & 2nd year members informational meeting March 21, Thursday @ Home & Family Arts Program: Feed specialist Vote for Queen Contestant, any lady at least 16 yrs old is eligible. April 1, Monday Geranium orders and money due -- mailed to Jodi Evans PO Box 416 Bristol 46507 April 12, Friday @ 7:00pm in the Beef / Dairy Arena Program: The Incredible Dr. Pol talk April 18, Thursday @ Home & Family Arts Program: The officers will run the meeting April 24, Wednesday @ the fairgrounds Geranium Pick Up 3:00pm-6:00pm May 4, Saturday, 7:00am - 10:30am Dairy Feeder Calf Barn May Weigh In & Auction Number Draw **DUES MUST BE PAID** All calves are required to be brought in to be weighed and tagged. May 16, Thursday Beef/Dairy Arena Program: Demonstration Night -- Washing, clipping, halter tieing, showmanship demos, show box, etc. June 20, Thursday Dairy Feeder Calf Barn & Feeder Calf'A This is a work night. We will be getting stalls assembled, work on landscaping and cleaning the concession stand. Essays are due. (Essays are required if you are not participating in one of the three announced service projects.) Stall request forms are due, no exceptions. Each person on the request form must sell a flat of geraniums for the request to be honored. June 25, Tuesday Fair entry completion due online July 16, Tuesday Dairy Feeder Calf Barn All paperwork turned in and passes handed out. July 19-July 27 ELKHART COUNTY 4-H FAIR Sat- 20th 7:00-10:30 am Weigh-In Mon-22nd 9:00am Showmanship (beginning with Master) Tues-23rd 4:00 pm Dairy Feeder Calf Show Wed-24th 12:00 pm Deadline to withdraw your calf from the livestock auction. Wed-24th 6:00 pm Pizza Party for all DFC members Fri-26th TBD Dairy Feeder Calf Auction August 5th, 6th or 11th, Dairy Feeder Calf Achievement Banquet, 5:30pm -- location TBD September 14th -- Fall Party @ fairgrounds
DAIRY FEEDER CALF RULES 1. Calves must exhibit distinct color markings of their respective dairy breeds. No crossbreeds will be allowed. Milking Shorthorns must be accompanied by valid breed registration papers. 2. Calf eligibility will be determined on the first Saturday of May when calves are tagged with a county tag and a RFID tag and weighed. 3. Calves are screened by non-club individuals at the May weigh in. If the screeners determine your calf is a crossbred, your calf will be automatically put in the overweight/crossbred class unless you have valid breed registration papers for the calf. Screeners decisions are final. 4. Two calves may be tagged and entered, only one calf may be exhibited at the county fair. Up to six calves may be tagged and designated at May weigh in if showing at the State Fair. 5. Auction order will be determined at the May weigh in. Each family needs to draw a number. If a family fails to draw a number at the May weigh in, they will be put at the end of the auction order. Auction order is as follows: Grand Champion, Reserve Grand Champion, Division Champions and Reserve Champions, Showmanship Winners, Ten Year Members, followed by order determined at May Weigh in. 6. All calves must be vaccinated, castrated and dehorned. Castration and dehorning can be done at any time, but must be done far enough in advance to be healed by fair week. Improperly castrated calves will be placed last in class and cannot be sold in the auction. 7. Weight rule -- as adopted December 2018 A. 250 lb maximum at the May weigh in. B. Those calves weighing 250 lbs or less will be in Group A. C. Those calves weighing over 250 lbs will be in Group B. D. The largest calf at fair weigh in from Group A will determine max weight for Group B -- For example: If the largest calf in Group A weighs 575 lbs then any Group B calf weighing under 575 lbs would be moved to Group A. Any Group B calves over 575 lbs would be considered overweight. All Group A calves are eligible for the grand drive and the final Group B calves would not be eligible. E. Maximum auction weight would be determined by the heaviest Group A calf at fair weigh in. 8. Calves will be subject to all health regulations required by State Fair rules. 9. Calves can arrive at the fairgrounds for fair week between the first Friday and 11:00 am on the first Saturday. 10. Fair weigh in will be on the first Saturday from 7:00 am – 11:00 am. 11. Classes will be determined by weight after the fair weigh in. If the initial weight of a calf at weigh in is 250 pounds to heaviest calf in Group A, that weight will be recorded as the official weight and may not reweigh. 12. Calves not meeting the minimum weight of 250 pounds by 11:00 am at the Saturday fair weigh in, will be sent home. If the initial weight of a calf at weigh in is 245-249 pounds, the 4-H’er may attempt to put weight on their calf to meet the 250 pound minimum and reweigh by the end of the time allotted for general weigh in. If the initial weight of a calf is less than 245 pounds, that weight will be recorded as the official weight and may not reweigh. Calves with official weights less than 250 pounds will be sent home. 13. Show sticks and leather show halters are required. Exhibitors should be neatly dressed in long pants, club t-shirt and sturdy shoes for show day. 14. Calves will be displayed and judged by beef steer guidelines. No blocking or balling of tails. 15. Tampering, alternating and/or misrepresentation of any exhibit is prohibited. This prohibited activity includes the breeding and method of preparation for show. This includes, but is not limited to: a. Coloring that alters or misrepresents breed characteristics, including but not limited to baby powder b. Pumping in air or other substances to alter conformation. c. Methods to induce artificial fill. d. No adhesives or color sprays of any kind, including paints of any kind e. Blowing and/or brushing hair in a direction other than the natural direction of hair growth. f. All calves must be slick sheered. 16. Grooming Rule -- Anyone can assist with livestock grooming as long as the 4-H member is actively participating in the show ready process as well. The 4-Her is expected to make sure anyone helping them is following all club rules. First Violation: If caught before entering the ring, club member would be required to wash calf fully - soap & water. If caught as they were going into the ring, the judge would be instructed to place them at the bottom of the class and it would be recorded as a first offense. Second Violation: The club member would be removed from the show and not allowed to sell calf at auction. This also falls under the fraud, deceit/cheat policy in the handbook that falls under the grievance process. All decisions made by the leaders and are final. 17. Calves are not allowed to be in any barn except the dairy feeder barn. 18. Class winners (except for the overweight/crossbred class) will compete for division champions and reserve champions. Division champions will compete for grand and reserve grand champion. 19. Calves may be sold in the auction on Friday. Only calves that are exhibited at the fair and are properly vaccinated, castrated, and dehorned will be eligible to be sold. 4-Hers have the option of taking their calf home and not selling. 20. All 4-Hers are responsible for good care of their calf while at the fair. If a 4-Her does not show responsibility for the care of their calf during the fair, they may receive one warning. If the 4-Her continues to not show responsibility for their calf, they may be asked to remove their animal from the fairgrounds and forfeit their right to auction their calf. 21. Fair Board policy calls for exclusive use of shaving for bedding. Additional supplies will be available. 22. Members of the Dairy Feeder Calf Club must do the necessary paperwork to complete the project for the current year. Fair passes will be distributed to members who bring a calf to show at fair and complete the necessary paperwork. If a 4-Her chooses NOT to register and weigh in a calf at the May weigh-in, then they can complete the year in the Dairy Feeder Calf Club by completing their paperwork and doing a poster but will not receive any fair tickets. If a 4-Her registers a calf at the May weigh-in and is unable to show the calf at the fair, then the Dairy Feeder Calf Advisory board should be contacted and will review the situation.
REQUIRED VACCINATIONS FOR DAIRY FEEDER CALVES
The following vaccinations are required for calves to be eligible to be sold. If there are any questions, contact your veterinarian or one of the leaders.
There are several types of vaccines available; the following are just suggested product names to assist you in locating the correct vaccine for your calves.
Calves should ideally get two doses of each of the listed items. The first doses should be given in May or June, the second to be given at least two weeks before the fair. Bovashield Gold (1 time) Vision 7 (requires a booster) WORMER (Levasole or Ivomec)
All 4-Her’s must complete the 4-H enrollment by January 15. Club dues are $10 per 4-Her, due by the May weigh in. The club fee increases after the February meeting by $1.00 each month until it is paid -- Must be paid at May weigh-in.
Club officers are elected at the January Meeting. If you are interested and want to be on the ballot, come to the January meeting or contact a leader to have your name put on the ballot.
To show your calf at the fair, your calf must be registered in the fair online entry system by May 15, 2024. A family member may interchange any identified calf with a sibling at the time of fair weigh in.
Stall request forms can be turned in at the June meeting. If you wish to stall next to someone outside of your family, you must fill out this form and sell one flat (18 plants) of geraniums. A completed form and proof of geranium sales must be turned in at the same time. No exceptions. This is for whom you want to stall with, NOT where in the barn.
All 4-H members need to sign up for their animal classes for fair into FairEntry by June 25, 2024.
To complete your project, you must turn all the required paperwork in at the July meeting. You can find all required documents on our club website. 1. Care Contract 2. Health Concerns Disclaimer 3. Record Summary Sheet 4. Essay or Service Project We will have for you, two service projects that you can choose to participate in instead of writing an essay. These are usually held the first couple Saturdays in June. Time and place will be announced later. Essay topic will be announced early. Length requirements are 3rd-5th grade (1/2 page), 6th-8th grade (1 full page), 9th-12th grade (1 1/2 page)
There is a Dairy Feeder Calf Club Scholarship. Every graduating senior is qualified to fill out an application. Applications can be printed off the club website. The deadline for scholarship applications is July 27, 2024 and can be turned into any leader or advisory board member.
No calf may be taken home once it has been checked in without the consent of a 4-H leader. There will be a sign out sheet in the Dairy Feeder Calf Office where you will need to sign out your calf.
On show day, all DFC members need to be in the show arena prior to the start of the 1st class at 3:55 pm for the Pledge of Allegiance and 4-H Pledge. DFC members must be wearing their club t-shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes.
The DFC auction is on Friday, July 26, 2024 at approx 2:00 pm in the Sheep/Swine Arena. Calves will be auctioned at their weigh in weight. Calves exceeding the heaviest calf weight from group A, will be sold at weight of Group A calf.
WEIGHT CLASSES Weight classes are determined once weigh in is completed. There will be 5 weight divisions, Light Weight, Light- Medium Weight, Medium Weight, Medium-Heavy Weight and Heavy Weight. Each first-place calf in each division will come back in the arena to compete for their division champion and reserve champion. Second place calves will be on standby in case the judge wants to bring back the respective second place class winner for contention of the division reserve champion. The champion in each division will compete for Grand Champion. Once the Grand Champion is selected, the respective reserve champion in that division will be allowed to enter the arena for contention of Reserve Grand Champion, 3rd, 4th & 5th. We will be placing out the top 5 calves of show. (Grand Champion, Reserve Champion, 3rd overall, 4th overall and 5th overall). SHOWMANSHIP CLASSES Showmanship classes will be on Monday, July 22nd, 2024 @ 9:00am. Showmanship class order starts with Masters, then Seniors, Juniors, Beginners and lastly Greenhand. Showmanship classes are determined by grade level from previous school year. Honor Group of five to be selected in each class with champion to be chosen from Honor Group. Winners of each group will move up to the next level the following year regardless of grade. The winner of the Master Showmanship class will compete in the Round Robin Showmanship contest. Greenhand – Grades 3 & 4 Beginner – Grades 5 & 6 Junior – Grades 7 & 8 Senior – Grades 9 & 10 Master – Grades 11 & 12
4-H DAIRY FEEDER CALF AWARDS
1. The exhibitors of the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion will receive a banner. 2. Winners of each showmanship class will receive a banner. 3. Achievement winners will be selected based on involvement and activity in club. Must be in the club for 6 years to be eligible. 4. Herdsmanship – up to ten awards will be given based on quality of fair exhibit.
DAIRY FEEDER CALF POINT SYSTEM A point system has been implemented to help keep track of club members involvement. This may also help with awarding Achievement Awards and Overall Achievement Awards winners at the end of the fair season. There will be incentives/awards for reaching each level. Points may be altered or added if the occasion arises. All situations of point additions or alterations will apply to all members. For us to keep track of points, we need YOU, not a parent, sibling or friend, to sign in at each meeting.
Points are rewarded as listed: Meeting Attendance: 10 points/meeting Workday: 10 points Essay: 10 points Calf-A Shift: 10 points Geranium Sales: 10 points Showmanship Participation: 10 points Barn Clean Up (at the end of fair): 10 points Misc. Points Point Levels: Bronze: 50 points Silver: 60-80 points Gold: 90+ points
EARLY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES EARLY BIRTH MANAGEMENT The calf should be born in a clean, well-bedded box stall and receive milk from the dam for a minimum of two to three days after birth. Put iodine on calf’s navel immediately after birth. Following separation of your calf from the dam, feed your calf milk at a rate of 8% of its body weight during the first week and 10% of it body weight during the second week. After the third week, decrease the amount of milk. Healthy calves can be weaned from milk at the age of 6 to 8 weeks. Milk-fed calves should be given body temperature milk twice daily from sterilized pails. If using calf milk replacer, it should have a minimum of 20% fat, minimum of 20% protein, maximum of 10% ash and be made of all milk products. Feed according to manufacturer’s directions. Watch closely for signs of illness and begin the treatment prescribed by your veterinarian immediately. Identify all calves individually and record all vaccinations and treatments.
HOUSING House your calf in a well-ventilated barn, free from drafts at all times. Keep the pen dry and clean.
DEHORNING The calves should be dehorned using one of several methods. Consult with your veterinarian concerning what method to use and when to use it. Calves need to be completely healed by fair time.
CASTRATION Castration is an operation on bulls to prevent the development of sexual maturity and masculine characteristics. All calves in this project must be castrated as a safety precaution. Calves should be castrated when they are about six to eight weeks of age or before 300 pounds. There are several methods of castration. See your veterinarian for proper procedure. Calves need to be completely healed by fair time.
FEEDING Recommend feeding two or more claves together because they eat more when competing for feed. To start your calf eating grain, put a small portion in his mouth or in the bottom of the bucket following milk feedings. Recommended using some sort of palatable starter mix. Increase the amount of grain gradually until his is eating 3 ½ to 4 pounds of a commercial or a good home mix daily. Feed only enough hay to keep rumen functioning properly, about 1 or 2 pounds
GROWTH IMPLANTS Growth implants are used an aid to increase weight gain in calves. These implants alone do not cause calves to gain weight unless properly managed. Become educated about them before using. We do not promote implants, but the use of them had not been ruled out by our club.
RECOMMENDED WEIGHT Recommended weight at the end of project should be somewhere between 350 to 550 pounds.