Guest Post-Katie Miller

Katie Miller of Cambridge has written a guest post about her experience showing cattle:

Katie Miller will show three heifers and a cow/calf pair
at this years Henry County Fair

Cattle have always interested me and have become my 

passion. My grandparents have a herd of commercial cows. They were my inspiration for becoming involved in the beef industry. My grandparents help me with my cattle and teach me many valuable lessons needed in order to raise my cattle. They helped me start my showing career by purchasing me my first bucket calf, Pandi, for 4-H. I had a great experience with Pandi that I decided I would continue showing bucket calves and someday steers and heifers. I have shown steers and heifers for 4 years now and enjoy every minute of it! We go to shows across Illinois. This year I have 3 heifers and a cow/calf pair to show.

Being involved in the beef industry has given me many opportunities. I served as a Henry County Beef Ambassador and worked to promote our county association and the industry. I also will be attending the IBA EDGE conference which will teach me how to advocate for the industry and ways to be more involved.

I have been busy preparing for the fair for months! I have walked and washed my calves many times to prepare them for the shows. It is a lot of work, but I truly enjoy every minute of it!

What it Takes to Show Cattle

Elissa with her Herford heifer, Velvet

Elissa Dynes, a seventh gradeer at Annawan Jr. High, is excited to show her Hereford Heifer, Velvet, at this years Henry County Fair. Elissa  showed cattle for the first time in 2012 and then took a year off from showing cattle last year. She originally purchased two exotic breed heifers from an online auction, for this years Henry County Fair, but neither of them worked out.

So in December, she purchased a Hereford heifer from a local breeder Matt Johnson. Elissa named her Velvet because reminded her of Red Velvet Cake. Velvet is a registered Herford, which means she is a purebred and has papers, similar to what a purebred dog may have.

Velvet is very well cared for, everyday she gets:  led, a balanced diet, brushed and hand watered. When it gets a little warmer, Velvet will also start to be washed. She will also have her hooves trimmed and be clipped for the fair, a kind of bovine pedicure.

Elissa brushes Velvet to prepare her for show 

In March, Elissa arranged Velvet to have her hair clipped. Hereford hair is EXTREMELY difficult to work with because it collects a lot of oil. So the winter hair is shaved to allow the new hair to grow in. Velvet is brushed about 30 minutes a day, every day.

Elissa hopes that Velvet will get a blue ribbon and after the fair Velvet will return home to be artificially inseminated by a purebred Hereford bull that Elissa picked out herself.
Next year Velvet will give birth to a calf and is to have Elissa hopes will show that calf in the 2016 Henry County Fair.

The Junior Beef Show is June 27th with the Open Beef Show the next day.

Meet Jaidyn

Jaidyn Miller is accomplished when it comes to showing hogs. She was the youngest person to win King Hog at the age of four. Now the thirteen year old seventh grader at Annawan Jr. High School, prefers showing crossbreads. But even after showing for nine years, she is undecided about what the best part of showing hogs is, "It's really hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to it would be when I first walk into the ring with my pig. The rush of the first impression feels amazing!"

Jaidyn Miller has won numerous awards from
showing hogs at the Henry County Fair

Once the weather turns nice, Jaidyn will walk her pigs about 2-3 laps each day and washes her pigs using a special livestock soap and soft brush. After a couple of washes, prolate is applied. She also makes sure she give them the nutrients they need, feeding her pigs a mix of steamed rolled oats with 18% Sunglo/Showmaster grower, mixed with
steamed rolled oats and any other supplements that are needed and makes sure they get proper shots.

When fair time arrives, Jaidyn gears up for a full day of work making sure her pigs are properly taken care of. A typical day will be for Jaidyn to wake up at 6 a.m. to go to arrive at the fairgrounds at 6:30 to feed and water the pigs and clean out the pens. After that, she heads to the mini doughnut stand for a quick bite to eat. In the afternoon, she checks the pigs' water and washes them and then takes some time off to hangout and enjoy the fairgrounds with her friends. At night, is the last time she feeds and waters her pigs and cleans out the pens. After checking to make sure the fans are working properly so pigs don't overheat, she heads home for the night around 9 and 10 p.m., but Jaidyn mentions when she isn't competing, her schedule is a bit different. 

"If it's the day of the show, I spend most of the day showing."

Jaidyn Miller shows one of her pigs at the Henry County Fair

She says the special part about the Henry County Fair is the family atmosphere. "

I feel like I have two families, my actual family and my fair-family. All the fair board members and volunteers do everything they can to make the fair 'family friendly,' and I think they do a great job of it!"

Be sure to take time to stop by the hog barn and check out Jaidyn's hogs!

Beyond The Midway

The winter midway at the Henry County Fair along
 with the grandstand (right) and art hall (left)

What comes to mind you think about a county fair? Corn dogs, queen pageants and carnival rides perhaps? But a county fair is more than just that, it's about the meaning of agriculture and its importance. The purpose of this blog is to reveal the "hidden treasures" that make up the fair, beyond the mid-way. This blog will cover topics such as the people, the exhibits, the art hall, the livestock barns and events that define a county fair.

As for myself, I have many fond memories of the Henry County Fair. When I was little I would ride as many carnival rides as I could handle. When I was older and in 4-H I showed art projects and worked the 4-H food stand.  I was also a Henry County Beef Ambassador and handed out ribbons to the many award winning cattle. I hope to communicate the importance of the county fair to friends I have from the city who seem very puzzled by this whole phenomenon. My goal of this blog is to attract people who normally don't attend the fair and to get people aware and excited for it. Another thing I hope this blog accomplishes is to get more people to exhibit and inspire others to actively participate and attend county fairs.