CALF_News_December_2021_January_2022

23 CALF News • December 2021 | January 2022 • www.calfnews.net No Grass. No Vitamin E or Vitamin A. “Calves born to cows during winter, early-spring and drought conditions are more likely to be Vitamin A and Vitamin E deficient and may experience ‘weak-calf syndrome.’ ” - Dr. Rob Stuart, founder of Stuart Products, Inc. VITAL E -Newborn ® You have tried VITAL E A+D, now try our new formulation designed for newborn calves, VITAL E-Newborn. Compared to VITAL E-A+D, it provides 66% more Vitamin E, 500% more Vitamin D, and the most “bioavailable form” of Vitamin A. See dramatic improvement in Vitamin A and E status when injected with 5 mL of VITAL E-Newborn at birth. 800-747-4538 · Beef.StuartProducts.com Research-based Solutions . . . for Animal Nutrition Needs in all ages from across Nebraska, most being kindergarten through sixth grade. Each year, Tuesday through Thursday of fair week are designated as “Nebras- ka’s Largest Classroom.” Presently, about 5,000 school children participate in hands-on education at 25 stations across the grounds. The event has grown so large that, next year, maps will be pro- vided to teachers so they don’t get lost. Stations include the Nebraska Corn and Soybean Boards, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Cattlemen’s Beef Pit, the Raise Nebraska agricultural building, Avenue of Sheep Breeds, wool spinning, bee keeping, the State Fair Birthing Center, Dairy Parlor and Nebraska Extension Husker Mobile Beef Lab. Of course, Mueller’s sheep- shearing station is still going strong. Next year, poultry and rabbit stations are expected to join the group. The Columbus-area native now packs 10 sheep to the fair along with multiple sets of clippers, several helpers and lots of patience, as students come to watch their teachers take turns shearing sheep. Muel- ler’s area is popular for the media and Nebraska politicians, where an election- year photo op is a must. He says he’s had governors, mayors and senators get ahold of his clippers. Mueller says he can detect which ones have been raised on a farm. Senior citizens also show up for Class- room days and displays, and seem to have more fun than the kids. An Unforgettable Stop One of the most popular stations at Nebraska’s Largest Classroom is the Nebraska Extension Husker Mobile Beef Lab. The lab “aims to teach youth about microbiology, ruminant nutrition, food production, forage resources man- agement, anatomy and physiology, and more.” Animal husbandry and welfare are also discussed. The big highlight of the mobile beef lab is a literal hands-on learning experience. Students are able to don an artificial insemination sleeve and put their arm in the rumen of a fistulated steer. This is an experience I personally recommend to anyone. The rumen is a strong, active, hard-working part of an amazing digestive system. It’s safe to say that no one can know what goes on in there by looking at the outside of a steer. A Gargantuan Effort Nebraska Extension owns two mobile beef labs – one services eastern Nebraska and the other serves the west- ern part of the state. The eastern unit has hosted more than 21,000 people since its inception in 2011. The western unit, headquartered in North Platte, has hosted more than 22,000. Along with ruminant education, lab teachers also cover natural resources and plant science, emphasizing the ability of cattle to utilize one of Nebraska’s great- est resources – grass. Steve Niemeyer, Extension Beef Systems educator from Burwell, explains that the lab targets both rural and urban kids, from kindergarten through high school. Adults are also welcome, as well. Continued on page 24 