CALF_News_February_March_2020

9 CALF News • February | March 2020 • www.calfnews.net Rawhide Processor by John McDonald 3 Sizes Available! The First Hydraulic Corral and still the Largest! • Pull on highway at speed limit. • Fits through any gate your pickup will. • Stable on uneven terrain. • Wheels on each panel and electric over hydraulic jack eliminates lifting—saves time. • Permanent sheeted adjustable alley. • Frame gates for sorting. • Transport wheels are permanent, no sliding off the axles and rolling out of the way. Rawhide Original Standard Size Rawhide Portable Corral 900 NORTHWASHINGTON ST., ABILENE, KS 67410 785.263.3436 www.rawhideportablecorral.com T here’s a growing idea moving across our country. It involves youth in an educational and competitive arena while removing part or all of the show ring dimension. It entails 1) youth eager to learn and par- ticipate; 2) livestock designated to youth on a level playing field; and 3) records, communication and data evaluation. Junior exhibitors either receive their animals free via sponsors, or pay market price. It is collectively an effort to give juniors a real-world experience, as opposed to a show ring-only visual appraisal with their livestock. This idea is not confined to cattle; for example, last year, AkSarBen Stock Show hosted a Lamb Challenge in which 34 youth each received a sponsored lamb in April. They were shown back in Grand Island in September at the AkSarBen Stock Show. Hog showmen are also active down to county fair levels, and the American Junior Hereford Association annually sponsors a successful Fed Steer Shootout. These youth deliver their own steers to a designated feedlot where per- formance data are accumulated. Youth are scored on other real-world compo- nents as well, such as personal interviews and record keeping. Ashley Benes is a District 4-HYouth Coordinator in Nebraska. She took charge of Nebraska’s first Fed Steer Challenge, a partnership with 4-H and the University of Nebraska Animal Sci- ence Department. By Patti Wilson Contributing Editor Nebraska 4-H and UNL Initiate First Fed Steer Challenge Continued on page 21  Ashley Benes presents her Class of 2019 Fed Steer Challenge members to the Nebraska Cattlemen.