CALF_News_April_May_2018

42 CALF News • April | May 2018 • www.calfnews.net  CALF COMMUNITY HEAD • HEART • HANDS • HEALTH 4-H Diary By MacKenzie Moldenhauer Hello everyone! I hope your calving season is going well. It looks like it is the year of bulls for us! While we still have a few more to go, we are pretty much done calving. So far, we have six babies. And the sole heifer will be a handful (in a good way). She likes to nibble and chew on your clothes, hair, and hands. We decided to name her Reba because she is much like her mama, Sheba. They both like to be in the way and in your business. We have one calf that had a little trouble from the start because his long legs were bent in a weird way when he was born. Snickers had to have some help standing up and walk- ing for the first two weeks or so. It got really tiring because he was so big! Unfortunately one of is back legs is curved so he won’t be a showy show steer. But he is a sweet little baby so all is good there. We also discovered that two of our cows ended up not being pregnant. But we suspected that it was due to the diluted semen that we bred them both to. This year we decided to go to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. We took my Maine bull, Tuff, Maine heifer, Jasper, and Charolais heifer, Candie. Candie was the only one that placed and, although it wasn’t desirable, she wasn’t really into showing anyways. Jasper, on the other hand, was furious when she didn’t place. (Yes, cattle can be upset when they don’t place well. They get mad and bawl). I told her that she would have more chances to win at shows. (No, I’m not crazy for talking to my cattle because sometimes they actually DO listen). It was a disappointing day for Tuff because he decided not to eat or drink. But he did better than we thought he would. All in all, I would definitely go back because it was so well organized and run. (The trade show was pretty cool too). Our show schedule this year will not change much from our usual one. We are planning on going to a few spring shows, possibly Panhandle of Breeds, Kansas Jr. Charolais Show, National Jr. Maine Show, our county fair, maybe a state fair, KJLS and the American Royal. As I finish my sophomore year out, I really want to focus on going to more big shows like Fort Worth. First it was the American Royal, now Fort Worth, yet another one this year, and maybe one more yet in Texas or if we have something REALLY good, then Phoenix next year. I didn’t really do much for my Sweet 16. But the birthday dinner, carrot cake, and gift cards were pretty good by them- selves. Since the Winter Olympics, I have decided to pick up figure skating again. (I took figure skating lessons when I was little). Our band is going on a trip to Colorado for a competition this April! This will be very exciting considering that it has been more than a few years since my last field trip. (*cough* budget cuts *cough*). Calving season is almost over and before we know it, summer will be here and we will be struggling to keep the water tanks full! Before that, though, we need green grass in the spring for the cows and their babies, which hasn’t been going well for us. I hope we get some moisture in the upcoming months because we have been so dry. I am proud to announce my one-year anniversary at CALF News Magazine! I would like to thank Betty Jo Gigot for the opportunity to be a contributing editor. I love to write and share what’s going on in my life. And I would like to thank all of you for continuing to read the issues and spread the word about CALF News , because without you this wouldn’t be possible.  LEFT: Reba attempting to eat my hand. ABOVE: My Maine heifer, Jasper, after a trim. RIGHT: We took Jasper and my Maine bull, Tuff, to Fort Worth, Texas.