Fortunately, none of the mommas decided to calve this past weekend allowing Chasen and I to head up to Des Moines Saturday evening. I was particularly excited Chasen was able to get away from the farm so I could get my engagement ring back! Because the ring is so unique we had to design a wedding band, and thus needed to approve the wax before they could create the band. It looks soooo neat!! After we picked up my ring we headed back to the east side of Des Moines to meet up with our close friends for supper at Okoboji Grill. It's so strange how we now catch up with friends monthly instead of daily; I sure do miss those college days! Nonetheless good food and fellowship was shared by all. To continue a night of meeting up with old friends, we drove to the ISF grounds and congregated in the bull pen. I had such a good time!!
On Sunday morning we headed back to the fairgrounds for the commercial junior show. Lacy, Chasen's younger sister, would be showing a heifer we raised at Stevenson Farms.
In preparation for the show (fitting), it takes lots of helping hands. First the calf needs to be washed and then dried with a blower. Similair to blow drying one's hair, it is important to blow the calf's hair in a forward direction (towards the head). This helps make the calf look wider, and gives them an overall smooth look. Much like a person, after the hair has been dried, the calf's hair needs to be combed. Hair on the legs is "pulled up" and then sprayed with adhesive - a product comparable to hairspray. Fitters (Kirn pictured below) then spray white paint on the calf's legs and tailhead. This step helps the fitter notice hairs that need to be clipped off (which is the next step). Clipping typically takes the longest time depending on how big of a perfectionist the fitter is.
Hair is shaved off the animals topline, legs, tailhead, flank, shoulder, etc. to make the calf look its best and hide any imperfections. After all clipping has been done, the white paint is covered up with black or red paint depending on the calf's color. A spritz of Final Bloom, a perfumed hair conditioner, is then applied to the calf. This is probably my favorite step because: 1. it smells amazing and 2. it means the fitting process is over, yay!!! Now we are off to the showring; it was such a lovely day!!
The heifer weighing 870 pounds at check-in and therefore was placed in class 422. The fitting process began around 7:00 am and was finished by 10:45-perfect for her class that began at 11:00. The judge was a gentlemen from Oklahoma; and in a class of 12 heifers, we placed 4th! We were pretty excited about this accomplishment!!
In summary, growing up I was never exposed to the show cattle industry. We raised feed lot cattle. In the summer we preferred their hair was gone, and they only got "washed" when it rained. When I started dating Chasen we traveled to quite a few IJBBA shows. It was such an eye opening experience for me!! But through the years, I have learned and experienced that showing cattle is a great way to spend time with family and friends. And at the end of the day, we are all passionate about the beef industry and raising cattle. Although I am still learning the ropes to showing cattle (and may never fully understand it all), I am truly loving every minute of it! <3
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