Today I am revisiting a past blog post. I often get questions around this time of year about our animals going to the local fairs. Why do farmers do this?
Here in Minnesota we are
deep into county fair time and fast approaching the Minnesota State Fair. Whether you are farm folks, or not, this is
the time of year when many of us attend a fair to see the exhibits,
enjoy the carnival, and indulge in the ooey, gooey, fair food. For
generations my family has been very involved in exhibiting at county
fairs. Today I am sharing the first of a three-part series about why
farmers take their cattle to a fair, and the preparations it takes. I
enjoyed exhibiting and showing my animals at the fair, but I was not an
authority. It's time to call in the experts! I recruited my cousins from
Brown's Apple Acres. Terri Dallas, Kristi Ruen, Staci Brown, and Heidi
Anderson will let you in on a behind-the-scenes look at their
"Farm-Style" Vacation.
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| The Apple Acres Cattle on vacation at the Washington County Fair. |
Many childhood memories revolve
around family vacations. The family would pile into a car and head for
the beach, the cabin, the campgrounds or even the resort. Whatever the
destination, a good time was had by all.
Growing up on a farm, our family
vacations were a little bit different. We piled into a pick up and headed
to the Washington County Fairgrounds for five days of family fun in the dairy
barn! Preparing for a vacation takes a
lot of planning, organizing and packing. This was true of our family
vacation too. However, instead of packing a suitcase, we were packing supplies we
needed to make our heifers and cows look their best at the fair. Hoses,
brushes, soap and hair spray were carefully placed in a show box along with clippers,
halters and combs. Next, we had to gather feed tubs and pails and grain
and hay to feed the cows and heifers, and straw for bedding. Rule number
one on the family vacation – cows and heifers come first.
Now that the cows/heifers are
packed, we could pack for the rest of the family. First and foremost was
finding the bag of white show clothes. Yes, you read that correctly,
white show clothes. A long time ago someone decided that dairy cattle
exhibitors should wear white clothes when showing their cattle. The idea was to have a
neat appearance so as not to detract from the general appearance of the
animal. And, did I mention the county fair was always the first week of
August? It never failed that it was about 90 degrees in the shade; and there
was no shade. That “neat appearance” lasted about 2 minutes!
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| Kristi proudly presenting her heifer and a Reserve Champion ribbon. |
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You are probably thinking, “Now
that sounds like a FUN vacation. Where do I sign up?” The truth is,
farmers show their dairy animals for more than the fun and vacation. Like any
other exhibit at the fair, dairy farmers bring their heifers and cows to see
how they compare to other cows in their county/state and to the ideal
cow. Yes, there is an ideal cow with particular characteristics for each
breed to which all cows are compared. Each animal is shown in a class
against other heifers or cows of the same breed and age. An overall
champion and reserve champion is awarded at the end of the show. There is
much pride for the farmers and exhibitors to showcase their animals at the fair,
no matter how the heifers or cows placed at the show.
Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow- A Vacation For The Cows Too!
And don't forget...
It's nearly time for the Minnesota State Fair
and I want you to be there. I am again this year, inviting you to enter
to win a Minnesota State Fair prize package ($60+ value). The winner
will receive four admission tickets to the fair and four coupons
redeemable for malts to enjoy at the fair.
Enter now. The winner will be announced on my blog August 15th.
The Minnesota State Fair admission tickets and Dairy
Goodness Bar malt coupons are provided by Midwest Dairy Association. All opinions expressed are my own.
