The Nevada State Fair~what a Dud!

[journey11]

So when kids sell their livestock, profits go to 4H? Interesting way to keep it amateur and keep greed from setting in. Here, kids are guaranteed market price and allowed to keep any extra the animal is sold for. So kids of parents who do a lot of business locally are repaid through sale. Highest selling animals are usually largest farmers kids.

Sad part (this is a great program) is when you see kids trying to show their animal that they obviously have spent no time with it. With cattle it's dangerous.

I'm sorry, I phrased that poorly. The kids do get their money out of their animals. It's the admission costs, camping space rentals, colt raffle money, etc. that go back into the program after costs of running the fair.

 

[bobm]

The 4H programs in very ag. areas are just great. Those programs in more urban areas started to go south real fast. You see, with the organic mindset, many of these folks do not vaccinate or medicate their animals as needed for proper animal husbandry. They show their animals that are potential carriers of diseases and start an outbreak. Our kids started in 4H horse, sheep, and poultry venues. Their project animals were all vaccinated, medicated, well fed, trained, and groomed like they were used to see their grandfather ( a Veterinarian) my wife and me care for our animals. BUT, their 4 H leaders would contradict those tried and true proper hunbandry methods and touted their own " organic" mantra and soon they just didn't want to participate as they saw how much better their animals were compared to the poorer other animals were but were told that the others' animals were somehow "healthier". Our boys dropped out to play full contact youth football and baseball, while our daughter become a cheerleader .

 

[journey11]

The 4H programs in very ag. areas are just great. Those programs in more urban areas started to go south real fast. You see, with the organic mindset, many of these folks do not vaccinate or medicate their animals as needed for proper animal husbandry. They show their animals that are potential carriers of diseases and start an outbreak. Our kids started in 4H horse, sheep, and poultry venues. Their project animals were all vaccinated, medicated, well fed, trained, and groomed like they were used to see their grandfather ( a Veterinarian) my wife and me care for our animals. BUT, their 4 H leaders would contradict those tried and true proper hunbandry methods and touted their own " organic" mantra and soon they just didn't want to participate as they saw how much better their animals were compared to the poorer other animals were but were told that the others' animals were somehow "healthier". Our boys dropped out to play full contact youth football and baseball, while our daughter become a cheerleader .

Yeah, 4-H programs are very individual anywhere you go. Even the clubs within an area vary greatly. I have heard tell that some clubs in our area do nothing, very lazy, function entirely to exhibit animals at the fair, obviously for the money. My club is awesome. They are very involved in the community and try to teach the kids something new and build teamwork and skills at every meeting.

 

[valley ranch]

Hi, We've been to a lot of fairs and shows, never seen an animal that was in less than the best of health. What group has raised diseased animals, in which state? I've heard of kids that don't bother to raise anything or go to a meeting. But never sick or diseased animals and put them in a show. I'd like to know more.

Proper care of animals is the only way to go, it's upsetting to see animals in poor shape.
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journey, What have your kids done in this area? What is your family interested in?





http://www.nevadaservicedogs.org/

 

[seedcorn]

Valley, Indiana state fair. Chickens had fowl pox. Local fair shut down due to on family brought in diseases birds with avian flu. & the birds with ribbons that have disqualifying faults amaze me.....

It happens.

 

[Beekissed]

@valley ranch sorry, most disease spreads are from amateur 4H people. Professionals test, recognize and deal with out breaks. When we got spread of avian flu, guess where it came from? Not commercial poultry. No respected livestock man here takes anything to any fair and then brings it back home. On introducing new stock, it goes through tests and then is quarantined till known safe. One reason AI (or transfer) has become the preferred way to add genetics.

What a huge load of propaganda this is!!! Incredible that anyone still believes it...commercial ag gets a huge break out of disease and automatically blames it on the private grower, because their biosecurity measures and the constant drugging of the animals couldn't possibly fail, could it? I'm wondering just how good all their defenses are if Joe Schmow's little chicken flock down the road or the wild bird population causes them illness?

The fact is, one cannot raise ten thousand birds in an enclosed system with horrible genetics that are designed to only last the bird until the 8 wk old butcher time without contracting disease. They want to blame the home flocks but that dog won't hunt....anyone with half a brain knows you can't raise any creature in that manner without huge disease transmission, be it human or animal. No matter how many vaccines or meds they pour into and on those animals, their immune systems are weak, the husbandry methods are suspect and the whole system has been proven a failure for years upon years but they just keep repeating it because it nets the most profit for them. Disease outbreak in a commercial setup? Government steps in and gives them money to cover their losses, so it's all still profitable, no matter how faulty the methods.

Sorry....no one believes it's the home grower any longer. How in the world does the completely closed systems of commercial poultry contract disease from a 4-H chicken, I wonder? Never the twain shall ever meet, so how does that happen? It doesn't. Disease is common where high numbers are kept and raised in a hurry and fast method to insure the most profit. It's all smoke and mirrors to cast blame elsewhere and discourage people from raising their own meat, turning them into slaves of the commercial producer and at their mercy for their food supply.

Most 4-H animals never make it back home...they are auctioned off at the fair and taken off to slaughter, with a bare few donated back to the kid, which promptly takes it off to slaughter.

 

[seedcorn]

Bee, believe what you want. No one is trying to convince anyone to not grow their own livestock. A question was asked and answered. Don't like the answer, fine. The rest I will let slide as uninformed.

Here, all animals bring slaughter price. So in theory, every participant makes money. 4H is a great program. Our fair is what you would have seen in 50's-except for the country kids demolition derbies. Good time with all the AG people giving each other a hard time and helping. One time of the year, all land rent battles are laid aside. Older folks stroll fondly remembering their childhoods-incorrectly as they forget the hating of doing chores in winter, frozen waterers, etc, summer heat. City people thinking how relaxing living this "country" style must be. All in all, good week.

 

[Nyboy]

Knowing nothing about fairs and 4H. Wouldn't a winner at fair make good breeding stock?

 

[seedcorn]

@Nyboy depends upon the judge. Depends upon breeder. Example, Hampshire hogs use to have upright ears. They got too inbred and were crossed with other breeds. When crossed with Durocs, they kept their color, muscle but lengthened out. And got the Duroc ears. They were then nick named "western hamps". If you were a hamp breeder, would you want that in your line? Commercial wouldn't care as they are all about economics but in show ring they should have been disqualified. Same goes in other animals-cattle (angus used limo cattle).... You don't think all this angus beef is pure angus?

 

[Nyboy]

Interesting I am used to breeding dogs, keeping pure the bloodlines