The weekend of May 21 and 22 marked Cow Camp's 25th year and it was a weekend filled with fun, learning, friends, and lots of shaving cream. With almost 50 youth in attendance, the campers came eager to learn at the various sessions and even more eager to drench the JAC's with shaving cream. The juniors were divided into eight different color groups and each group compiled their favorite things from each session.
The Blue group told us about the Classification clinic presented by Jerome Meyer. During the classification station they learned what a classifier does and that there are only two 97 point cows alive today. Campers learned the linear traits and the breakdowns. They learned the six brackets and that they are created by combining major breakdowns. They really liked this station and what it taught them.
The Red group talked to us about the fitting and washing stations. They learned different clipping techniques and that they need different blade sizes for different parts of the body. The fitting workshop was fun and interesting. The washing clinic helped them learn better techniques on washing and how to be more efficient. The tips for showmanship will help them this show season and many to come. They learned the importance of washing the topline and also how important it is to get all of the soap off the animal.
The next session was presented by Dr. Matt Dorshorst. He came and talked to the campers about embryo transfer. The Pink group got to tell us about this station. During the ET/Vet Station with Matt, the campers got to learn about ultrasounding and how to flush a cow to collect embryos. They learned that in an ultrasound picture, liquids show up black and solids show up white. They then got to look at all of the equipment used to collect embryos from the cow. He showed them how to run the flushing liquid in and out through the filter. They also got to learn about the different parts of the reproductive tract. Matt informed them that it is impossible to tell a camel embryo from a cow embryo. The workshop was awesome!
The Black group told us about the calf feeding station, presented by Kevin Larson. While they were at this station they learned about calf feeding, care, and about their shelter. When a calf is born we know we need to dip the naval in 7% Iodine. We also learned that if our farm uses a heat lamp in a calf pen it needs to be extra secure in the calf hutch so it doesn't start a fire! They learned a lot at this station.
The campers had an opportunity to learn how to photograph a calf with Kathy DeBruin. The yellow group informed us of this station. They really enjoyed learning on how to picture a cow. They didn't realize how much work went into the whole process. They thought seeing the different techniques on making noise was really cool, especially Mabel, the goat and secret weapon. The different people involved were front and back feet people, a tail and halter person, noisemaker and photographer. They enjoyed being able to take part in all of these positions. They learned a lot and had a lot of fun, even though the calf probably didn't!
Our last group, the Orange group, wrote about another station with Vet Matt and the cow organs he brought with him. The campers were taught about the liver, heart and tongue. It was very interesting to learn about the heart and the different places where the blood enters and exits. The heart was very cool to feel, every part of the heart had a unique texture. They learned that the tongue only has one muscle, and it felt like sandpaper! They were surprised by the size of the tongue, they thought it would be smaller, but it was huge! They also learned the functions of the heart, tongue and liver. They learned that the arteries are larger than the veins, due to pressure. They were only able to see about a quarter of the liver and it was very large! It was one of their favorite stations at camp!
As you can see the campers had a lot of opportunities to learn, but they also had plenty of fun in between and after their sessions. We had a campfire, roasted s'mores, sang songs and watched a movie. We also went on many hikes, had a greased watermelon race and of course had the famous shaving cream fight! Although we had a little rain, it didn't put a damper on the weekend and everyone was still able to have a great time!
The Red group talked to us about the fitting and washing stations. They learned different clipping techniques and that they need different blade sizes for different parts of the body. The fitting workshop was fun and interesting. The washing clinic helped them learn better techniques on washing and how to be more efficient. The tips for showmanship will help them this show season and many to come. They learned the importance of washing the topline and also how important it is to get all of the soap off the animal.
The next session was presented by Dr. Matt Dorshorst. He came and talked to the campers about embryo transfer. The Pink group got to tell us about this station. During the ET/Vet Station with Matt, the campers got to learn about ultrasounding and how to flush a cow to collect embryos. They learned that in an ultrasound picture, liquids show up black and solids show up white. They then got to look at all of the equipment used to collect embryos from the cow. He showed them how to run the flushing liquid in and out through the filter. They also got to learn about the different parts of the reproductive tract. Matt informed them that it is impossible to tell a camel embryo from a cow embryo. The workshop was awesome!
The Black group told us about the calf feeding station, presented by Kevin Larson. While they were at this station they learned about calf feeding, care, and about their shelter. When a calf is born we know we need to dip the naval in 7% Iodine. We also learned that if our farm uses a heat lamp in a calf pen it needs to be extra secure in the calf hutch so it doesn't start a fire! They learned a lot at this station.
The campers had an opportunity to learn how to photograph a calf with Kathy DeBruin. The yellow group informed us of this station. They really enjoyed learning on how to picture a cow. They didn't realize how much work went into the whole process. They thought seeing the different techniques on making noise was really cool, especially Mabel, the goat and secret weapon. The different people involved were front and back feet people, a tail and halter person, noisemaker and photographer. They enjoyed being able to take part in all of these positions. They learned a lot and had a lot of fun, even though the calf probably didn't!
Our last group, the Orange group, wrote about another station with Vet Matt and the cow organs he brought with him. The campers were taught about the liver, heart and tongue. It was very interesting to learn about the heart and the different places where the blood enters and exits. The heart was very cool to feel, every part of the heart had a unique texture. They learned that the tongue only has one muscle, and it felt like sandpaper! They were surprised by the size of the tongue, they thought it would be smaller, but it was huge! They also learned the functions of the heart, tongue and liver. They learned that the arteries are larger than the veins, due to pressure. They were only able to see about a quarter of the liver and it was very large! It was one of their favorite stations at camp!
As you can see the campers had a lot of opportunities to learn, but they also had plenty of fun in between and after their sessions. We had a campfire, roasted s'mores, sang songs and watched a movie. We also went on many hikes, had a greased watermelon race and of course had the famous shaving cream fight! Although we had a little rain, it didn't put a damper on the weekend and everyone was still able to have a great time!
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