Great time had at 25th Anniversary Cow Camp

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 Green group told us about Dairy Bowl and Dairy Jeopardy. The juniors answered questions about herd health, dairy marketing, dairy judging, acronyms, and other odds and ends. Some of the juniors learned new acronyms, and new ideas about herd health. Many of the campers agreed that buzzing in and answering the questions was their favorite part.

The Purple group told us about the Advertising clinic run by Kristin Natzke. They learned how to create posters and advertisements about a cow. What they liked best was that they got to present their advertisement to everyone. This was something new for everyone in the group and they all enjoyed it very much.

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!

From your President - Corey Geiger

Dear Wisconsin Holstein Association members:
Our April 19 WHA board meeting was held one day before the press deadline for the May Wisconsin Holstein News. Our meeting began with a WHA portfolio review from Marsha Stewart with Merrill Lynch. Over the past eight years, the WHA Director of Operations and the WHA Board, along with help from Marsha, have developed mission statements for our seven accounts held with Merrill Lynch. These mission statements give better focus to our investment goals. Overall, our investments continue to perform strongly despite our somewhat conservative investment strategy. The combined Wisconsin Holstein Association account balance stands at $432,000 at the end of March. And during the past 14 years that our money has been invested with Merrill Lynch, we have had a 95.62 percent return on investment. That means we have nearly doubled our money.
On an annual basis, we have earned a 5.2 percent return on our portfolio. As a comparison, if we had invested in the S&P (all stocks), returns would have been 3.24 percent, and a suggested Model Portfolio for nonprofits would have returned 4.71 percent. Both those returns are lower than the actual WHA Portfolio performance. Meanwhile, investing in an Aggregate Bond Index performance would have been slightly higher at 5.62 percent. Bottom line, our Association has very stable investments despite a tight fiscal budget for this year.
Shows always seem to garner a great deal of attention at board meetings. This meeting was no exception. The WHA Board approved a clarification to the junior membership agreement by developing a rule that states animals owned by the junior, either solely or in partnership, are ineligible for all WHA-sponsored shows if a junior is in violation of the WHA Junior Member Agreement. This rule goes into effect immediately.
On another widely debated matter since last year’s Wisconsin State Holstein Show, the WHA Board decided to keep the Spring Heifer Calf Class, Exhibitor 10 & under as is for 2011. Please note, those rules include the fact that calves must be under sole control of the person on the halter. That means no help from anyone else! As you know, this unique Spring Heifer Calf Class allows youth that are 10 and under as of January 1 to show at our State Show in a separate division. First- and second-place open and first- and second-place junior animals in this class may compete in Class 2 which is the open division of the Spring Heifer Calf Class. We hope all our members follow the original spirit of this class when it started over a decade ago. If that occurs, there will be no need to revise rules. However, if concerns continue to surround the class, it may be brought up for discussion at next year’s annual meeting.
The very active Young Adult Committee is planning a golf outing prior to the WHA picnic hosted by Matt and Mandy Nunes’ Scientific Holsteins in Chippewa Falls, Wis., on August 27. The event is open to all Holstein enthusiasts regardless of age. It will be a nine-hole scramble contest where the best ball is used from four-member teams. Like the bowling tournament held a few years ago at Adult Convention, this golf outing will randomly assign people to teams so everyone can meet new people. If you would like to participate, call the WHA office.
The Association would like to have major events, including Junior and Adult Conventions along with the Wisconsin Championship Show, booked three years in advance. To date, only one of three events has extended commitments. The State Show will be in Fond du Lac this year, followed by Wood and Grant County. Adult convention will be hosted by Waupaca-Waushara County next year, and one county is seriously looking at 2013. Meanwhile, we have a county looking at hosting next year’s junior convention, and Rock County will host in 2013. Bottom line, WHA needs convention hosts to step forward for future adult and junior conventions.
Lastly, I would like to congratulate all four Wisconsin Distinguished Junior Member (DJM) candidates. All four of our nominees qualified for nationals: Danae Bauer, Scandinavia; Mitchell Kappelman, Two Rivers; Kelly Lee, Johnson Creek; and Carl Lippert, Pittsville. This marks the second straight year all four Wisconsin candidates were among the twelve national semi-finalists. Wisconsin also has two Younger Distinguished Junior Members. Congrats to Jessica Pralle of Humbird and Crystal Siemers-Peterman of Cleveland.
In dairy we trust,
Your President, Corey Geiger