Agricultural News
Redlands Building Cattle Herd and Future Producers
Thu, 24 Jul 2014 19:44:31 CDT
Redlands Community College is helping students learn more about the cattle industry through their show cattle program. Redlands Agricultural Continuing Education Coordinator April Bow says the program was started three years ago.
"Ed Zweiacher wanted to get our show program started from a calf that he purchased from Treelane Ranch," Bow said. "He wanted to use it to promote kids and promote the beef program, just be really an advocate for agriculture."
From the first year, the program has grown from one calf to feeding 14 head of show cattle and recruiting up to 17 Redlands College students to participate in the program each year. Many of the students come into the program with experience with cattle and the showring through 4-H and FFA.
"We want them to learn this is not just a show program, but production side," Bow said. "We want them to learn about reproduction, about embryo transfer, about AI-ing, and how to take care of commercial cows as well as show cattle."
Even if they don't want to start their own cattle herd after college, Bow says they're at least an advocate for agriculture.
The program has been a success with a combination of students who have a strong cattle background as well as generous support from area producers that have donated cattle high quality semen and embryos so the college can raise their own show cattle. Bow says some producers have also donated cattle to build the foundation of this college teaching herd, that the school would not have been able to purchase otherwise.
Annually the students exhibit cattle at the Oklahoma State Fair, Tulsa State Fair, American Royal, Ft.Worth Stock Show among others. Bow says the students have three to four fundraisers a year and raise the money for entry fees, show supplies, hotels and for feed for the cattle. The Redlands Community College Show Cattle team hosts a show during the winter, a club calf sale in March and a summer cattle boot camp where youth learn about showmanship, grooming and fitting.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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