GLBGA Booth Receives A Make-Over

Newsletter
2015 Winter Edition
Issue 91
GLBGA Inc. is a cattleman’s breed
­association dedicated to its ­members
in the promotion of B
­ elted Galloway
Cattle.
Visit our web site:
wwwgreatlakesbelties.com
Web Site greatlakesbeltie.com
Looking Forward To Prosperous 2015
Calendar of Events
February 4 - 7
National Cattle Industry Convention, San
Antonio, Texas
February 8 - 15
Iowa Beef Expo,
Des Moines, Iowa
February 18 - 21
Illinois Beef Expo,
Springfield, ILL
April 10-12
Michigan Beef Expo,
East Lansing, Mich.
May 16
Rock County Beef Producers Preview
Show , Janesville, WI
May 23
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Association
Field Day. Doug and Sherry Abney’s Red
Barn Farm, Bargersville, IN
June 13
Belties Unlimited Show, Cedar County
Fairgrounds, Tipton, IA
July
Midwest Classic, Pecatonica, IL
August 26-27
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, Statz
Bros., Inc. Sun Prairie, WI
September 25-27
World Beef Expo, Wisconsin State Fair
Park, West Allis, WI
The April Michigan Beef Expo
Will Include Belted Galloway
The Michigan Beef Expo office
contacted GLBGA that they would love
to have anyone with Belties attend their
Beef Expo at East Kabsubgm Mich..
The show will be held April 10 -12. A
pen display would be perfect. For more
information or if you’d like to represent
the breed, contact George Quackenbush
at the Michigan Cattlemen’s Association.
Call him at 517-347-8117 or go to their
website at www.micattlemen.org.
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
A snowy day for the Matt and Jill Messmer’s Messmer-izing herd, Rock Spring, WI. The Messmer family will host the
2016 GLBGA Field Day.
GLBGA Booth Receives A Make-Over
Occasionally,
people
that
have
encountered our Belted Galloway
Educational Booth Display have given
our presenters a rough time regarding the
display board and the raising of animals
for meat. Some of these people may be
vegetarians or members of PETA, but
many are just concerned citizens.
We do need to be mindful of the people
that may be attracted to events such as
this. At an Ag or Farm Show, we will
encounter supportive people in the Ag
Industry. However, when the event is part
of an Expo or Fair, local city people who
are looking for something interesting to
do will come out in droves.
In respect to the concerns of these
potential customers, we are reworking
the look of the GLBGA booth display. The
new look will replace the raw meat and
carcass photos with gourmet photos of
carefully prepared Beltie beef. The Beltie
carcass photos taken at John Hamm’s
when we had our steer contest were
quite nice, but let’s face it... Most people
by Jill Messmer
Colorful, attractive and professional photos of prepared
Belted Galloway beef that helps depict healthy, lower
fat yet appetizing meals are replacing the raw meat and
carcass photos on the Belted Galloway Educational
Booth Displayed used at Fairs and Expos as well as Ag
and Farms Shows.
just don’t want to see reminders of the
butchering process used to put meat on
our tables.
Since we’d like these potential
customers to be attracted to our Beltie
beef and to think of it as a healthier and
Continued On Page 2
Mark The Date
Saturday, May 23
For The
Great Lakes Belted Galloway
Association Field Day
Hosted by Doug Abney Family
Red Barn Farms, Bargersville, IN
Winter 2015
Welcome To
The GLBGA Field Day
May 23
- Doug Abney Family
1
Message From Your President
Web Site greatlakesbeltie.com
GLBGA Inc. is a cattleman’s
Officers and Board Members
breed a
­ssociation dedicated to its
Presidentin the promotion of B
­members
­ elted
• Doug Abney
Galloway
Cattle.
Phone: (317) 422-8137
[email protected]
Visit
our web site:
wwwgreatlakesbeltie.com
Vice President
• Terry Willis
Phone: and
(815)Board
547-6912
Officers
Members
[email protected]
President
•Treasurer
Doug Abney
Phone:
(317) 409-6857
• Terry Etheridge
[email protected]
Phone: (715) 835-4043
Vice
President
[email protected]
• Terry Willis
Phone:
(815) 547-6912
Secretary
[email protected]
• Kathy Kangas
Treasurer
Phone: (815) 420-5293
•[email protected]
Terry Etheridge
Phone: (715) 835-4043
[email protected]
Public Relations Director / Editor
Secretary
• Kathi Jurkowski
•Open
Phone: (815) 629-2306
Public
Relations Director / Editor
[email protected]
• Kathi Jurkowski
Phone:
(815) 629-2306
Board Members
[email protected]
• Mark Keller
Phone: (815) 248-4687
Board
Members
[email protected]
• Jon Fowler
Phone:
(812)
343-4959
• Charles
Landeck
[email protected]
Phone: (763) 682-1197
•[email protected]
Charles Landeck
Phone: (763) 682-1197
[email protected]
• John Hamm
•Phone:
John Hamm
(608) 847-7413
Phone:
(608) 847-7413
[email protected]
[email protected]
• Jay Dausman
Phone: (574) 594-5722
[email protected]
• Jamie Wilkerson
Phone:
993-3621
• Jamie (515)
Wilkerson
[email protected]
Phone: (515) 993-3621
•[email protected]
Shawn Lopata
Phone: (815) 298-6999
•[email protected]
Cathy Stern
• Eric Finholdt
Phone:
(262) 305-6686
Phone: (507) 451-0602 or (507) 446-0028
[email protected]
[email protected]
Editor
Editor
• Kim Hussong
•Phone:
Sue Finley,
Midwest Herdsman
(608) The
558-3554
Phone:
(608) 723-6770
[email protected]
Cell:
(608) 330-0627
[email protected]
2
Happy New Year,
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas
and your 2015 is off to a great start! Now
that the holidays are over, life should
start getting back to normal for most
of us. As we start into 2015 I wanted
to let everyone know about a couple of
important dates and announcements.
First, the Great Lakes Belted
Galloway Association Board Members
will be meeting in late February or early
March to develop the 2015 GLBGA
budget and plan our 2015 activities. So
if you have any ideas or suggestions
for improvement you think should be
considered, please pass them on to
any of the GLBGA board members so
they can be discussed in the winter
planning meeting.
Booth Receives Make-over
Continued From Page 1
great tasting meat product, it seemed
we were missing an opportunity to sell
ourselves. By including appetizing photos
on the display, we can help promote the
image of a tasty meal of Beltie beef on
the table.
On behalf of GLBGA, Kathi Jurkowski
took some great photos of beef that she
specially prepared. She has had the
photos laminated and they are ready for
display. Our hope is that you’ll be able to
smell the gourmet mouthwatering sizzle
just by looking at these new photographs
on the display board.
One of the really nice things about our
GLBGA booth display board is that it’s
very easy to change out the photos on it
based on the expected audience. So now
we can display the gourmet meat photos
at fairs or expos where the general public
will be the major audience and potential
customer!
(If you have any HIGH quality, professional looking
photos of prepared Belted Galloway beef that help
depict the healthy, lower fat, and appetizing image we
are looking for, please submit them to kathikowski@
gmail.com )
Belties Unlimited Set For June 13
The Belties Unlimited Show returns to
the Cedar County Fairgrounds, Tipton,
Iowa, Saturday June 13. The semi-annual
event is again sponsored by the Great
Lakes Belted Galloway Association.
The show will being at noon, with lunch
served at 11:00 am by the Cedar County
Cattlemen. Check-in will be from 9-10:30
am. This will be a blow and go type show,
no paints or adhesives will be used.
Classes and entry forms will be
available at www.greatlakesbeltie.com.Or
contact Greg or Pat Hipple at sbelties@
southslope.net or 319.430.6664.
Entry deadline is June 1, 2015.
Winter 2015
Second, mark your calendars for
Memorial Day weekend, that’s the date
we have chosen for this year’s Great
Lakes Belted Galloway Association’s
Annual Field Day. This year’s GLBGA
field day will be hosted by my family,
at Red Barn Farms in Bargersville
Indiana on May 23, 2015. We are
looking forward to hosting this year’s
field day and hope many of you will
be able to attend and visit with us and
other GLBGA members at our farm.
So in the mean time, try to stay warm,
and good luck with your spring calving
season.
Doug Abney
GLBGA President Welcoming These
New Members
• Maggie & Tom O’Rourke
Healey Stone Farm
36774 Hull Court
Earlham, IA 50072
515-321-1644
[email protected]
Maggie is really a re-newed Beltie owner. Her
sister, Char Ferris, Iowa and her mother raised
Belties years ago. Char and her mother have
past on, but Maggie missed the Belties and
bought a couple again.
• Adam Horski and Diane Gutchak
4308 Cook Road
Swartz Creek, MI 48473
810-908-1259
[email protected]
Adam and Diane, who bought their cattle
from Doug Abney, have a daughter, Lydia
Horski, age 13.
• Virginia and Michael Knag
Thread Creek Farm
3306 E. Hill Road
Grand Blanc, MI 48439
810-694-4335
[email protected]
• Brian and Cindy Weller
Pinnacle Farm
715 S. Cox Road,
Kansasville, WI 53139
414-305-9948
[email protected]
Lice Can Cause Winter Problems
Lice could be lousing up your Belties.
If left untreated lice can spread through
your herd. They can be the cause of
itchy and restless cattle. Be watching
for bald spots, itchy, restless cattle that
are rubbing on things. Look for nits (lice
eggs) which look like small grains of
rice. You can use pour-ons, dust bags
and oilers. Sprays don’t kill eggs so you
have to re-spray in 10-14 days to kill the
hatch out.
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
Getting To Know These Members
Barb and Dan Beeler, Double B Farm
Barb and Dan Beeler’s Double B Farm
is located west of Beloit, WI. The historic
farmstead is made up of 54 acres located
at 2777 Brosteun Road.
The barn includes a small country store
and a little country restaurant in the milk
house. The main barn was built in 1850’s
by Jason Briggs, who was a leader of the
reorganized Latter Day Saints. History
has it that the group split from Brigham
Young in the 1800’s. There is a nice
spring and landnmark across the street
from the farm. Brigham Young ended
up going to Utah and Joseph Smith and
his followers went to Missouri. That’s the
Notes From
Our Readers
In the fall newsletter an article ran on
using wean nose tabs to reduce stress
and bawling at weaning and asked for
comments from producers that might
have used them. Following is Marv Bohne
reply. Thank you Marv for contributing to
our newsletter.
I have been using the quiet wean nose
tabs for five years. I have been using
them on my Polled Herefords which are
a lot bigger then the Belties. I leave them
on for only six days as they start to infect
the nose if left on any longer. The bigger
the animal the more pressure is put on
the inside of the nose. A couple of them
will figure out how to turn there heads and
still suck. One might get the tab to pull
off especially if you have a creep feeder.
They work really well if they are used to
a creep feeder. When you pull the calves
from the cow and the creep feeder is in
the pen they will go to eating. You will still
have some bawling but not as long. Some
won’t bawl at all because they have the
creep feeder which they are used to as
a food source to replace the milk. Some
thing they are familiar with.
The tabs are easy to put on and take off.
Just twist one end down and the other up
and slide into the nose.
These are not new. They used to be
metal and the tips where turned up to
prevent bucket calves from sucking the
milk cows in the old days. When they
tried to suck they would poke the cow and
she would kick. These new one just keep
pushing the teats out of the way so they
can’t get a hold to suck unless they turn
there heads.
If you have any more questions let me
know.
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
Barb and Dan Beeler, Double B Farm, Beloit, WI, have a
small country store and country in the milk house of their
historic barn built in 1850. The rumor is Barb makes the
best biscuits and gravy in all of southern Wisconsin.
farm’s history.
Barb and Dan raised five children on
their small farm. They now have five
grandchildren and are expecting two
more. Their four year old grandson just
loves the farm and the animals.
At this time they have four Beltie cows,
two heifer calves and a couple of steers.
The also have a bull named Meadowood
Wayland that they purchased this year.
The Beelers got their start with Belted
Galloways when Barb saw a picture of
Kathi Jurkowski and her cows in their
local newspaper back in 1996. Barb and
Kathi have been friends ever since. They
live just 15 minutes from each other in a
roundabout way.
Barb had been around Angus and
Herefords but when she saw the Belties,
she knew they were the cows for her.
She is trying to increase her herd back
up to where they were when the drought
hit them in 2012. They purchase all their
grain and hay so they had to sell half of
the herd to make it through the winter.
The Beeler family is rebuilding the number in their
Belted Galloway herd and recently purchased this bull,
Meadowood Wayland.
The Beeler Family have a store and
sell freezer meats. They also have a
restaurant in the old milk house part of
their barn.
It seats about 16 people.
They sell Beltie beef and the rest is used
in the restaurant. They also raise pork,
lamb, chickens, pheasants and goats.
Barb’s next project will be making goat
cheeses. She is always cooking up
something.
A few of the grandchildren show the
Belties and their goats at our Rock County
Fair in Janesville.
“I would have never known about the
Belted Galloways if it wasn’t for Kathi”
Barb states.
“I don’t get out much,
but work part time at the hospital. The
Jurkowski’s welcomed me to their farm
and showed me their Belties.
It was
love at first sight. I am thankful that they
help promote the breed and for their
friendship.”
“I really enjoy all the Beltie breeders in
the Great Lakes group. Stop in any time
and I’ll have my hubby, Mr. Coffee, pour
you a cup and we can talk Belties,” she
adds .
Have Ya Herd ?
I love hearing from everyone at
Christmas time.
Got a note from Bob Roland and he
is very happy to have this year be his
60th year in the insurance business.
Even better he and his wife, Jean just
celebrated their 60th anniversary, too.
Congratulations to Bob and Jean Roland
for 60 years in business and in love.
***
Prayers and well wishes go out to: Don
Kangas, WI and Vance Kincade, MI.
Many people and even grand babies have
Winter 2015
been down with the flu and colds hope
you’re healthy by now.
***
Southern bulls are coming north but
I bet they wished they were back down
South. Hav-A-Belt and Stutliff Farms
both have new herd sires for this year’s
breeding season.
***
Also a new herd bull to Wisconsin.
Matt and Jill Messmer purchased
Meadowood Alexander at the Kentucky
Sale.
3
DIY Sausage or Sausage Making 10l
Dedicated to “Lucy”, The Perfect Cow
Ten calves and Still Good To Eat
by Kathi Jarkowski
What do you do with a 14 year old
cow that needs to be shipped? What
we usually do with our older cows is just
put them in our freezer. We save out the
tenderloins, but have the rest ground into
what I like to refer to as “steak-burger”.
When Lucy’s turn came, the butcher
that was processing her told me that he
couldn’t believe this carcass was from a
14 year old cow. He said, “You must have
taken very good care of Lucy.” In fact, the
steak burger from Lucy was actually the
best that we’ve ever had!
So in trying to figure out what to do
with a whole freezer full of flavorful steakburger, just for fun, I decided to try my
hand at making beef sausage.
I researched a lot of different recipes
and even got recipes from fellow Beltie
breeders. I found that most beef sausage
recipes actually utilize the same basic
ingredients with minor variations. Then
I purchased a sausage making kit from
Cabella’s: “Hi Mountain Home Sausage,
with Cracked Peppercorn and Garlic”.
So I experimented with various
recipes and various ways of cooking the
sausages and ran taste tests with many
people along the way. Based on my
personal preferences, I decided to use
Don Kangas’s basic recipe but I put my
own twist on it.
I want to mention a few things you’ll
need to think about if you
decide to give this a try. The
first is that once you have
your sausage ingredients
combined, you’ll need to form
it into sausages. I prefer to
utilize 1 lb. casings when
making sausage. These can
be purchased on-line or in
any hunting store. (However,
if you don’t want to do that,
you can simply wrap your
sausage in tin foil to shape it
or even press it into a soup
can to form a large sausage.)
When it’s time to stuff the
casings, check to see if your
food processor comes with
a stuffing implement. I did
not have that tool, so I rolled
little “sausage bullets” and hand stuffed
the casings that way...easier than just
smashing it in.
The next consideration is how to cook
them. At first, I tried baking my sausages
in my oven. According to the kit, low and
slow was the way to go. What I didn’t
realize was that it would take ten hours to
bring the sausages up to the required 160
degree temperature. And since I didn’t
start mine baking until 3 pm, it turned into
an all-night project that was much like
calving since I had to get up at night and
check my sausages every two hours. So,
if you decide to do it low and slow in your
own oven, I’d recommend that you start
your baking early in the morning. I was
also able to utilize a large commercial
convection oven, thanks to Barb Beeler
at the Double B Cafe. That oven was
able to cook the sausages in about three
to four hours. The very best flavor though
came when I used my son Shawn’s
smoker! Plus the smoker was able to
bring the sausage up to temperature in
about 3 hours.
As I ran my taste test trials, I did
learn that if you give a slice of sausage
to four different people and ask them
what they think, they all say something
different. Some would say, “Too much
garlic”, while others would say, “Needs
more garlic.” But finally, I had a winner so
below is my final Beltie Sausage Recipe.
No matter who I gave it too, everyone
loved it, even if they would have changed
minor seasonings. Feel free to adjust the
spices to your personal preferences.
Klover Korners Lucy Beef Sausage
6 lbs ground steak-burger or ground beef
6 TBL Morton’s Quick Salt
3 TBL liquid smoke
3 TBL mustard seed
1 TBL onion powder
1 TBL Lawry’s Seasoning
¾ TBL Italian Seasoning
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper
¾ tsp nutmeg
3 TBL peppercorns.
(I myself loved the peppercorns burst,
but my son didn’t like so much prominent
pepper, so season according to your
taste buds).
Mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate at
least 24 hours to savor the flavors. Form
into rolls or put in casings. Poke about
three holes in the bottom. There are many
ways to bake/cook it. (See above). Just
make sure you use a meat thermometer
and let it reach 160 degrees. That way
you’ll know your meat is done. Enjoy!
This was just for fun but turned out to
be my favorite sausage ever. I ended
up making more sausage for Christmas
gifts and I’ve saved some for special
occasions! So, enjoy and if it doesn’t turn
out, check with some of our other Beltie
people who make and sell sausage. If
you have any comments or recipes that
you would like to share with the group,
please send my way.
I’d like to thank many people who
helped contribute to this process, either
with contribution of recipes, preparation
of sausage, or taste-testing with me.
Thanks to Barb Beeler, Don and Kathy
Kangas, Sylvia Waldsmith, Shawn Lopata,
and even Vic and Joyce Eggleston who
got in on our taste test at Barb Beeler’s
Cafe. (Double B makes the best biscuits
and gravy around.)
Next issue watch for:
Beltie Breakfast Sausage OR “Pig Out”on Beef for Breakfast.
4
Winter 2015
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
Decreasing Calving Losses
With calving season upon us for the spring-calving operations, producers, ranchers, cowboys and veterinarians are
all on alert. Things can go wrong, and no one wants to risk
losing the calf, the dam or in the worst scenario, both.
Calving difficulties, known as dystocia, can have multiple
reasons. Some of them can be prevented, some are easily
fixed if the animals in trouble are caught in time,and others will require your local veterinarian’s or veterinary clinic’s
care. In addition, the first hours post-calving are critical for
the dam and the newborn calf, and attention should be given
to this period.
Planning and prevention, observation, knowing what to
expect and how to react to potential problems will help to
decrease calving losses.
Pre-breeding
• Start the breeding season in your heifers two weeks prior to the
cows. This will not only give them more time in the next breeding season
to recover from calving and catch up with the cows but will also allow
them to calve a couple of weeks earlier than the rest of the herd. This will
allow you to group them and have them in a closer pasture, where they
can be under close observation at calving.
• Breed only the heifers that are at least 70 percent of their expected
adult size and weight. During the pregnancy, those heifers under a good
nutrition plane will have the appropriate frame size at calving.
• Select the appropriate sires. If you are using A.I., make sure to purchase from sires that are proven to be “easy calving.” If using bulls,
make sure they have a small frame and that the breed is appropriate for
your heifers. In the case of cows, you can use larger-framed bulls, but in
proportion to the cow’s size.
Preg check
When the veterinarian does a preg check after your breeding season,
he or she will be able to confirm pregnancy and stage them.
This will allow you to separate the cows by calving groups and have
them under better observation as they approach calving.
Pre-calving
• During the last trimester, control feed intake to avoid having animals
in extreme body condition. Thin and overweight animals are more likely
to have dystocia, along with other difficulties.
• Have your group of close-up heifers and cows in a close pasture
where they can be checked two times a day, where it is not too muddy or
close to ponds in which calves could fall. Ideally, have a barn where you
can take care of orphan, sick, rejected or twin calves. Furthermore,your
calving area should have access to a road in case you need to transport
animals to another location or a clinic.
• In case of dystocia that will require your intervention,
be certain to have everything you will need on hand:
sleeves, gloves, lubricant, obstetric chains, handles, etc.
• For the barn, maintain some straw to bed the pens
and lights to keep calves warm. Make sure you have a
way to feed the calves, either with a colostrum replacer or
pasteurized colostrum from a local dairy.
Calving
• Walk your calving herd two times a day; make sure you
have a good view of the animals, identify those that have
already calved, and verify that the calf is doing fine, the
cow is able to rise and her udder looks nursed.
• If you find cows in the process of calving, you should
recognize the stage of parturition they are at and allow
time for normal progression.
If you are past that period, consider intervention or call your local veterinarian (See Table 1).
• Most animals will not allow you to intervene; they will stand and
move away from you when you are approaching. Ideally, you should
have a chute close by where you can restrain the cow. If that is not the
case, you will have to cast and securely restrain the dam.
• Once restrained, evaluate the overall health of the animal; note the
color and smell of any vaginal discharge, which could include excess of
blood indicating hemorrhage, fetid smell suggestive of a calf that has
been dead for several hours, or yellowish color “meconium staining”
from the calf’s feces representing calf distress.
• Clean the vulvar area and any fetal parts with water and mild soap.
Clean your hands and arms and use plastic long sleeves. Use a generous amount of obstetric lubricant.
• Introduce your hand vaginally and gently inspect the area. A normal
parturition should have a calf with the front legs extended, and the head
should be between the two legs.
• Dystocia may be due to fetal or maternal causes (Table 2), and with
experience you will learn to determine the cause, intervene or decide to
call a veterinarian. If the cause is the dam’s exhaustion, and the calf is
in normal position, a gentle pull of the legs as the dam contracts could
be all that you need.
• If the calf is too
big, in an abnormal
position or is a fetal
monster, or if the
cow failed to dilate,
and you don’t have
the experience in
these situations, it
will be safer to call a
veterinarian to prevent damage to the
calf, the dam and
because time is precious, for a healthy
calf to be delivered.
“Decreasing
Calving
Losses” was prepared for
Progressive Cattleman
by Catalina Cabrere, Livestock Herd Health and
Reproduction Service, UC
- Davis and reprinted here
with permission.
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
Winter 2015
5
Thank you to Progressive Cattlemen for giving the Great Lakes Belted Galloway Association
permission to run this article “Decreasing Calving Looses” The publicatioon is a quality
magazine, to subscribe call 1.800.320.1424 or go to their website, progressivecattle.com.
6
Winter 2015
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
The Scoop On Poop
Scours, or calf diarrhea, is the leading cause
of death in calves 2 to 30 days old. Since a
calf is approximately 70% water at birth, loss
of bodily fluids can occur rapidly causing
dehydration. These newbies have little to
no antibody protection yet. You need to act
quickly.
While the term “scours” is used to describe
this condition, the infectious agents that can
cause scours can be from three different
families of pathogens.
A. Viruses: BVDV, Rotavirus, or Coronavirus
B. Bacteria: Clostridia, E. coli (most
prevalent), or Salmonella
C. Protozoa: Coccidia (Coccidiosis), Giardia,
or Cryptosporidium.
First, let’s discuss what normal feces
should look like. Newborns first pass
meconium, a dark green fetal waste.
Occasionally that can be passed during
delivery, staining their coat. Next, there will
be a bright yellow/orange poop. People
sometimes say it resembles “cheez whiz”. As
they get older, their feces gradually becomes
more “cow like”.
Symptoms to watch for if you think you
might have a problem:
You may first notice that a calf has a messy
soiled tail or hindquarters, or you may see a
strange colored pile of calf poop. When the calf
has one of these bugs, it has looser than usual
bowel movements and the stools can appear
to be white, yellow, grey, bloodstained, or even
foamy. You may even notice a rank smell.
Diagnosis: What germ is causing this
problem?
With your vet’s help, you may be able to pin
point the cause by looking at the color and then
the age of onset.
Analyze the Color:
*Butterscotch colored pudding poop
could be Cryptosporidium. With this comes
a distinctive foul odor. (Do not be confused
by a new born’s first “cheez whiz” poops that
are a yellow/orange color and a mustard
consistency, usually starting after its first drink
of colostrum.)
*Blood in the feces could be Coccidiosis. The
calf can have bloody stools with mucous, clots
of undigested red blood, or other substances.
The damage this may cause to the calve’s
intestine may make it difficult for the calf to
absorb fluids.
*Gray poop could be acidotic feces from a
loss of bicarbonate, which is known as the
body’s buffer.
*Gray to white scours are not necessarily
distinctive of any one cause of scours, but may
be the results of an ongoing problem. These
calves are usually dehydrated or have an
electrolyte imbalance from the loss of sodium
and potassium.
*Sometimes color is dependent on what
the calf has ingested such as milk, mud,
grass, or even medicines.
Age of Onset can help diagnose scours
too! Considering that a calve’s exposure to
the scours pathogens usually occurs in the
first hours of life, and that these bugs all have
their own incubation period, calf age at the first
signs of scours may provide you some more
clues.
0 - 5 Days of Age: E. coli strains and type C
Clostridium
4 - 14 Days of Age: Viruses such as
Rotavirus
7 - 30 Days of Age: Coronavirus
8 - 16 Days of Age: Cryptosporidium (Very
consistent with this timing.)
21 - 28 - Days of Age: Coccidiosis (This is
usually no earlier than this because it takes
longer to develop.)
If you have had problems, talk to your vet
about how you can vaccinate your cows
before they calve. By doing this you can often
boost needed antibodies in the cow’s milk so
she can pass antibody protection to her calf
through her colostrum. However, keep in mind
that this antibody protection only gives the
calf protection for the first couple of weeks of
its life and that none of these antibodies will
give protection from the protozoan causes of
scours. This is why it’s so vital to see that a
calf is nursing ASAP after being born. Some
protection is MUCH better than no protection,
especially during those vulnerable first couple
of weeks!
Prevention can also be achieved through
cleanliness. Clean calving pastures or barns
and clean cows can really help stop the spread
of these pathogens. With long hair cattle like
Belties, it helps to clean/clip the dam’s udder
before she gives birth and starts nursing. You
will see calves trying to nurse on mud and
manure balls if they’re present so try to have
your cows as clean as possible.
Weather can weaken a calf’s immune
system, too. Try to have good sanitation and
good ventilation to offset that issue.
Always have clean water accessible to
calves otherwise they just drink out of dirty
puddles. Make sure that your waterer is one
that a calf can actually reach into. Rubbermaid
type water tanks may not be accessible to a
young calf.
Keep in mind that this information is meant
as a helpful guide, but not as a replacement
for sound veterinary care and advice. If you
see diarrhea, consult with your veterinarian.
He/She can also send a stool sample to a
diagnostic veterinary lab to identify the specific
problem.
Good Luck with your calving season!
Sharon Adams
George Adams
AVALON
FARM
1059 An C. R. 468 • Palestine, Texas 75803
903 549-2036 • Fax 903 549-2286
www.aavalonfarm.com • [email protected]
Focused on Belted Galloway Cattle and Polled Hair Sheep
STREMMING’S WALNUT HILL FARMS
Dick & Cathy Stremmng
RR1, Box 176
Strasburg, IL 62465
Phone 217-644-3015
Email: [email protected]
Belted Galloways
Registered Black & Dun
Belted Galloways For Sale
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
. . . Beef and Pork Processing . . .
Experienced working with direct
marketers and private labeling.
Large selection of our own
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Belted Galloway meat available.
Buying quality Belted Galloway Steers
in Wisconsin
Belted Galloway
Show Steers and Heifers
Wisco
nsin River Meats
Wisconsin River Brands, Inc.
N5340 Highway HH
Mauston, WI 53948
608 847-7413
www.wisconsinrivermeats.com
Winter 2015
John Hamm
7
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter
Box 28
Lancaster, WI 53813
Belted Galloway Society Announces Winners Of National Awards
The Belted Galloway Society has announced
the Lifetime Point Awards and Show Point
Awards for 2014.The Point Show Awards were
established to recognize the cattle that have
been shown throughout year and earned the
most show points. The Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards are accumulative points. Points
are assigned to animals whose progeny have
shown, as well as, individual animals that have
shown from year to year. Again, a number of
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Association
members bred and or owned animals receiving recogization.
Show Bull Of The Year
Countyline Connor 37033B is sired by the
two-times Show Sire of the Year Southdown
Unique 11781B and is out of Rolling Acres Delores 31318B, the 2013 Show Dam of the Year.
Connor is owned by Sunnybrook Farms, Belvidere, Ill. and was bred by Jay and Liz Dausman, Countyline Belties, Pierceton, IN. His full
sisters, Countyline Anna and Countyline Billie
Jo have been Show Female and runner-up.
Connor was champion bull at all the shows he
attended in 2014. He concluded the year by
being named the National Reserve Champion
Bull at NAILE.
Show Cow/Calf Of The Year
Sunnybrook Alexis 29180B, is bred and
owned by Sunnybrook Farms and is sired by
the Platinum and two-times Sire of the Year,
Linetree’s Pistol Pete 9535B. Her Platinum
awarded dam, Sunnybrook Elaine 24684B,
was the past Show Female of the Year. Alexis
is remarkable in that she is the only female
8
in the breed to be Show Female of the Year
out of a Show Female of the Year. She was
also named the 2013 Show Cow/Calf of the
Year. At seven years of age, she easily maintains her soundness and eye appeal. She has
transferred these traits to her offspring. All five
of her calves have competed at the national
level. A son, Sunnybrook Cruise, was runnerup for Show Bull of the Year. Her 2014 calf is
sired Sunnybrook Valor, past Show Bull of the
Year and 2014 Sire or the Year. Alexis has also
earned Platinum Lifetime status.
Show Sire of The Year
Sunnybrook Valor 33432B, is the first offspring of the 2009 Show Bull of the Year and
2012 Sire of the Year Stonesthrow Umbro
11941B. Valor is out of a first-calf female and
a Linetree’s Pistol Pete daughter, Sunnybrook
Legacy 29178B. He is bred and owned by
Chris and Steve Willis, Sunnybrook Farms
Valor is the result of a pedigree whose first
three generations boast a two-time Sire of the
Year, two Dams of the Year, and four Platinum
Lifetime Award winners. He was named Show
Bull of the year in 2011. His first offspring have
been successfully shown at all levels and he
has achieved Suunybook’s most valued recognition as Sire of the Year. Sunnybrook Farms
thanks the Eric Finholdt family of Medford, MN
for their purchase of Valor.
Breeder and Exhibitor of the Year
Sunnybrook Farms
Over the past 15 years, the Willis Family,
Sunnybrook Farms, have produced numerous show animals of the year. The farm has
Winter 2015
implemented the use of production records,
DNA trait identification, and carcass results
from the use of ultrasound and slaughter data
to further the predictability of the offspring from
their herd. The cattle who have won awards
have produced progeny who have continued
the tradition of winning the same awards as
previous generations, thus creating breeding
cattle with generations of predictable performance packed into their pedigrees. The end
result is a uniform and consistent calf crop that
is successful and performs for the Willis family
as well as other cattle breeders.
With their extensive Angus background
they breed their Belties for the combination
of quality, carcass, and conformation that will
perform in the show ring and in the pasture.
They shared, “This is not just a fancy saying
for marketing, but the foundation we have used
for developing our herd over the years.” The
farm is based around 20 proven Belted Galloway females that have produced or developed
four show females of the year, five show bulls
of the year, three dams of the year, six sires of
the year, and three cow/calf pairs of the year.
The Willis family recognizes the support they
have received. They stated, “This award is almost impossible without the help of our awesome customers and Beltie friends. We would
like to sincerely thank all our Beltie friends
who have helped us throughout the show season. The Willis family stated, “Being named
Breeder of the Year is the ultimate praise for a
breeding program and we appreciate all of our
present and future customers.”
-US Beltie News, January 2015
Great Lakes Belted Galloway Newsletter