Neat Experiences for the Interns as Summer Arrives

4-H shows are in full swing! As a past 4-H member, I enjoy going to other 4-H shows to see how other regions run their shows. I can say that I have not attended two shows that have been the same. This keeps my job very interesting and I am always learning new things when I attend these shows. 

I was fortunate enough to help ring the Irma 4-H show in the middle of June. It was a beautiful day outside and I was able to get a little sun, which is always nice. I arrived at the show and was happy to see who I would be helping in the ring. The judge was Dennis Erikson. I have seen Dennis a few times over the years and he has judged at a few places I have been. I will never forget Dennis though because my very first year in 4-H I attended a show before my own achievement day and Dennis was the judge. My heifer, Wilma, was not being the nicest to me that day and I was scared to go into the show ring for the first time. Dennis was very patient and he helped me through my very first class when I was nine years old. So for me it was a real treat working in the same ring as Dennis.


After the Irma Show I was heading back to Regina and stayed in the office for a few days before going to my next show. For the weekend I went to Moose Jaw and helped at their regional show. The show had not been outside in years but this year they decided to chance it and the show was outside. The weather cooperated and the show was very good. I met many people at this show and made some contact with some of the Saskatchewan junior Angus members.  A good majority of cattle had Angus influence at this show and I would say 90 percent of them were Black Angus. The supreme female of the show was a Black Angus heifer. Overall, the show went great and the kids finished with their sale in the afternoon on Sunday.

My next stop was Calgary after the July 1^st weekend. Katelyn and I went to visit Hamilton Farms and they helped us with a video project that we are working on. It was a great afternoon and the weather could not have been any better. We were treated with a surprise at the Hamiltons. They had rescued two baby fawns and are bottle feeding little Rosie and Olivia. The fawns were fun of energy and really entertaining to watch.

I worked in the Calgary office for the rest of the week and got prepared for Stampede that was starting on Friday. We got all of our information together and made sure we had enough Angus swag to give away. We were helping in the Cattle Trail portion in the agriculture barns on park. We were there to help the Canadian Beef Breeds Council and to answer any questions that people walking through the trail my have. I really enjoyed interacting with different people and was intrigued by some of the questions that I was asked. I especially liked to talk to people that were not from Canada and learning about the beef industry in their respective countries. One lady from Switzerland told me that they use Simmental cattle for both beef and dairy purposes in Switzerland. I found that interesting because in Canada a Simmental cow would never be used for milk production. It is cool to learn how different countries use different breeds in a variety of ways. At the booth in Cattle Trail, we worked with the organization Ag More Than Ever as well. When we were not talking to people at our booth we were taking photos with the Ag More Than Ever speech bubbles. Overall, the cattle trail was very busy and the 10 days went by quick! It was amazing being down on the grounds and to see how much work everyone did to get the park ready after the floods. I tip my hat to everyone who worked together to clean up the park so the greatest outdoor show on Earth could go on! 

I am now back in Regina and am working on some educational DNA videos, getting prepared for Showdown, Saskatchewan Gold Show and the Manitoba Beef Roundup. As of today it is only one week until I will be in Armstrong, BC for Showdown! I am very excited to see all the different projects the Juniors have been working on and to travel to Armstrong, BC. I am very fortunate to be getting many “first” experiences with this internship and I can’t wait for many more to come! 


Posted by Karla Ness
Feedback: kness@cdnangus.ca