Nine youth receive catch-it-dairy calves

Colorado

Ten Morgan County 4-H members recently began their 2006-2007 Catch-It-Dairy calf project activities. This is the sixteenth year that this Cooperative Extension youth program has been in operation.

The Catch-It-Dairy program is an educational program in which the contestant will receive a dairy calf, raise it and then show it for the following two years at the Morgan County Fair. The purpose of the program is to educate youth about raising, breeding and marketing dairy heifers. It is also designed to make the dairy industry more recognizable, along with increasing the size of the dairy show at the Morgan County Fair.

The Catch-It-Dairy contest consists of six categories: Record keeping, interview judging, sponsor relations, show ring placing, showmanship, workshop attendance, and meeting the industry standards for body growth. The Champion Catch-It-Dairy heifer participant will be determined by achieving the highest score based on these six categories.

Youth will pay for a portion of the cost of the project and sponsors provide the remainder of the cost. The participants for this year's program are as follows: Elizabeth Dill, Fort Morgan; Ryan Dreitz, Brush; Jessica Gibbs, Fort Morgan; Ka-Cee Jones, Wiggins; Ashley Klein, Brush; Allyson Pabst, Brush; Austin Risner, Wiggins; Dalton Risner, Wiggins; and Alex Steinbach, Wiggins.

This year's sponsors are as follows: Auctioneers Miller & Associates, Brush; M & C Farms, Fort Morgan; M & M CO-OP INC., Wiggins; High Plains Livestock Exchange, LLC. Brush; Dwight Miller, Fort Morgan; Ranch-Way Feeds; Seven Bar Dairy, Wiggins; Dairy Specialists, Evans; Draegert Feed-N-Supply Inc., Brush; Design Builders, Fort Morgan; Blake Veterinary Service, Brush; W.T.C. Feeds, Fort Morgan; Pioneer Seeds c/o Bart Ginther, Brush; Keith Bath Flaked Corn, Fort Morgan; Kay Jan INC, Fort Morgan; Cargill Nutrena, Sterling; Sagebrush Dairy, Snyder; Dairy Farmers of America, Fort Morgan; Brush Livestock of Colorado, Brush; Wildcat Dairy, Fort Morgan; Chapin Dairy, Weldona; Griffith Dairy, Fort Morgan; and Badger Creek Dairy, Fort Morgan.

Date: 2/22/06