The Barn; The Place To Be!

In the ag world fall is certainly a unique time of year, especially if you show livestock. Major shows like the ongoing American Royal in Kansas City and the upcoming N.A.I.L.E in Louisville, KY are the kind of events that livestock enthusiasts look forward to all year; and it is no different here at Butler! In fact, we have several freshman students who plan to compete at these shows.

Now you may wonder, if they are at school how in the world are they taking care of their animals? Aren’t many of them several states away from home? Well, it turns out that the Hess family, a major supporter of Butler Ag, has an older barn that they allow students to rent.

Recently the barn has been filled with barrows geared for the Royal, Taylor’s newly acquired barrow “Johnny Bad-Hocks,” and Willie’s shorthorn steer. No doubt, when preparing for a major show there is an abundant amount of work and that means man power is needed. So it turns out, the barn is the place to be!

Here are some pictures so you can get a part of the experience 🙂

The Barn also happens to be a fine place to do homework! Just ask Morgan, Paige and Bailey!

 

Jarod, Maverick, Barrett & Chandler are just a few of the boys you can find at the barn

One of the barrows that has lived in the barn.

 

But the barn is not the only place animals have a place with Butler Ag students’ lives… recently Barrett brought little miss Caiman Carlisle to El Dorado. She is a little Corgi puppy and is quite precious 🙂

Miss Caiman Carlisle

Bovine Therapy

Two posts in one week. Yes, I’m feeling pretty ambitious 🙂

I’m enrolled in a Digital Design with Photoshop class this semester. Every week we learn how to do something new, and this week we were told that we were free to incorporate anything that we have learned so far to create whatever we wanted! And this is how my assignment turned out. I love it.

I love this picture for several reasons. First, that is my brother, and he is headed out to work, and he had no idea I was taking the picture. And those cattle are our ‘special’ cattle, like show heifers and donors and such. And I just simply love the picture, how Ethan is little and yet he still pops out.

Author’s note: (haha having an ‘author’s note’ makes me feel important!) The original quote by Winston Churchill said horses instead of cattle, but I decided that its my project, so it can say what I want it to!

This is officially my favorite decoration hanging in my room 🙂

Stockman Results

Results from The Stockman (no team competition)

Sophmore Division   

• Chandler Akins (Ga):  2nd Overall, 1st Cattle, 2nd Oral Reasons, 9th Sheep
• Morgan Meisenheimer (Md):  5th Overall, 1st Oral Reasons, 1st Sheep
• Barrett Carlisle (Tx):  8th Overall, 3rd Sheep, 7th Oral Reasons
• Ethan James (Ks):  4th Sheep          

Freshman Division

• Kyle Wilson (In):  1st Overall, 1st Oral Reasons, 5th Swine, 6th Sheep, 7th Cattle
• Parker Henley (Mo):  6th Overall
• Taylor Graham (Tn):  4th Oral Reasons, 6th Cattle
• Brett Moriarty (Wa):  4th Cattle, 7th Swine 

I have a brilliant beyond BRILLIANT idea!!!

Actually, there were two brilliant ideas this week. And if you can name the movie that the title was inspired by, I’ll give you a high five next time I see you.

The first one was to Booby Trap Kallie’s room while she was away. So, being the great/amazing/always-got-your-back roommates that we are, Sarah and I got to work. Using ideas triggered from the movie mentioned previously, we just have ourselves a barrel of monkeys. And thankfully, we were able to capture these great memories on camera. Kallie will never be able to thank us in full! Goodness, why must we be so cool?  And this would be how it turned out 🙂 Kallie IS always saying how she wants it to snow!

This was our second prank. Unfortunately, the cup of water didn’t fall on her when she opened the door 😦

And this was our second brilliant beyond brilliant idea!!!MEET DEWKSA! This is her official world debut. I’m sure she will be famous someday, thanks to this post. She’s so photogenic as you can see, so don’t be surprised if more pictures of her pop up in the future.

We know more than just cattle, although we’re just cattle kids!

Hi everyone! Well, I got the inspiration for this blog at a recent sheep workout…somewhere in Kansas! Being on the Butler Livestock Judging team, we travel all over the state of Kansas, and many surrounding states to practice judging classes of cattle, sheep, pigs and now goats! Now, growing up I was raised strictly around cattle, meaning, the majority of my agricultural knowledge centers around cattle. But, when I got to thinking about it, how much help would I be able to provide the pondering average American (who is over three-generations removed from the family farm!) if my agriculture knowledge was solely cattle-based?

            Think back a couple generations. In my grandparents day, everyone had some association with agriculture, from a few chickens in the backyard, to a milk cow in the barn. Nowadays, that’s not so much the case. The wholesome picture of the days when grandma and grandpa planted their own food, and raised their own meat are over. Today, Americans don’t have chickens or a cow to milk. They depend on the grocery store to provide them food, and sadly, they depend on the media to provide them information.

            Say you were at the airport, waiting for your flight to leave, when you start a conversation with the man sitting next to you. He finds out you are involved in the agricultural industry, and having recently seen an internet video where chickens were being abused, begins asking you questions. Many of us are so absorbed in our OWN industry, whether it be cattle, swine or sheep, we fail to stop and take the time to educate ourselves on outside industries.

            As agricultural producers, we must become exactly that…agricultural producers. How many of you know the lawful regulations for chicken cages, and what poultry producers are required to abide by? How many of you can state the difference in gestation and farrowing crates, and what their importance is to the swine industry? How many of you know the difference in animal welfare and animal rights? Okay so, maybe you can answer one or two or possibly all of these questions. But, my point is, we as agricultural producers don’t spend enough time educating ourselves to educate the public.

            The average American is still going to ask you their questions over any industry whether you are a chicken producer, horse trainer or steer showman. So prepare yourselves, and learn to love all of agriculture no matter what your specialty is 🙂

-Emily Jackson

Kinzie (from Indiana) and myself (from Texas) were both raised around the beef industry, however, we are taking the initiative to educate ourselves about other industries...like sheep for example! 🙂

Butler Alumni-Do What You Love!

Butler Community College Alumni: Cody Sankey

Cody Sankey grew up on the Sankey 6N Ranch in Council Grove, Kansas. He is a 5th generation cattleman, in fact, he is a part of the family that has the 2nd oldest Angus herd in the United States.

Cody came to Butler Community College and competed on our nationally acclaimed Livestock Judging team, a decision that primed him for future success in the classroom as well as in the competitive world of livestock judging.  After completing his A.S. degree in Agriculture at BCC, he transferred to Oklahoma State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science. While at Oklahoma State, Cody was a key member of their 2001 National Champion Livestock Judging Team and proved to be a standout in beef cattle judging. Cody continued his education at OSU and he holds a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition.

Since his graduation from OSU Cody has been the manager of Michigan State University’s Purebred Beef Unit, a teaching program that focuses on registered Angus and Hereford cattle. At Michigan State, Cody is responsible for teaching and mentoring students who are studying beef production. He also manages the university’s purebred cow herd that consists of approximately 150 Angus, Hereford, and Commercial Cows. Under Cody’s guidance MSU  has exhibited national champions at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO, the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo and the North American Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY.  Additionally, Cody is responsible for managing and marketing MSU sale cattle consigned to the annual  Angus Connection sale and Fall Fest Hereford sale.

In his free time, Cody serves as a livestock judge at numerous shows all over the country. He and his family are is a staunch advocates of the beef industry, and are active members of the American Angus Association. In particular, they support many junior Angus programs.

At Michigan State, Cody is able to use his beef industry experiences to continue to build the MSU herd, while sharing his love of the industry with his students. Cody is a prime example of a Butler graduate who allowed his interest area to translate to an education that ultimately has enabled him to have a career doing what he loves.

Cody Sankey with MSU Keepsake 14S, Reserve Grand Champion at the American Royal. A heifer bred by Michigan State University

Tattoos & Matthew McConaughey

No, I didn’t get a tattoo this weekend, and I haven’t married Matthew McConaughey yet.

But, in preparation for our sale, we did tattoo our baby calves! For those of you who aren’t for certain what I’m talking about, tattooing is a way of permanently identifying cattle. We usually freezebrand as it is a great deal simpler to identify an animal from a ways off, but the calves are much to small at this point in their life. So, they get the next best thing- a tattoo in their ear!

Here my dad is applying the paste. No worries about the blood spot- its just from where tag was removed so the sale tag can be put in!

The numbers that are loaded into the gun have little points on them. By gently pressing them into the ear (as shown above) the numbers penetrate the top layers of the skin. When healed, the paste will be visible wherever the numbers were.

Also this weekend, my sister and I got on a cake kick and decided to whip one up. A teacher here at Butler, Elissa, made this particular cake last year, and after hours of begging, I finally got the recipe out of her! (Okay, maybe not hours…) Its called Better Than Love Cake. (I think everyone knows the real name of it, but for blogging purposes, we’ll call it love cake). Apparently it’s also known as Better Than Robert Redford Cake, but as I’m not real familiar with him, I decided to rename it Better Than Mathew McConaughey Cake!  And to sweeten the deal, Mr. McConaughey is the voice of Beef. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Now if THIS isn’t an all-star line up, then I don’t know what is. These ingredients scream amazing cake ahead. Simply bake the cake as directed on the box. While still hot, poke holes with a wooden spoon and pour condensed milk over the top as shown above.  Next, remove the lid of the hot fudge and microwave for a few seconds. Use a spoon to stir to be sure it will be easy to spread. The next step is very important, potentially the most important of them all. Lick the spoon juuuust to make sure the hot fudge tastes good. (Esther is demonstrating the proper way to do this below) If deemed delicious, spread the jar over the cooled cake. Finish by spreading the Whipped Cream over the top and sprinkling with toffee bits. All I can say is after eating more than my fair share of this dessert from the gods, I am thankful my Spin Class at the Y is tonight!

As Marie Antoinette said, “Let them eat cake!”

Sing a little song

Music is a very powerful media. Songs have a way of making us laugh, cry and think. They can ‘take you back’ (which I will expand on below) and they can change/set the mood of anything. Music really is an amazing thing.

Sometimes when listening to the radio, my Dad, in all his wisdom, will talk about how certain songs ‘take him back’ to the good ‘ol days. When I was younger, I would think, “Man, he’s losing his marbles”. But as time has gone on, I have found the same thing happening to me. (Not sure if that is a sign of getting older or if some of the wisdom I inherited from him is shining through. hmm..)

For example, every time I hear the song ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ by Aerosmith, it takes me back to that awkward fist dance back in middle school. Oh man, I can’t help but laugh/cringe just thinking about it! When holiday music starts playing, and I hear ‘Baby Its Cold Outside’ by Martina McBride and Dean Martin, I’m reminded of Christmas at my Grammy’s house. (heaven knows that it wasn’t complete without Martina’s album playing!) And the song ‘Good Directions’ by Billy Currington takes me back home. Not really sure what the connection is there, I think it’s because the lyrics are about turnip greens, and we graze cattle on turnips sometimes. Weird, I know.

Anyway, I say all this because I found a song a while back that I heard one time and fell in love with. It’s by a group I have never heard of before- Thompson Square. CMT has started showing the video, and naturally I fell in love with that, too. The song is ‘Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not’. If you want to listen to this song, click here. I really think you’ll like it! Enjoy(:

Husband- wife duo, Thompson Square.

Butler Alumni-Dream Big, Go Far

Butler Alumni: Dr. Matt Spangler

 Butler Alumni Dr. Matthew Spangler originally hails from Walton, Kansas.  For those of you not from the state of Kansas (or if you may have missed it on the map), Walton is a whopping metropolis of fewer than 300 people.  For a small town kid like Matt, starting his educational journey at a Community College just made sense.  While at Butler Matt’s quick wit, dry sense of humor and skills as a member of the Butler Livestock Judging team were evident and his record as the repeat reasons champion at Sioux Falls has not been duplicated.

In Matt’s words, “Attending Butler was the best decision I could have ever made. Academically, it prepared me for success at the next level with the benefit of small class sizes and one-on-one attention from incredible instructors.  Additionally, my involvement in various agriculture organizations and competition teams at Butler opened doors and developed friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Upon graduation from Butler’s Agriculture Program in 1999, Matt was awarded the Hubbard Award of Excellence which is given each year to one outstanding graduate based on academic achievement, activity involvement and community service.  This award is the highest award Butler awards and here at BCC more than just a department award.  We are pretty excited to say that Matt is part of a pretty amazing trend…7 of the last 11 recipients of the Hubbard Award of Excellence have been agriculture students.  

  
After Butler, Matt continued his education at Kansas State University, where he majored in Animal Sciences and Industry.  He also competed on the K-State Livestock Judging team.  Matt earned a M.S. in 2003 at Iowa State University where he began to focus on Animal Breeding and Genetics.  He completed his Ph.D. in Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Georgia in 2006.  

Today Matt is an Assistant Professor and Beef Cattle Genetics Extension Specialist at the University of Nebraska.  He teaches undergraduate courses, conducts research and educates livestock producers in the state of Nebraska.   Interestingly enough, due to the internet (and the technology upgrades here at in our Ag Dept.) we have used some of Matt’s extension broadcasts here in current Ag Classes.  Follow this link to get to Matt’s archived webinars, you might learn something!   Once the student, Matt is now a respected expert in his field that we can all learn from.  He is a Journal of Animal Science Editorial Board Member, in the Animal Genetics Section.

Perhaps most importantly we congratulate Matt and his new wife Devori on their recent marriage and welcome Devori to the Butler family.  Although Matt lives in Nebraska, he has not forgotten his small town, KANSAS roots.  Like many of Butler’s successful Alumni, Matt dreamed big, didn’t waste his talents, and has quickly covered distance in his chosen profession.  

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!

I support a cause and wear pink  for several brave ladies in my family.