The Sixth Year of 4-H

1957

Alan enjoyed this year a lot.  It was full of opportunities and allowed him to participate in a variety of events.  The story for the Record Book was typed and there were many more pictures this year.  You can click on them to see them in a larger format.

My 4-H Story for 1957:

     This year of 4-H work proved to be very interesting and rewarding to me.  At the county rally last fall I was elected the county Secretary-Treasurer.  I also received the county Tractor Maintence award.

     I served as the President of my local club the Jefferson G-Hawks, which has given me very valuable leadership training.  At the December meeting I have a talk on, Nutrients Needed by Livestock.  I also gave a demonstration on the special activity for the year which was called , Rope Wick Oilers for Livestock.  Our club held twelve meetings this year and I missed one because of play practice.  The special activity this year impressed upon me the importance of livestock parasite control.

     My projects this year were one Registered Hereford Been Cow, which I raised as a calf the year before.  One Registered Jersey Senior Yearling which I also raised as  a calf, she had her first calf, a heifer the 17 of August.  For the first time this year I had a purebred Duroc Jersey Gilt which farrowed nine pigs on March 25, but two died the first day, one being steped on and the other was chilled.  I selected my swine project because I wanted to gain experience in the field of hog care and feeding.

     My Hereford was fed a little grain and all the hay she wanted in the winter.  Springtime found her on pasture and she remained there until six weeks before the county fair.  At this time I put her in the barn and fed her a grain mixture of corn and oats and all the hay she wanted.  She was pasture bred last fall and at this time she has not yet had her calf.  After the fair she again was turned on pasture.  With this project I incured two problems, one being grubs which were killed with rotoene and the second the fact that I trimed her feet very short in June, she was able to walk again at the fair.

     My Jersey was fed hay and grain during the winter.  She was turned on pasture in the spring.  In June I brought her home and started to feed her for calving a half corn and half oats ration along with hay.  In July I started to fit her for the Parish Jersey Show where I placed first in the Senior Yearling Class, being beaten in the Junior Championship show by my sister, Thelma.  Winning here made me eligible to show at the All Iowa Fair.  I will say the the competion here was really stiff I placed 16 in a class of 16.  The county fair again saw my sister take the breed championship.  I didn't do so good placing third with a red ribbion.  My Jersey has one problem and that is that she is small for her age, but her former owner told me that she is closly related to the island cattle and that might account for it.  The most important things I learned were how to care for a cow in milk, a cow before and after calving.

     My Duroc gilt was purchased from beck Brothers of Elkader.  On March 25 she had nine pigs.  At eitht weeks of age I weaned them and weighted them and found each pig to average 48 pounds.  At the fair I showed a market litter pen of three, a market hog all of which received reds their main fault being to fat for their age and weight.  I fed them as pigs every other day till two weeks Copperous which made up for a lack of iron in the sows milk.  On the other days I fed them antibotics to prevent scours.  They recieved very little protein, however they received planth of skim milk.  From starting to weaning they received rolled oats and some shelled corn and milk.  From weaning to market they were fed shelled corn and some ground oats and skimmilk.  I think the results I received from this project were very good considering the feed they received.  Next year I plan to cross these Durocs with a Landrace Boar to get a more meatier  type in my hogs.  The seven pigs however ate 110 pounds of tankage.

     This your club had an oats plot.  I was a member of the county crops judging team to the State Fair.  I had one of the top six scores in the county livestock judging contest held in connection with the county fair.  Our club had the second placed barn in the barn decoration contest at the fair.  Our club group of four Jerseys owned by our family was the Champion club group.

     While at the Cattle Congress last fall I attended the 4-H dairy banquet where I and the others on the dairy judging team from the county were awared the top Jersey judging team, award.  As lond as I have been in club work I have never missed a county rally.

     I am a Senior in High School this year and this year like the last I am taking five subjects they are Agriculture, Physics, English, Bookkeeping, and Government.  I am also in FFA and I have sheep for a project.

     I am also a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church where I am in Choir, Luther Leauge of which I am Secretary.

     My project plans for next year to have 2 Duroc gilts that I will breed to a Landrace boar.  One Hereford Baby Been, and One Jersey Cow and one Jersey calf.  I also will split my ten FFA ewes so that I will have three in 4-H work.

                                                                The End  By Alan Thiese