Belted Galloway Society JUNIOR HANDBOOK Lesson One: Welcome to the Belted Galloway Society
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Belted Galloway Society JUNIOR HANDBOOK Lesson One: Welcome to the Belted Galloway Society Lesson Two: Belted Galloway Junior Association Regional Groups Lesson Three: Youth Member Benefits Lesson Four: How to Pick Your Beltie Project Lesson Five: Getting Your Animal Ready At Home Lesson Six: Keeping Your Beltie Healthy Lesson Seven: You and Your Project at the Fair Lesson Eight: How to Market Your Beltie Project Table of Contents of Table Welcome to the Belted Galloway Society 1. Lesson One The Belted Galloway Society, Inc. welcomes you as a Junior Member. Junior membership is a gateway to all things Belted Galloway wherein you will be able to register, transfer and enjoy all the rights and privileges of full membership with the exception of voting. It is a perfect fit for young Belted Galloway Cattle enthusiasts to learn and participate. The Belted Galloway Junior Association operates under the Belted Galloway Foundation, Inc. The Belted Galloway Foundation, Inc. is a non- profit corporation created to engage in educational and scientific activities dedicated to the improvement of Belted Galloway cattle breed production and marketing practices, and encouraging youth involvement in beef production. The seven member Foundation Board of Directors consists of the two most recent past presidents of the Belted Galloway Society plus the current chair of the Society’s Long-Range Planning, Chatfield Scholarship Fund and Fundraising Committees. The Foundation is a separate, autonomous corporation that is entirely supported by fundraising. Those who donate money or articles of value to support the Foundation and its programs enjoy the same tax benefits afforded those persons who donate to any charitable organization. The Foundation currently maintains three separate funds: General Fund, Belted Galloway Junior Association Fund, and the Chatfield Scholarship Fund. Donors to the Foundation can stipulate which fund they would like their donation to benefit. Those who wish to obtain funding for a particular educational or scientific project may contact the Executive Director to request an application. Mission Statement: “The primary purposes of this corporation shall be to engage in educational and scientific activities dedicated to the improvement of Belted Galloway beef production and marketing practices, and encouraging youth involvement in beef production.” For more information in the Belted Galloway Society, visit www.beltie.org Belted Galloway Society Junior Handbook | 3 Belted Galloway Junior 2. Association Regional Groups 4 5 1 3 2 1. 2. www.newenglandgallowaygroup.com [email protected] 3. 4. www.beltedgalloway.org www.southwestbeltedcattle.com Lesson Two Lesson 5. www.greatlakesbeltie.org Belted Galloway Society Junior Handbook | 4 Youth Member 3. Benefits Lesson Three There are an enormous amount of reasons to become a youth member, check out some of these reasons below! We also encourage you to contact your regional leaders to see what you can be involved with in your area. Artificial Insemination Project: Artificial Insemination Project which gives junior members the opportunity to obtain semen from quality Belted Galloway bulls to improve their breeding program. Every youth member is qualified to order semen for FREE! Check out the list on our website at www. beltie.org! Heifer/Steer Projects: We have started steer and heifer leasing projects. Both of these give a member the ability to manage a project through a full show season. Thanks to the continuing generosity of Belted Galloway breeders we are able to offer these projects at little or no cost to our youth. Contact your area leader for availability of animals. The New England Galloway Group’s Heifer Project places a Belted Galloway heifer calf with a deserving youth recipient on an annual basis. The intent of this project is to allow hands-on education in cattle rearing and showmanship and to develop a love of the breed. The youth selected to receive a heifer is expected to return the first heifer calf back to the program so it will continue each year. A.H. Chatfield, Jr. Memorial Scholarships: This fund was established shortly after the Aldermere Farm founder’s death in 1999. The purpose was to establish an annual scholarship in his memory available to a member of the Belted Galloway Junior Association or to any other deserving student interested in pursuing a career related to beef production. Students interested in applying for the A.H. Chatfield, Jr. scholarship award may request a form from the Society’s office. Three (3) scholarships are awarded annually. Recipients must meet the following criteria: 1. Be a member of the Belted Galloway Junior Association, the Belted Galloway Society, Inc., or a child or grandchild of a current Society member. 2. Be a graduating High School senior, a college student, or be enrolled in an advanced education program and, 3. Submit the completed application form along with a written essay explaining why they are the best candidate for the scholarship. Added consideration may be given to applicants enrolled in beef production, animal, or agricultural courses, or those experienced with Belted Galloway Cattle. Extracurricular and out of school activities will also be taken into consideration. Belted Galloway Society Junior Handbook | 5 How to Pick 4. Your Beltie Project Visual Chartateristics Coloration: Cattle can be black, red or dun in color. A complete belt should encircle the midsection of the body, between the front and rear legs. However, the shape of the belt should not be a factor in judging. It is preferred that no other white be visible, though females that exhibit white above the hooves, that does not extend above the dewclaws, can be reg- istered in the Herd Book. Black coated cattle commonly exhibit a brownish tinge to the outer coat, which is acceptable. Skin and Hair Coat: Skin should be moderately thick. Hair coat should have two layers, a short undercoat covered by a long shaggy coat that protects the animal. Belted Galloways do not require large amounts of back fat for winter warmth, which results in relatively lower winter feed requirements. Hard, wiry hair with no undercoat is objectionable. Clipping and grooming hair for competitive shows is an acceptable practice. Size: Cattle should be moderate in size, with both excessive and diminished sizes being objectionable. Balance and conformation should be considered before mature weight. Head: The head should be broad with the poll low and flat (especially bulls). The nostrils should be wide and the eyes large and prominent. The ears should be moderate in length, broad and pointing forward and upward, with a fringe of long hair. The breed is polled, with no evidence of horn or scur development. Neck: The neck should be proportionate in length and well attached, fitting smoothly onto the shoulders. Cresting is objectionable in cows. Cows are preferred to be free of excessive or loose skin under their throats and should be slender about their necks. Forequarters: The forequarters should exhibit meatiness across the forearm. Shoulders should be moderately sloped, refined and blend smoothly into the rest of the body. The brisket should be moderately well developed, but more so in bulls. The dewlap should be trim and nearly free of loose skin. Hindquarters: The hindquarters should exhibit meatiness by having good length from hooks to pin bone, from the hook bone to hock and pin bone to Lesson Four Lesson stifle. Hindquarter muscling and width should carry well below the stifle. Body: The body should be long sided with a strong and straight top line and underline. The rib cage should be deep and well sprung, into a round chest, not compressed side to side. Belted Galloway Society Junior Handbook | 6 The rump should be level and the hindquarters should be well muscled. The tail head should blend smoothly into the rump. The animal should appear balanced and proportionally developed throughout. Legs & Feet The legs should have strong pasterns. Hooves should be shaped well, not long or cracked, without corns between the toes. Both fore and rear legs should display foot placement that distributes weight evenly on all aspects of the hooves. The feet should strike the ground evenly when walking, with the front hooves directed straight forward and the rear hooves directed slightly outward. To determine length of stride, an ideal animal’s back foot will land in the same track where their front foot took off: livestock judges refer to this as “covering their tracks.” Leg bones should be moderately short, providing sufficient support to bear the animal’s weight. Leg length should be moderately short in keeping with the traditional appearance of the breed. Viewed from the side, hind legs should not be overly straight (post legs), or too angular (sickle hocked). Viewed from the front and rear, legs should be set far enough apart to allow sufficient heart, lung and body capacity. Viewed from the rear, hind legs should be nearly parallel from hocks to hooves, with a little set to the hind legs-they should not be too straight. (See drawings for desired confirmation). Other Desirable Breed Characteristics Disposition/Behavior: Belted Galloways should be of a calm and quiet disposition. They should not exhibit panic when approached, which can be determined by ears perking, excessively alert eyes, and constant defecation. They should not exhibit aggressive behavior toward humans, even when penned. Maternal Characteristics: Cows should calve easily without assistance. They should exhibit immediate care of the newborn calf, and neither abandon nor surrender the calf. Protection of the calf in moderation is desirable, excessive protectiveness is helpful when cattle are in the “wild” but not within confined arrangement, as it may be dangerous. Cows should rebreed 90 days after calving. Belted Galloway Society Junior Handbook | 7 Milk Production: Cows should produce sufficient milk for rapid development of calf. Udder and teats should appear symmetrical and healthy during lactation.