A chance to buy some real "local" beef
Local 4H boys Zach, Clay and Luke Whitley are winding up their 4H year in style this year at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, where they will show their calves at the Queen’s Guineas Show and Sale on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3.
All of the boys, along with their sister Jessica, have been involved in the Clearview 4H Beef Club from the time they turned 10, which is the minimum age for a 4H member. Each member has to raise and train a beef calf from the spring to the fall and then show the calf at their achievement day, held at the Great Northern Exhibition.
In order to be able to qualify to show at the Royal/Queens Guineas, 4H members must participate and succeed at a minimum of two other shows. The three Whitley boys actually participated in five fairs, from Barrie to Arthur, and brought home 1st, 2nd and 3rd at many of the competitions.
The 4H members are evaluated on both the conformation of the animal as well as their specific showmanship skills. The members must carefully monitor the feed rate and composition of the intake to assure the animal looks appropriate for the judges. Since the Whitleys do not use any hormones or steroids to feed their animals, the feeding has to be just right in order to be competitive. The showmanship is a result of the amount of training the animal has received as well as the presentation of the animal for the judges. The boys start in June and spend a multitude of hours to train the animals slowly, in a caring and humane way, so they can control the 1,500-pound animals in the show ring. The judges can easily tell if an animal is not enjoying the experience in the show ring, and the member will place at the bottom of the class.
Although many people might think that 4H is a thing of the past, the Clearview Beef Club is alive and well, with over 15 members this year showing a mix of breeding females and market steer cattle. The members meet monthly and have specific skills they have to learn throughout the season in order to be successful. Along with raising and training their respective calves, they have to participate in judging competitions that require the members to make a decision and explain the rationale for the decision. This life skill can be applied to any situation from buying clothes to purchasing a house.
4H Canada offers many opportunities to its members to help them expand their viewpoint and interaction with members across the country. All four Whitleys have participated in Youth Leadership camps as well as Discovery Days for the younger members.
This past summer, Zach had an opportunity to live with a 4H member from Red Deer, Alberta and then have the same 4H member live with his family. This exchange opportunity was funded by Heritage Canada. The members get a real sense of the similarities across the country, along with the unique local differences as well. The Alberta exchangee who came to the Whitleys had never witnessed a drainage machine operate or seen cattle in a barn (as opposed to outdoor yards). The most amazing thing, however, was milk in a bag!
The Whitley boys have been quite successful with the local fairs and are looking forward to the higher level of competition at the Royal next week. They will compete against approximately 50 top notch cattle from across the province. The Queen’s Guineas has a heritage that goes back to the beginning of the Royal Winter Fair, when it was established to encourage farmers to improve their genetics and thus the output at a lower cost from this necessary food source.
The reality of the beef industry is that these animals are raised for one purpose, and that is to provide food for someone. Although the boys have worked very closely with the animals to train and prepare them, they also know that this is their opportunity to turn their hard work into financial benefit. The boys are true farmers and each of them have plans for the money they will receive for their animal. Clayton is saving for a three-month education exchange to Australia from January to April 2013. Zach is saving for his tuition for an Engineering degree starting next year, and Luke is looking forward to expanding his own cow herd.
Since this is the first time the Whitleys have qualified to attend the Queen’s Guineas they need to arrange buyers for the beef. The organizers provide members with free passes to the Royal for their buyers, in addition to taking care of the details related to processing of the beef. There is a premium typically paid by the buyers at the Royal, with full knowledge that the money is going to support hardworking, grass-roots young adults get started with their life pursuits. If you would like to support these local boys by purchasing some or all of the beef, please contact them at 705-466-3541.
