Livestock members, please take note of the dates for upcoming weigh days and Field Day/MQA.
4-H members enrolling in any market and/or breeding livestock projects for the first time must attend a Colorado 4-H Meat Quality Assurance (MQA) program, regardless of age. For Larimer County, this will be offered at our Field Day on February 29 and May 15. 4-H members must attend a Colorado 4-H MQA program a minimum of twice during the course of their 4-H career, once as a junior and once again within one year after becoming a senior 4-H member. Members are encouraged to review the information and best practices found in the Colorado 4-H Meat Quality Assurance program annually.
Here is the schedule for Livestock Field Day’s workshops
Mark your calendar for the annual Livestock Field Day on February 29 from 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. in the McKee Building. Learn about topics ranging from livestock selection, nutrition, health, record books, livestock ethics, animal stress, and anatomy, taught by Colorado State University Livestock Specialists, industry professionals, and Extension Agents. There will be 9 different 45-minute sessions to choose from this year.
MQA certification will also be offered from 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Record books are due by Monday, September 16. Cindy will be available at the shop (Construction Supply House) on Saturday from 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. to review and sign record books.
(Remember to put your project name and your name on the outside of the book.)
If you are enrolled in Livestock projects and have your record book finished, please bring your record book to the club picnic on Monday, September 9 to have it signed and submitted to the Extension Office.
Please have it in a 3-ring binder or folder with prongs and place your name and the livestock species on the outside. This includes Horse, Dog, and Cat as well as Poultry, Goat, Rabbit, Beef, Dairy, Alpaca/Llama, Sheep, and Swine. The record book MUST be completed in order for a member and the club to receive completion on the project.
Need help? Let us know!
Livestock record books are due to the Extension Office on September 16.
There will be a record book workshop this Saturday, August 24 starting at 10:00 a.m. in the Estes Park room at the McKee Building. We will go over expectations for completing your record books and cover the financial pages, as well as touch on the breeding supplements.
Please be sure all submitted record books are in a 3-ring binder or a folder with prongs. All books should have the member’s name and what the record book pertains to on the outside of the binder/folder in the upper right corner. This includes Horse, Dog, and Cat.
Reminder: If you have all of your projects in one record book, you must make copies of the record book if you want them judged in all species included.
Livestock Field Day will be on Saturday, February 23. This is the best opportunity for Livestock members to complete their MQA training.
MQA training is required by the State Office for all Livestock members. This includes all Rabbits including Companion, Breeding/Show and Market and All Poultry, including Breeding Chickens, Market Chickens, Breeding Ducks, Market Ducks, Breeding Geese, Market Geese, Breeding Turkeys, Market Turkeys and Pigeons, Breeding & Market Beef, Breeding & Market Goat, Dairy Goat, Pygmy Goat, Breeding & Market Sheep, Breeding & Market Swine, and Dairy Cattle.
You need to attend once as a Junior Member (ages 8–13) and once as a Senior Member (ages 14–18). If you are new to livestock or if you turned 14 in 2018, then you will be required to attend the MQA training. If you do not attend MQA you will not be allowed to show at the 2019 Larimer County Fair.
There will also be project workshops during the day:
9:00–9:45 a.m. General Session, Ethics Workshop
10:00–10:45 a.m. Poultry Selection & Showmanship
10:00–10:45 a.m. Basic Rabbit Information, Health & Nutrition
10:00–10:45 a.m. So You Want to Show a Dairy Goat?
10:00–10:45 a.m. Record Book Basics
10:00–10:45 a.m. Sheep Nutrition & Selection
11:00–11:45 a.m. Poultry Health & Disease Prevention
Are you interested in a livestock project but need funds to move forward?
This program from the Bank of Colorado offers 4-H and FFA members an interest-free and fee-free loan for their livestock projects. Check out the details, and then find your local branch at this link.
