News & Events In Common Newsletter Spring 2009 Learning to Show Cows that Wow
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Volume 7 • Number 1 • Spring 2009
Learning to Show Cows that Wow
Learning the ropes at cow camp. is flashy and slow… If you insist on predicting the demise of Massachusetts dairies, you might not want to mention it at the UMass Amherst 4-H Dairy Cattle Camp at Northampton’s Three County Fair Ground. As the next generation prepares for the county fair dairy shows—or, for the best, the Big E, the Eastern States Exposition—you can’t help but share in an unassailable enthusiasm for cows, cow care, and all things bovine. This year, 87 young folks got a head start on the road to the Big E by attending the camp, which targets the next generation of dairy competitors (and their parents) with tips on judging pedigree, sire selection, showmanship, and even dressing for success in the ring. UMass Extension's Carrie Chickering-Sears, who grew up showing dairy cattle and now judges at regional and national competitions, is director of the camp that she started five years ago to help 4-H members learn responsibility and effective animal care. Chickering-Sears, who heads the 4-H Animal and Veterinary Science program for UMass Extension, says those skills are more important today than ever. "It's expensive to have animals today," she says. "Corn prices have tripled in the past year so you really need to know how to care for those animals and protect that investment."  The popularity of the camp over the years prompted Chickering-Sears to create a novice day camp this year for youngsters just getting started in dairy cattle showing. She says the influx of young talent into the program is a positive sign for the region's shrinking dairy business. Ross Hubacz of West Brookfield was one of the first dairy campers five years ago and has been showing animals in 4-H since he was ten. He'll be a college freshman next fall and he returned to the camp this year as a volunteer instructor to work with younger kids, as did Rachel Pomeroy of Westfield, an animal science major at UMass Amherst and a veteran showing her families Holstein and Brown Swiss cows. Pomeroy said dairy showing has always been part of the farm life. "You either love it or hate it," she said. Carrie Chickering-Sears says that experience in the show ring has long-term advantages for the kids. "As 4-Hers, they learn lots of life skills like leadership, responsibility, and community, and when they get to college they've already built a strong résumé," she said. Credits:
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