Getting started
“Bob” Rosenleib provided the Invocation, Ray “W” Watson led us in the Pledge and Doug Pierce provided the vocals for our song.
Good news and announcements
Past President Dave Morton presented Stan Eschner with the Community Service Award recognition from his Presidential year.
Jeff Verde gave a shout out for the Nicaragua trip. Currently we do not have enough interest so the trip may be cancelled. If you’d like to go, please let Jeff know.
The Program
Our guest presenter was Lauren Smoot Skidmore. She shared what it is like to be a cattle rancher. The history of ranching dates back to the middle ages (5th – 15th Century). The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed into law by President Lincoln. The largest impact on ranching was the end of the “Open Range” when barbed wire was invented. This caused many ownership disputes, water, and land debates among the early ranchers. The American Dream of Ranchers was to feed the human population and be good stewards of the land and livestock.
Mature cattle can drink as much as 30-35 gallons a day and a bull can an average 1500 pounds. Cows weigh in at about 1100 pounds. They can be sold at slaughter for $89.00/lb. and $77.75/lb. respectively.
Lauren then went on to explain the many aspects of ranching – calving, weaning, branding, vaccinations, castration, and herd management. Lauren shared the branding irons her family uses as well as the castration tool that made the men in the room a little squeamish, and in case you wanted to know what that centerpiece on your table was? Yes, you guessed it. : )
Cattle by-products include: marshmallows, chewing gum, ice cream, leather, asphalt, antifreeze, vitamin capsules and medicine.
Lauren and her husband plan to take over the family business when her father retires.
We were then introduced to Jayden, an FFA student from Frontier HS. She shared her passion for FFA, the important life lessons she is learning and her plans to continue in the field. She also brought along her best friend “Puppy”, a 1400-pound bull she will be showing at the fair.
We all got to meet Puppy after the meeting.
Visitors and Guests
Dustin Dodgin guest of Jay Rosenleib
Photos by Leslie Golich
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