Emily posted on September 29, 2011 14:56
The 2011 Santa Gertrudis Breeders of the Carolinas Field Day was held September 10, 2011, at Creech Farms in Zebulon, NC. Approximately 60 people were on hand for the event, which started at 10 AM.
The day began with a welcome from host Brandon Creech and a junior report by junior members Caroline Creech, Colt Sherrill, and Austin Cameron who discussed their trips to the 2011 National Junior Heifer Show in Athens, TX, as well as their trip to the Gerts Ongoing Advanced Leadership Summit (GOALS) in Branson, MO. Their presentation said great things about the junior program and the skills youth in the Santa Gertrudis breed are developing.
Following their presentation, Santa Gertrudis Breeders International (SGBI) Executive Director John Ford gave a presentation on how to get Santa Gertrudis and Santa Gertrudis influenced cattle from producers in the Carolinas to markets in Texas. This topic will merit a good deal of discussion and coordination amongst breeders, so a discussion forum will appear on the Breeders of the Carolinas Facebook page to help facilitate, though breeders should also communicate with each other and their customers directly.
Following the presentation by John Ford, Dr. Por, an expert in pasture management from NC State University, gave an introduction of the NC State University and cooperative extension program staff on hand for the Field Day, including Dr. Mark Alley, the featured speaker for the day.
Dr. Alley gave the keynote address for the day, a live animal demonstration of Low Stress Animal Handling Techniques. The demonstration involved 8 heifers and bulls bred by Creech Farms running through the facilities on hand. Included in the presentation were identifying the dominant animal, ways to get animals to speed up or slow down, getting animals to move the way you want them to through a chute and head gate, and other helpful tips.
The presentation was followed by a purebred show, judged by Elena Eller, the County Extension Agent for Moore County. Results published next. There was a beef brisket lunch in between the heifer portion and bull show, accompanied by a door prize raffle as well as a reverse raffle of a Kyle Busch M & M car racing hood, donated by Kenny West of KC Farms.
The Field Day was hosted by Creech Farms; other sponsors included Cox Mill Farms, Thomas Cameron (Tri-C Farms), Double C Farms, Duane Johnson (Red Rose Farm), Michael Hadley, Ronald Wood, and the NC Cattle Assessment Program.
Special thanks to Creech Farms for hosting the event, and to all of the sponsors who made it possible.
Show results and more photos are available through the Santa Gertrudis Breeders of the Carolinas Blog (http://sgboc.blogspot.com) and Facebook page.