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In This Issue

• President’s Message

• A GREAT Great Lakes

Field Day

• Welcome These New

Members!

• Most Important Nutrient

• 2018 Midwest Classic

Results

• High Steaks Contest

Information

Issue 105– Great Lakes Belted Galloway Association Summer Newsletter

President’s Message

Terry Willis,

President

Our annual field day was held

June 2nd and we had a tremendous

turn out. Over 90 people attended

and I would like to thank the 4 host

farms for opening their pastures and

allowing us to tour their farms. The

Midwest Classic show was held

June 30th. It was another “hot roast

beef” show with the heat index

reaching over 110. All 46 animals

shown, exhibitors, and spectators

survived thanks to a nice breeze

blowing through the barn.

I have been involved with a car-

cass contest which our county 4-H

Beef Committee has been hosting

for over 16 years. In trying to im-

prove and make it more educational,

I have been doing research on

trends in the meat industry. The

data comes from a university survey

of 54 major supermarkets and meat

distributors and published articles.

Here is what I found as it relates to

the beef producer and the consumer:

Over the past several decades

there has been a trend for bigger

framed and more muscled cattle.

This has been driven by improved

genetics, better nutrition, and the

producers trying to be more profita-

ble. The end result is creating bigger

carcasses. The average carcass

has increased by 350 pounds and is

now over 900 pounds. The average

ribeye is over 15 square inches. The

consumer, based on average serv-

ing size and the cost they are willing

to pay, wants a ribeye closer to 12

square inches.

Another issue for the retailer is

the larger retail cuts don’t fit in the

standard serving trays. To solve this

problem and meet the consumer’s

demands, retailers are cutting steaks

thinner and removing parts of the

traditional retail cuts to fall in line

with what the consumer is willing to

buy.

Continued on page 6…

Farm Tech Days!

The 2018 Wisconsin Farm Tech-

nology Days, Wisconsin’s premier

agricultural technology show, was

held July 10-12 at D&B Sternweis

Farm and Weber's Farm Store -

Heiman Holsteins in Marshfield, WI.

The operations is a 450-cow dairy

farm, milk processing and bottling

facility that offers farm-fresh milk to

consumers.

Wisconsin Farm Technology

Days is the largest agricultural show

in Wisconsin and one of the largest

in the nation. The three day event

comprised of more than 600 exhibi-

tors, included activities for almost

every interest with farm tours, field

demonstrations, and much more.

Check out pictures and virtual

tours on Wisconsin Farm Technolo-

gy Days Facebook page at https://

www.facebook.com/FTD2018.

The Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Beef

Tent housed 13 different cattle

breeds as well as exhibits of cattle-

related products. A steady stream of

visitors viewed TEK Cattle’s cow-calf

pair and an impressive GLBGA dis-

play hosted by Terry and Karlyn

Etheridge, TEK Cattle, Eau Claire,

WI. The display was an inviting stop

for many people interested in learn-

ing more about the breed, which pro-

vided ample opportunity for the

Etheridge’s to educate attendees on

the characteristics and attributes of

the breed, and distribute GLBGA and

the Belted Galloway Society publica-

tions.

Plans are well underway for next

year’s show, so mark your calendars

for the 2019 Wisconsin Farm Tech-

nology Days, hosted by Walter Grain

Farms in Johnson Creek, WI 53038

on July 23 – 25, 2019.

Summer 2018

Issue 105

www.greatlakesbeltie.com

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A GREAT Great

Lakes Field Day!

Over 90 Beltie breeders/

enthusiasts kicked off the day at

Kathi Jurkowski's Klover Korners

Farm in Rockton, IL. Starting off

with Barb Beeler's famous bis-

cuits and gravy with duck butt

muffins from Double B Farms/

restaurant. How lucky is the

group to have John Hamm and

Mary from Wisconsin River Meats

come to grill both lunch and our

evening steak fry? Thanks John

and Mary! At Klover Korners eve-

ryone walked around the farm

and saw new and old ideas. Reid

Suddeth did a grooming clinic

and then our very own past BYG

member, Ross Fogle, critiqued a

pen of heifers. After the judging

contest, Doc Vic did a tattoo

demo and Kathi talked about hair

rings on bulls.

We jumped on the bus with

our driver Gus and a 7-car cara-

van to begin our Tour De Farms

trip. First stop was Julie and Terry

Willis, Sunnybrook Farm. The

attendees could view their gener-

ational breeding program and

show string.

The third stop was Mark, Cara

and Jake Keller’s Oak Valley

Farm. Here the group walked out

into the Keller’s beautiful pasture

and pond to view their big herd of

Belties.

We then headed up to the

final stop at Barb and Dan

Beeler’s farm. They had just in-

stalled a new wood fire pizza ov-

en so they fired up "Beltie

Cheese Burger Pizzas” just for

us. Thank you all for hosting the

group!

Big thanks to our buddy, Jerry

Stephens from Uphill Farm in

New York, he came all that way

and did a fantastic job as our auc-

tioneer. Hugs to Andy LeMaistre

who came all the way from

Maine. Kudos to the kids for

providing us with live entertain-

ment during our dinner. Ashley

and Jennifer Lohmann played on

their keyboard and sang. Then

Kathi's own granddaughter, Madi-

son Lopata played guitar and

sang. GLBGA would like to thank

everyone for coming and for

bringing/buying items from the

auction to support our Area 5

BYG juniors.

President Terry Willis Phone: (815) 547-6912 sbfarms@hotmail.com Vice President Clete Kirschbaum Phone (262) 477-1155 clete@kfamilyfarm.com Treasurer Terry Etheridge Phone: (715) 835-4043 tekcattle@yahoo.com Secretary Karen Kirschbaum

Phone (262) 477-1155

Board Members Jon Fowler Phone: (812) 343-4959 beechwoodfarms@gmail.com Charles Landeck Phone: (763) 682-1197 clandeck@msn.com Jay Dausman Phone: (574) 594-5722 jaydausman@hotmail.com Eric Finholdt Phone: (507) 451-0602 finholdtfarms@gmail.com James Wilkerson Phone: (515) 993-3621 wilkerson@prairienre.net

Directors At Large

Scott Lohmann

Phone: (319) 985-2383

hilandoaks@gmail.com

Public Relations Director & Editor Kathi Jurkowski Phone: (815) 629-2306 kathikowski@gmail.com Publisher Lazy J Designs, Jayde Farbo Phone (815) 997-4171

lazyjdesignco@gmail.com

Officers & Board Members

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MOST Important

Nutrient? WATER

As told by BEEF Magazine,

cows need plenty of water to get

them and their calves through the

summer heat. Most cattle produc-

ers fully understand the im-

portance of water. After all,

providing an adequate supply of

fresh and clean water is the cor-

nerstone of animal husbandry.

The old rule of thumb is that

cattle should consume 1 to 2 gal-

lons of water per 100 pounds of

body weight. But, intake is influ-

enced by a number of different

factors: ambient temperature,

moisture and salt content of the

diet, body weight, lactation, etc.

Figure 1 summarizes the daily

water requirements of beef cows

of several different body weights,

milk production levels and ambi-

ent temperatures (Adapted from

Spencer, 2016).

A question that often comes

up related to water is: “How much

water will my tank hold?” The

capacity of a circular stock tank

may be calculated using the

equation below. Circular tank ca-

pacity, gallons =

[3.14 x radius2 (inches) x depth

(inches)]/231

Using this formula, a 12-foot

stock tank with 24-inch sides

would hold 1,691 gallons of wa-

ter, which is enough water for

approximately 85, 1,300-pound

lactating beef cows producing 25

pounds of milk per day on 90°F

day.

Another question that often

follows is how much tank access

is required for a given number of

cows. A minimum of 15 inches of

linear trough space per head is

recommended and at least 10%

of the animals in the pasture

should be able to drink from the

tank at once if the distance to the

tank is relatively close.

In a larger pasture, where cat-

tle are traveling longer distances

to water, providing linear trough

space for 30% of the animals in

the pasture is suggested to allow

more animals to access the tank

at once and avoid over-crowding.

The circumference of a round

stock tank may be calculated us-

ing the equation below.

Circular tank circumference inch-

es = 3.14 x diameter (inches)

A 12-foot diameter round stock

tank (144 inches) provides 452

linear inches of drinking space,

and would provide drinking space

for a maximum of 30 head (15

inches per head).

As we can see by working

through these calculations, the

amount of linear drinking space

provided by a tank, rather than

capacity or volume of the tank,

often determines the number of

tanks required for a pasture or

grazing site.

New Member Spotlight: The Bennett Family

Establishing in 1997, the Ben-

nett Family has been in the farm-

ing business for over 20 years

near Sidney, Ohio. Like many

others, Mark and Terrie Bennett

were attracted to the Beltie breed

because of their small frame size

and ability to gain and maintain

on a grass-fed diet. In addition to

Belted Galloway cattle, the Ben-

nett’s also raise chickens, hay,

vegetables and fruit.

The Bennett Family’s goal

with their Belted Galloway opera-

tion is to raise 100% grass-fed,

non-GMO and organic cattle of

which are healthy and an excel-

lent beef product for consumers.

The Bennett Family can be con-

tacted at dieseldo-

bro@gmail.com.

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Champion Purebreed Steer Lauren Kirsbaum & Sunnybrook Farms

Reserve Champion Purebreed Steer Liz & Jay Dausman & Sunnybrook Farms

Grand Champion Purebreed heifer Blake Hadden

Res. Grand Champion Purebreed heifer SunnyBrook Farms

Congratulations

Grand Champion Appendix heifer Jennifer Lohmann & Hiland Oaks Farm

Grand Champion Cow/Calf Pair Lauren Kirschbaum

Grand Champion Appendix Steer Henry Dwyer

Res. Champion Appendix Steer Jennifer Lohmann & Hiland Oaks Farm

Grand Champion Bull Sunnybrook Farms

Exhibitors & Breeders!

Res. Grand Champion Purebreed heifer Lane Rahe

The Midwest Classic 2018 had 12 farms from 5

states exhibiting 46 head on June 30, 2018. It was a

very warm day, but everyone had a great time. The fol-

lowing exhibitors presented a high quality set of Belties

for judge Greg May, Mineral Point WI to choose from:

Countyline Belties Pierceton IN, Crooked Creek Cattle

Co Larwell, IN, Erin LaKamp New Berlin, IL, Hadden

Farms, Jacksonville, IL, Hiland Oaks, Sperry, IA, K & E

Wilkerson Farmstead, Adel, IA, Kat O Farms, Rockville,

IN, Kirschbaum Family Farm, Kewaskun, WI, N Kids

Farm, Dexter, MI, Quarter Moon Cattle Co, Atkinson,IL,

Rahe Family Belties, Chapin, IL., Sunnybrook Farms,

Belvidere, IL.

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2019 High Steaks Carcass

Contest

By John Hamm

Get your steers ready! The

High Steaks Carcass Contest is

being held in conjunction with the

2019 GBLGA Field Days on June

8-10, 2019. This event will be the

second championship for Belted

Galloway carcasses ever held.

There will be two divisions: Grain

fed and Grass fed.

We want to make sure this is

a world class event, so we are

offering some serious cash

awards. The prizes are $500 for

first, $250 for second and $125

for third along with bragging

rights within the society. The

event has sparked quite a bit of

interest. The entry rules and

forms are available on the Belted

Galloway website under the

Events Calendar or on the

GLBGA website in the upcoming

events section at the bottom of

the main page. GLBGA reserves

the right to prorate premiums

based on the number of entries.

Entries should be postmarked

by May 15, 2019. Entries are

limited. Steer Check in will be on

Monday June 4, 2019 from 8 am

to 5 pm and Tuesday June 5,

2019 from 7 am to 9 pm. If you

are coming or hauling in early,

your beef can be held and rested

at my farm, Wisconsin River

Farm or at one of several other

GLBGA farms.

Beef will be slaughtered on

June 5th. On June 7th, the beef

will be evaluated by a UW Exten-

sion livestock specialist according

to meat industry standards. Dur-

ing the field day events the beef

carcasses will be available for

viewing and the prizes awarded.

As part of the tour Belted beef

tasting will take place.

“If I enter the contest what will

I do with my beef?” Contestants

will have several options. Wiscon-

sin River Meats can prepare your

beef for you. If prior arrange-

ments are made, Wisconsin River

Meats will have your beef pro-

cessed to your specifications,

frozen and ready to go home with

you on Sunday. We will open our

store on that day for you to pick

up your beef. You also can

leave it hang longer and pick it up

at a later date.

Another option you will have, if

you act early, will be to market

your steer to Wisconsin River

Meats. Wisconsin River Meats

will buy grain fed Belted steers

that grade select or choice. We

will pay for them at the Wisconsin

market price for the hot hanging

weight. You can call John at any

time for current market prices.

The “High Steaks Carcass

Contest” will be on outstanding

opportunity to see how your

steers stack up against the best

of our breed and a chance to

make a name for yourself and

your farm. This is a chance to

earn some serious bragging

rights as well as being an im-

portant part of our 2019 GLBGA

Field Days.

If you have any questions

about the “High Steaks Carcass

Contest 2019” feel free to call or

email me:

john@wisconsinrivermeats.com

or call 608-847-7413. If you are

considering entering the carcass

contest please let us know right

away. We are trying to get an

idea of how many potential steers

will be entered so we can make

plans.

Keys to Cattle Structure

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PM Continued…..

Retailers are not educating the

consumer on how to prepare

these thinner steaks or the partial

cuts of meat. So the consumer

using their standard cooking

methods are having a bad eating

experience. This is causing them

to move away from beef to other

species.

Figures show in the last 10

years beef consumption dropped

by 10% and beef’s per capita

share going from 45% to 25%. It

is not likely beef producers will

stop producing these larger car-

casses unless there is some ma-

jor premiums offered to produce

the smaller carcass size.

The solutions being offered by

the beef industry is to better edu-

cate the consumer on how to pre-

pare these newer and thinner

cuts of beef. This is a good idea,

but I have much better solution:

Belted Galloway Beef. We need

to brand and market our beef and

its advantages. Just to name a

few:

• We have the “correct” car-

cass size that produces the

right size retail cuts the con-

sumer wants.

• We have equal to or better

meat quality.

• We produce this product

more efficiently on less or no

grain.

The Great Lakes Board has

Have you Herd?

Rachel and Nowell (Fogle) Moore

are expecting a baby boy on No-

vember 20th, 2018! Congrats!

Barb and Dan Beeler delivered

Klover Korners’ Johnny Cash Bull

with Kathi to Tommy Thompson’s

place in Elroy, WI! Yes, that is

right… the 42nd Governor! Tom-

my was busy in Washington D.C.

but the bull delivery group was

able to tour their farms. Sherri

Shultz and her husband were

wonderful hosts as the herdsman

family for the former governor!

“One of the best things about owning Belties is the

people that I have met!”

formed a Marketing Committee

and tasked them to investigate,

gather information, and put to-

gether some marketing ideas that

its members can use to help them

promote Beltie Beef. Watch our

website and Facebook page for

future developments.

I hope you can make it to

some of our upcoming events.

There will be a live Beltie Auction

again this year at NAILE. Think

about putting one of your top ani-

mals in the sale, what better way

to promote your breeding pro-

gram.

Welcome these New Members!

Mark Bennett

Bennett Family Farms

4367 State Rd 29E

Sidney, OH 45365

Mary Nachreinger

Bear Creek Organics

E3348 Kessnich Rd

Plain WI 53577

Katrina Overton

Kat O Farms

7105 E HWY 36

Rockville, IN 47872

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Great Lakes Belted Galloway Association

112 West Hill St.

Blanchardville, WI 53516

Calendar of Events June 7th-9th, 2019

High $teaks Carcass Contest August 3-19

Indiana State Fair August 9-19

Illinois State Fair September 28-30

World Beef Expo

FARM TECH

DAYS Fun!