It's Show time!



For two months, we have been caring for Baby Kozmo going to his stall at least two times a day....with many times the kids and I stopping by an extra time in the afternoons to make sure our calf and his stall mate had enough water on the hot summer days. Plus, we were never quite as rushed after our morning activities were over and we could spend more time brushing and taking him on a short walk. And now finally, the big day had arrived---the Bucket Calf show!!!!!

 

Kozmo after his bath.  All I could think was "please don't step in poop because
I just spent a lot of time cleaning your hoofs with some steel toothbrush contraption!





The mohawked tail.  We did this to show the straightline of his back (i think!) 
Koz also is sporting some hair gel to maintain the look.
Never thought I would style a cow mohawk!

 We woke up early so we could get Kozmo ready because we also had to get BunBun ready for his rabbit show!  Then we zipped back home to get out little cowgirl ready. 

My cowgirl

Then we raced back to the fairgrounds and thankfully, there was no poop on the hooves!  So far, so good! 

Feeding and watering Kozmo before the show.
This little guy doesn't like to go too long without food. 
He's a growing Holstein!

G1 participated in the rabbit show, which went a little long and was stressing me out, then we rushed back to Baby Kozmo and led him over to the show ring.  G1 was in the last group during the first show so she had to patiently wait while the other kids were being judged on their showmanship.  I understood this to be the judge looking at how well the kids controlled their cow and presented themselves.  Even if the cow was misbehaving, a kiddo could still potentially win if they kept their cool and acted confident.  G1 did a great job and Kozmo behaved really well.  G1 received a yellow ribbon (what I understand is that you can receive Gold, Bronze, or silver in this category) so she received the highest level award in this area, as did all the kids in her 4-H club.  And seriously, they all deserved it because they all did a fantastic job.

Getting ready to show Baby Kozmo

The judge went around and talked to each kiddo.  I really wish he would have been mic'd so we could hear his questions and the kid's responses.

Talking to the judge during
showmanship part of cow show

Next the kids were grouped into categories based on the weight of the calves.  G1 was again in the last category because Kozmo weighed in at 245 lbs which put him in the largest weight class (remember he started out at 104lbs...he gained the most weight in the entire 4-H club!!!) As far as I understand, the cow's were judge based upon their physical appearances and the qualities you look for in a "handsome" cow.  We knew Kozmo had grown a lot and we also knew he was a good looking cow.  Partly luck of the draw?  Most definitely yes.  But G1 had also put in a lot of work this summer making trips to the cow stall to make sure her cow had food.  She has brushed him a TON.  And she showered him with love.  You cannot tell me that didn't help him grow and flourish into such a good looking little guy.  And seriously, all the kids who were in the final running for this award were the kiddos who for the most part put in the most time with their animals.  It was not a coincidence in my opinion that these kiddos were doing so well.  We knew Kozmo had a good shot at winning the overall award for a "quality" cow because some people who knew about cows told us he was good looking!

Waiting for the "quality" part of the cow show

G1 went into the ring and the competition was tough.  Many of the kids had done such a good job caring for their cows and there were some sharp looking little heifers.  But in the end....Baby Kozmo was crowned the Grand Champion Bucket Calf in the quality division.

Grand Champion Bucket Calf
in the Quality division!

Congrats G1!!!!  We are so proud of all the hard work you put in this summer!  You gained so much confidence with working with your calf which I think has spilled over to other areas of your life.  You have also learned the value of working with and pitching in to help others, you listened to the suggestions of the older 4-H members who were helping you out, and you learned how to care for another animal and fill in and be his "mom." 

Grand Champion Bucket calf awards: a purple ribbon, a belt buckle, and a beer mug with a calf on it.