The Kelvington 4-H Beef Club hosted its annual achievement day on June 5 at the home of Richard and Mindy Niezgoda.
The club consists of three Cloverbuds: Hannah Perron, Kendra Ewen and Amber Spray; junior, Shen Perron; intermediate, Bradley Elmy, and five seniors, John Ake, Dana Balaski, Kelsey Elmy, Nathan Niezgoda and Dustin Spray, said Kelsey Elmy, a club member.
"We also invited two other members from the Leross Multiple 4-H Beef Club, Sheena and Shandra Moxham, to join us for the day."
The judges for the day were Rory Paskell, accompanied by his daughters, Melissa and Kayley Paskell, all from Hudson Bay.
Judging market steers was the first event of the day. This consisted of bringing three steers into the pen where the members had 20 minutes to be judged and ranked first, second or third.
All the Cloverbuds tied for first place. Shen Perron, junior member, and Bradley Elmy, intermediate, both placed first as well. At the senior level, first place with 100 per cent was Dana Balaski; in second place, with 99 per cent was a tie between Dustin Spray and Kelsey Elmy; in third place with 99 per cent was Nathan Niezgoda, and in fourth place, with 97 per cent was John Ake.
"In the grooming class, the judge looked for an animal that is clean, clipped and has been groomed to look its best," said Elmy. In the Cloverbud category, all three participants won first.
Shen Perron, junior, and Bradley Elmy, intermediate, both placed first.
In the senior category, John Ake won first; Dustin Spray, second; Kelsey Elmy, third; Nathan Niezgoda, fourth, and Dana Balaski, fifth.
The award for overall grooming was won by John Ake, followed by reserve grooming by Bradley Elmy.
In the heifer and cow and calf classes, the judge looks for a female that has good feet, udder development, and an animal that would make an overall producing cow, said Elmy. First place for heifer went to Nathan Niezgoda, and second, to Dana Balaski.
Kelsey Elmy received first in cow/calf pair, while the overall supreme female award was won by Nathan Niezgoda and the reserve female award was won by Kelsey Elmy.
In the fed calf class, the judge looks for a market steer that is finished and ready for slaughter, Elmy said. Brent Elmy was kind enough to supply his scale, so all the animals could be weighed.
Shen Perron won first in the junior class and Bradley Elmy won first in the intermediate class.
In the senior category, John Ake placed first; Dustin Spray, second; Kelsey Elmy, third; Dana Balaski, fourth, and Nathan Niezgoda, fifth.
The award for the grand champion fed calf was won by John Ake and the award for the reserve fed calf was won by Dustin Spray.
The final class of the day was showmanship. Showmanship takes place all day, Elmy said. The judge watches for a member who offers a helping hand to the younger members, always has a smile, and has control over his or her 4-H calf.
In the Cloverbud category, Hannah Perron, Kendra Ewen and Amber Spray all tied for first.
In the junior category, Shen Perron won first. Bradley Elmy placed first in the intermediate class. In the senior category, Nathan Niezgoda won first; Kelsey Elmy won second; Dana Balaski won third; Dustin Spray won fourth place, and John Ake placed fifth.
The overall showmanship award was won by Bradley Elmy and the award for reserve showmanship was won by Shen Perron.
"All the members enjoyed their day showing their animals with friends and family watching,” Elmy said. “The day concluded with everyone enjoying a delicious supper.”
