Random facts about agriculture abound throughout the Nebraska State Fairgrounds at Fonner Park. From the Raising Nebraska exhibit to the livestock barns to the birthing pavilion, the more than 350,000 people who visit the State Fair annually have access to a wealth of information about agriculture.
More than 60 food vendors are spread out across the fairgrounds, but much of that food starts out as critters one can see at the livestock barns — whether it be beef, pork, poultry, rabbits, sheep or goats. In those livestock barns, visitors can learn about animal husbandry and the different breeds — whether it be the most prolific dairy cow in the U.S., the Holstein, or the mother of all cows, Braunvieh cattle, which may be the oldest breed of cattle known and one that can be both a dairy and beef breed.
Jim Mueller has been the superintendent of the open class sheep show at the Nebraska State Fair for many years.
“When you come to the fair, what do you come to the fair for?” Mueller said. “You come here to learn some things. Things you didn’t know before.”
Mueller said growing up on a farm, people have memories of agriculture. But coming to the Nebraska State Fair can help people better understand the generational changes that have transformed Nebraska farms and ranches.
“You can see how the animals have changed, as we have more breeds than we have ever had before because of the genetics we have nowadays,” he said.
In Nebraska, about two-thirds of its people live in the state’s large cities, such as Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue and Grand Island. While farms and ranches become larger and fewer in number, Nebraska’s 4-H program continues to grow, drawing young people from the urban areas.
One of the fastest growing areas of livestock are the smaller animals, such as sheep, goats, rabbits and poultry that more and more 4-H’ers are showing at their county fairs and the State Fair.
Nebraska State Fair officials are starting to feel the pressure of those growing numbers when it comes to having enough space for those rapidly expanding shows. Mueller said that’s also true with the open class shows.
“It’s people who have a hobby or have a liking and want to learn more about it and do better themselves,” Mueller said. “There is competition, but a lot of people challenge themselves on how can they make it better.”
Throughout the livestock barns there are signs informing the public what to watch for when judging a hen, pig, sheep or cow during a competition in the show ring. “It is education,” Mueller said, whether it’s the livestock competitors or the general viewing public.
One of the more popular breeds of sheep at the fair, Mueller said, is the Rambouillet.
“It has been a real hit,” he said. “Everybody and their brother will come and stare at him because he has those big horns. I don’t know if anybody in the state of Nebraska has ever seen one of these before. I come in here at midnight to do chores and there are still people here staring at him.”
Over in the Dairy Barn is Roger Henrichs of Blue Springs, who is the fair’s dairy superintendent.
“We have all seven breeds of dairy animals here,” he said. “We give milking demonstrations five times a day and we talk to people and we try to educate them about the dairy industries.”
Henrichs said one of the most popular questions he gets from the public is, “Why are dairy cattle so bony?”
“It is really rather simple compared to a beef cow,” he said. “With dairy cattle, we are trying to get every pound of milk out of her that we can get. She is also developing a new calf in her at the same time. They are under a lot of stress and they eat and drink more than a beef cow.”
To illustrate that point, one of the information signs in the Dairy Barn area tells the visitor that a dairy cow can drink up to 30 gallons of water per day, which is enough to fill up a typical bathtub. That water is needed because during her lifetime, she will produce 200,000 glasses of milk.
Henrichs said one of the more popular things people learn about a dairy cow is her milk vein.
“It is really a blood vein,” he said. “To produce one gallon of milk, that animal has to pump around 500 gallons of blood through the udder. Then you figure that a cow is giving 10 gallons of milk per day — just think about how much blood has to circulate in that udder.”
Henrichs said he likes visiting with the public to tell them about the dairy industry in Nebraska. One of the questions he gets from the kids, sometimes, is which of the breeds gives the chocolate milk.
“Sometimes we like to play with them and tell them it’s the brown cow,” Henrichs said.
By: Robert Pore
Source: The Grand Island Independent
Link: http://www.theindependent.com/news/state_fair/nebraska-state-fair-tells-the-story-of-livestock-agriculture/article_1f4799e4-8f61-11e7-b965-83d26eeb3b91.html
