April/May 2005 Issue (pdf - 8938 kb)... - Hereford America

April/May 2005 HEREFORD AMERICA • 21
North Dakota’s Baumgarten Teens Shine
By Linda Sailer
Reprinted from Ag Review
32 nd Annual Production Sale
Monday, April 18, 2005
1:00 PM MDT at the ranch
Directions: 35 miles SE of Rapid City on HWY 44
or 6 miles NW of Scenic on HWY 44
Lunch to be served at noon Free Delivery up to 300 miles
Selling:
41 Bulls & 5 Heifers
6 Hereford Bulls
35 Angus Bulls
5 Angus Replacement Heifers
• All bulls are performance tested with
light to moderate birth weights
• Fertility tested
• Scrotal measurements and weights
will be available day of sale
Catalogs upon request
Visitors Always Welcome!
F.M. & Joyce Jensen (605) 993-6541
24347 173rd Ave. • Caputa, SD 57725
Mike & Jodie Lehrkamp
(605) 993-6171
17280 E HWY 44 • Caputa, SD 57725
Belfield’s April and Jake Baumgarten
spend countless hours preparing their
Hereford animals for show competition.
Their hard work was rewarded during the
North Dakota State Fair in Minot when
they each won top awards.
April won a champion ribbon, while Jake
won a reserve champion ribbon in the 4-
H Hereford beef show. The ribbons are
added to their collection of other awards
with two heifers and one steer, Goldie,
Princess and Buddrow.
Buddrow was named Grand Champion
steer at the North Dakota Junior Point
Show in Minot, the North Dakota Junior
Hereford Field Day in Williston and the
Stark-Billings Achievement Days. The
steer also received Reserve Champion
honors at the Bowman County Fair.
Goldie picked up the Reserve Champion
heifer ribbon. Princess was named Reserve
Champion heifer at the Junior Beef
Expo in Williston.
April is a sophomore and Jake is a freshman
at Belfield High School. Their parents
are Rolland and Tama Baumgarten,
who raise registered Hereford beef on a
farm nine miles southeast of Belfield.
The students are the third generation of
Baumgartens to compete at cattle shows.
They watched their parents show animals
and learned more tips through membership
in the Silver Spurs 4-H Club.
“Getting a champion to state, you
have to feed a certain diet. We walk
them about one or two miles every
day to keep them in shape. We want
their muscles to stay firm,” said
April.
She said the judges look for definition
of muscle, structural correctness,
how they walk and stand
and overall appearance.
“You have to be a good showman
to win,” she said.
The younger Baumgartens entered
state fair competition for the
first time this year. They enjoyed
the competition and learned other
tips for producing a winner.
“It’s fun. I like to travel to shows
around the state,” she said.
Jake Baumgarten has competed
since age 9. As a 4-H member he’s
interested in woodworking, horticulture
and grain production. He
also plays high school football. Of
all the activities, showing Herefords for
competition is his favorite activity.
“I like going out there. When you win it
feels good,” he said.
Tama Baumgarten was delighted about
their state fair success.
“They go out every single morning to
feed the animals. They rinse and brush
them. They tie them up under fans all day
to make sure their hair grows,” she said.
Lot 10P - J&L Elixir 10P
BW +2.5 WW +43 YW +77 Adj. 205-wt.
739
Lot 25P - J&L Focus 25P
BW -0.9 WW +40 YW +75 Adj. 205-wt.
652
Lot 49P - J&L Precision 49P
BW +1.4 WW +45 YW +83 Adj. 205-wt.
726
email:
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Jake and April Baumgarten with Goldie, Buddrow and Princess.
“In the evening, they feed them again.
They rinse and brush them. They walk
them about a mile every day. This starts
in April and goes until the fair.”
Tama added, “You have to put in time
to make their hair grow. The other animals
are doing the same thing. It’s a hard
thing in the summer. People stick a lot of
money into their animals. People put their
steers into coolers. Our kids have to use a
hose and brush.”
Rolland and Tama said their animals are
all home raised. They have competed at
Denver’s National Western Stock Show
six of the past seven years. One year they
won first place with a pen of yearling bulls.
“I tell the kids to watch what other
people are doing. You learn and experiment
with different things to make them
look right,” she said.
Tama said children learn responsibility
when they show animals. “If you don’t
take care of the animal they get sick. They
learn sportsmanship, too. They learn
they’re not always going to win,” she said.
The family is already looking at the
spring crop of heifers for the upcoming
year. The first show is the October Ag
Expo in Dickinson. It’s the animal’s first
appearance in a show ring. By next spring,
they walk the ring without any sign of
nervousness.
“The steer was so relaxed, so proud of
himself. He walked with his head up high.
He was easy to show. That doesn’t happen
that often,” she said.
Tama said any prize money is used to
cover expenses. April and Jake each purchased
a heifer last fall. The Baumgartens
are partial to Herefords.
“Herefords have always been a breed
that’s on top. The breed adds pounds for
you. You don’t need black to sell in the
ring,” she said.
Tama said the showing of animals is not
a profitable venture. “It’s more of an advertising
tool to show your cattle. People
get an idea of what you’re trying to produce,”
she said. “It’s not for the money.
Basically, its to be with our family. We do
everything together when we show
cattle.”
The Baumgartens are members of the
North Dakota Hereford Association,
which helps to market the breed. They
also hold a production sale in February in
conjunction with Troy and Peg Perman.
Hereford Bulls For Sale at Private Treaty
2 Year Olds — Fall Yearlings
Complete Performance Information
EPDs • Ultrasound Carcass Data
Fertility Tested • Top Quality
Natural thickness with extra muscle.
Melcher’s Herefords, Inc.
86288 Voyager Rd.
Page, NE 68766
Call Don: (402) 626-7994