Iowa State Fair – Nothing Compares!

Where can you and one million of your closest friends, go to see thousands of sheep, pigs, cattle and goats; a cow made of butter, and eat nearly anything you can imagine, on a stick? I would have struggled with this answer a few years ago, but since meeting and marrying an Iowan, I can confidently answer – The Iowa State Fair!

Growing up in Canada, the “State Fair” was not a totally foreign concept to me.  We lived close enough to the North Dakota border that friends often traveled to Minot for their state fair, mostly to take in the grand stand shows, as there seemed to be excellent entertainment every year. I personally had never attended, as that fair was always the same weekend as our local 4-H show and town’s fair. It wasn’t until I was in my 20’s that I attended my first State Fair in Iowa and haven’t missed one since.

To those with an appreciation for agriculture and youth activities, the Iowa State Fair is a must-see. Thousands of 4-H and FFA chapter members descend on the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines for 10 days of competition, camaraderie and corn dogs. To give you an idea of what entries are like for the youth livestock competitions at the State Fair, I pulled together some exhibitor numbers for you:

FFA Beef Cattle – 366

FFA Dairy Cattle – 121

FFA Dairy Goats – 31

FFA Horse – 265

FFA Meat Goats – 143

FFA Sheep – 970

FFA Swine – 1521

4-H Beef Cattle – 1003

4-H Dairy Cattle – 400

4-H Dairy Goat – 137

4-H Horse – 299

4-H Meat Goat – 361

4-H Sheep – 1731

4-H Swine - 1694

These numbers represent exhibitors, so just think of the number of animals shown by these kids. The numbers above are staggering and don’t even include the open show exhibitors.

In addition to the youth livestock exhibits, the Iowa State Fair boasts competitions ranging from the Biggest Boar, to the Super Bull to the Biggest Ram; not to mention the turkey calling, mom-calling and fiddling contests! I can hardly do justice to the extent of all there is to see at the fair in my short blog post, but invite you to experience it in person.

The fair this year runs August 11^th – 21^st in Des Moines, Iowa. Our kids will be showing lambs in the FFA and 4-H sheep shows. The girls show on Thursday, the 11^th and Jack shows on Monday, the 15^th. The girls’ sheep will be getting baths and “hair-cuts” tonight, in order for their trip to town tomorrow. Oh yeah, I think we also have a veterinarian visit to arrange, in order to get health certificates for entry to the show. I sure hope Mark found a GlobalVetLINK, participating veterinarian to issue those health papers!

Fair Time!

Those of you who don't know me personally, may have wondered why I included "sheep" in the title of my blog. Even those of you who know me from years ago, may wonder, why I included "sheep" in the title of my blog. Sure, I work in the veterinary industry, so that is a tie to the woolly little creatures, but read on to learn more about my personal stake in the sheep business.

I grew up a farm-girl in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. There, I was active in 4-H, the Manitoba Junior Angus Association and the Canadian Junior Angus Association. It wasn't until my involvement in the cattle business led me to my husband and my life in Iowa that I became involved in the sheep business. My husband (Mark), also a born and raised farm kid, grew up on an Angus farm, however, he also raised purebred Suffolk sheep.

Our paths in life have led us away from the farms, but we've been fortunate to stay involved in the agriculture industry, me with my job at GlobalVetLINK and my husband as the managing partner of the CUP Lab (centralized ultrasound processing). Although we no longer live on a farm, we still believe in the values and lessons that can be learned from involvement with livestock projects through 4-H and FFA. It is for this reason we've given our kids the opportunity to be involved with sheep.

I will admit, the sheep thing was foreign to me. There really weren't any sheep shows or even many sheep flocks where I was from. But, once I convinced myself to see them as miniature steers, I started to develop my eye for lambs. I must say, they are pretty fun little animals, and great for kids to show.

Our county fair lamb show was yesterday so I'd like to take this opportunity to do a little bragging about the great job the kids did. I'm entitled, right? It's my blog! We took 10 head to town, between the three kids that are of age to show. It was hot and it was humid. It's Iowa in July, so we expect nothing less. We were so proud of the job the kids did showing their lambs. We live in one of the toughest counties in Iowa for sheep shows, so were very happy to come home with a couple seconds, a bunch of thirds and a whole lot of purple ribbons. Even better than the ribbons was the time we got to spend with the kids at the show. With all the hustle and bustle of daily life, juggling 4 kids, baseball, soccer, dance, sheep, school, the list goes on and on; the sheep are an activity we can all enjoy together.

I am thankful for the time and effort my parents put forth to allow me to be involved in 4-H and the junior cattle activities. I realize the opportunities these activities presented for me and the life lessons I learned. My hope is that we can provide some piece of that for Morgan, Madeline, Jack and Chloe through their involvement with sheep.

My entry into the world of blogging...

Well, here it goes! My very first blog post. Many of the marketing books and articles I've been reading encourage the use of blogs. Since I hold a Marketing Coordinator position, I feel it's important to stay current with all types of marketing outlets, including social media.

If you've already read my Profile, you'll know that I work for a company called GlobalVetLINK, or GVL for short. I've been with the company for nearly 4 years now, holding positions including Customer Support, Sales and Marketing Project Specialist, and most currently, Marketing Coordinator.

Our company offers online software to veterinarians for creating and distributing digital paperwork, such as Coggins and health certificates. For those unfamiliar with the veterinary world, a "Coggins" certificate is proof that a horse has been tested for Equine Infectious Anemia. Regulations differ from state to state, but proof of this test is often required when transporting horses. Health certificates, or more correctly - Certificates of Veterinary Inspection, are issued by veterinarians as proof that they have inspected an animal or group of animals prior to shipment. We offer these products, plus others, to veterinarians across the country.

Through my blog, I plan to keep you up-to-date on the happenings at GVL, share veterinary industry news and mix it up with some personal experiences and stories. I hope you enjoy!