Fair Enough
Youths in the 4-H dairy feeder calf project will be purchasing their calves in March or April. The market for those animals was crazy last year and is expected to be pricey again this year. It's the same story for 4-H'ers in the beef project.
As the dairy industry continues to embrace beef-on-dairy genetics, the market is moving away from purebred animals and toward crossbreds. The question is, how will county fairs react? Some fairs have separate divisions for purebreds and crossbreds, while other fairs accept only purebreds.
For the 4-H'ers buying their animals this spring, how do they know the calf they buy is a purebred or a crossbred? There are some tell-tale signs to look for, such as white ears and a black tongue, but some crossbreds aren't as obvious.
When I was in 4-H, I showed a crossbred steer that looked like a Hereford, except for a few black hairs growing on the side of its ear. I could have easily trimmed those hairs and showed it as a Hereford, but that wouldn't have been honest. Some crossbreds are difficult to distinguish.
For dairy feeder calf exhibitors, the purchasing decision would be so much easier if 4-H'ers bought their animals directly from a breeder. While some 4-H'ers do that, many others buy theirs from one of the local auctions or from someone who buys calves and then resells them. Nearly gone from the scene are 4-H'ers who live on a dairy farm and show their own stock.
Four-H'ers should ask a lot of questions before buying their calf for the fair. Among those are: Is this a purebred calf? Do you have any proof that it's a purebred? Those two questions are the most important, but it pays to do your homework ahead of time and learn the distinguishing marks of a crossbred dairy calf. Remember, the seller doesn't usually care if the calves they sell are purebred or crossbred. The market is demanding more crossbred animals for beef, so you, the 4-H'er, might be the only person who cares if the animal is a purebred or crossbred. If you're buying your calf at an auction, be sure to go early and study the animals before they hit the auction block.
Another thing to keep in mind is that county fairs in this area have different rules. Some have a division for crossbreds while others do not. My opinion is that the 4-H program should mirror the market. There are some complications with that, of course. The most important issue is what standards to have. For example, it's possible that one youth might have a calf that is 99% beef and 1% dairy, while another youth might have a 50% cross of both beef and dairy. But this is not rocket science; 4-H officials should be able to come up with fair standards.
In my opinion, that would be much better than the current situation in which 4-H'ers buy a calf and then cross their fingers hoping that they picked a purebred.