Keepin’ them fresh!

By: Miles Toenyes, National Support Specialist

August 2021

I’m sure that, for some, the summer has just flown by — and for some others, the clock is ticking slow! If you’re like me, then it’s “go, go, go,” all day every day. Honestly, I get to moving so fast that I fall into a routine of feeding my animals and sometimes forget to count the days to my target end show — and BAM! Before I know it, I’m 60, 40, 30 days out to a show and realizing, “Man, I need to be feeding these projects a little different to make sure they look right for the right show.”

CATTLE: I know how important the fall season is for so many of you. There are a few big shows in the fall and winter that we like to participate in, and it’s certainly tough sometimes to continue the right feed management, as we pushed hard to get to the state fair and look quality but now need to switch things up and tone back down to get ready for these fall shows.

A few years ago, we started offering a new feed called Show-Rite HF, and it was designed to do exactly what we wanted to accomplish: basically, to keep the cattle in a similar condition and help them stay “fresh” after the state fair. This feed went on to be included in the pans of nine breed champion females in the junior show that fall at the North American International Livestock Expo (NAILE) and several steers, including the grand champion at Denver! It’s a high-fiber, low- energy diet that keeps cattle big-bodied, full and fresh while also maintaining consistency with how they looked in the previous months. We love to accompany this feed with Show-Rite Stretch and Show-Rite Rite Fiber. How much should you feed? Call Miles Toenyes or Dave Guyer; we’d be glad to help.

PIGS: So often, we take a young gilt to a show in August, and we say, “I’m taking her to Kansas City or Louisville,” so we keep feeding as we have been, because she’s a gilt — and we forget that we need to keep her fresh! Or maybe we have a barrow we’d like to hold on for a while to get him to our target goal. We feed a ton of pigs at home throughout the year, and I truly believe in the Show-Rite lineup. Show-Rite has the tools that it takes to “hold” projects back while looking like they aren’t being held at all!

One big piece of advice I have is to limit the amount that you actually feed your pigs but to keep water in front of them. Along with a limited amount of feed, I use

SHEEP & GOATS: This advice comes via our show sheep and goat specialist, Cooper Newcomb. What I will tell you is that a successfully held animal is one that is kept in top-notch shape. Success in a holding situation is the result of being very particular about what your projects eat and maintaining a very disciplined exercise routine. With that being said, I would recommend exercising your lamb a little harder and increasing the protein in their diet a bit while decreasing their Newco Lamb Feed to a pound or less per feeding. I leave them on Rite Tyme nearly all the way through holding while also adding half a pound of Star Shine and half a pound of Sculpt per day. Star Shine is one of my favorite products for holding, as it allows them to freshen up without losing all that you put in over the last 30 to 90 days. Additionally, Sculpt helps harden their muscle and keeps them from developing internal fat in their chest and breastbone.

With all of these high-protein supplements, you may risk your project getting a little but too lean, but at least they will look athletic. If they do get too skinny, go back to Muscle-In-Motion, which has a higher fat content, and feed it at a rate of up to half a pound per day. This product will help your lamb or goat handle well and look extremely fresh.

Now remember: The amount of each supplement that you feed should be determined individually for each animal, as every animal is different. Also, using these supplements doesn’t mean that we can make a miracle happen. It still takes exercise and conditioning to get your animal in top shape. Please feel free to call any of your Show-Rite reps for assistance!

For more tips on how to be successful in the show ring, please visit www.showrite.com or contact a Show-Rite representative.