2020 RVC Insights Fall Wtih Edits copy 20 pages - Flipbook - Page 14
Shortly after the phone call, Michael, Jessica, and Ruby left to get
the calf while Rodney did chores,
and Rowdy fed Pixie, Dixie, and Trixie
their bottles. By the time the family
returned with the calf, it had shredded two bags of bedding in the back
of their SUV from bucking and kicking so hard. Rowdy said he quickly
realized that she would be hard to
break on bottles, having been on her
mom for a while.
Toward the end of May, the Henry
County Fair announced the decision
to move to a virtual fair, as did Rock
Island and Mercer counties. A virtual
show was something new for all the
4-H kids, including Rowdy, but something to look forward to, and it would
still be a way to showcase all of his
accomplishments with Fancy.
To enter Fancy in the virtual show,
Rowdy was required to submit a video of himself leading Fancy in a circle
“This calf was the craziest one we
wearing her halter. He also provided
had ever had,” said Rowdy, while
a slide show with pictures and the
shaking his head. He explained they story of Fancy. Rowdy deservingly
usually get calves within hours of be- received high praise from the judges
ing born, but this one, having been
on his presentation, and he was
with her mom for a while, didn’t
thrilled to learn that he and Fancy
want anything to do with them. After had earned a championship award.
putting her in a small pen outside, it
was time for her first feeding. RodRowdy plans to keep Fancy for
ney tightly held the uncooperative
a year and will then show her as a
calf, and Ruby kept its mouth open,
yearling at next year’s fair. After that,
allowing Rowdy to get the bottle in.
even though he knows it will be
Rowdy gently rubbed the calf’s neck tough, he will return Fancy to the
to calm her down while holding the farmer to join his herd.
bottle, a technique he learned in
a 4-H class on how to raise bucket
When asked his final thoughts
calves.
about the whole virtual fair experience, Rowdy answered, “I know why
The family spent a lot of extra time we had to do a virtual show, but
with the wild calf, trying to make her virtual showing is not as fun as the
feel welcome. They fed her three bot- real thing, especially when I had such
tles a day and worked with her even a cool cow. I am thankful I had this
longer at night than at lunch and
experience with Fancy, but I really
breakfast. Rowdy happily reported,
would have liked to tie a hairy one
“Within 28 hours, we had her tamed right up next to all the Angus and
down pretty good.”
such.”
Now that the calf was settling
in, it was time to give her a name.
Through a lot of family deliberation,
she went from Reba, for her red hair,
to Fancy, a name that suits her very
well.
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