Project Monthly Updates

Wesley and Earls February update:

It’s been hard due to the weather. I have been working with him after school and once on the weekends. He’s getting better at walking and with setting up there’s been improvement. Right now he is being fed 18-20 pounds of feed, with hay, and clean water. He’s starting to shed his winter coat while maintaining a fluffy coat.

Karstin and Porcha February Update

Porcha is doing great! She recently went to her second show in Yuma, she did amazing! 3rd overall senior showman, 2nd in her prospect class and 1st in her breeding class against some amazing stock! She loves the rain and loves getting her hair worked! Also at the last show I helped teach one of my friends learn how to glue legs and fit a steer!

Wesley and Earl’s December Update:

I apologize for the late update, even with the recent weather I have been able to continue to work with my calf Earl, he is named from the movie “Cloudy and a Chance of Meatballs”. I have been able to keep him on a regular wash and rinse schedule. He is being fed between 18-20 pounds of grain as well as hay. He and I are starting to bond more, where I can walk him around the school farm and he walks easily. With the recent rain, I found out he loves the rain and to stand in it.

Karstin and Porscha aka Malibu Barbie

Monthly update:

Malibu Barbie is now called Porscha Because of her sassy attitude! Despite her sass she went to her first show and karstin and her placed 3rd overall senior showman, 2nd in prospect class and 4th overall breeding heifer! She was so good in the ring and karstin can’t wait to take her to more shows soon!

Karstin and Malibu Barbie quick update 1/4/2023

I just wanted to let you know Malibu is doing so awesome! I walk her everyday up and down the street she is getting used to walking into her show stance:) She loves getting her hair worked everyday as well! We are going to a show this weekend in Imperial county.

Karstin and Malibu Barbie update: 12/22/22

Just a few days in

Karstin text me that Barbie is doing great, she lets her put the halter with no problems and today when Karstin went to halter her, Barbie put her head into the halter. She loves the blower as well.

They seem to be clicking with each other well.

Karstin and Malibu Barbie 12/18/22

Well Karstin finally received her heifer today, it did not start out well, I went to put the halter on her to get her ready and she bent the corral panel trying to get away. When Karstin and her mom showed up to get her I stated I had some concerns. They said lets just see how it goes well after about an hour of bonding there was a huge swing in the heifers demeaner. She has decided to name her “Malibu Barbie”. The pictures will show the final results of an hour of bonding. Karstin has a challenge ahead of her but after watching her with Barbie I think she is the right person for the project. We have been so lucky with the young people who have received the scholarship, hard working dedicated young people who understand hard work equals success.

Zack and Otis November Update:

Otis is getting pretty big, he has become real comfortable with me and he is really starting to lead well. One of the other steers brought ringworm into the farm and all the steers now have it. I’m treating Otis and hopefully he will clear up soon. I rinse him at least 4 times a week but make sure I work with his hair daily, I also make sure to take him out and work on setting him up often. Our group had a practice on leading and setting up a week ago, he did well but we have work to do. Otis is eating 18 pounds of Showstring Champions Choice and 3 way grain hay.

Wesley and 212 November Update:

Over the past month I’ve hunkered down and realized that it’s gonna be a time consuming task but so far it’s been totally worth it. The steer is being housed at the school farm and he has another steer there to keep him company. I have been working with him for an hour or longer in the morning and spending time with him after school. I’ve learned how to brush it, tie it up, blow it, rinse, walk, and how to wash it. I am now feeding him 18 pounds of Purina honor show and Bermuda hay.

I have been getting him in the grooming chute twice a day and working on hair conditioning and growth. Currently he does not have a name, but I will have one by my next update. I have been learning how to manage the amount of feed being fed by looking at his bucket and pen.

Wesley Update from Mary Martineau:

As you know, last week, Curtis and I took Wesley to Indianapolis for the 95th National FFA Convention.

We had some time to visit the college and career expo. There were several feed companies there, and we encouraged Wesley to go speak to some of them to learn about cattle nutrition. He said it was extremely interesting! He leaned the difference between feeding a grower and a finisher as well as the importance of expanding the belly on an animal to give them a fuller appearance. Even through there were several feed companies there that don’t send their feeds out West, he still took the opportunity to learn about their feeds and why they use certain ingredients. Knowing that he was going to feed Purina, he made sure to spend some time there learning about their feeds.

While it wasn’t direct work with the steer, it was the chance for him to gain some knowledge on the future management of his steer!

October: We have delivered the steers to both Zack and Wesley, the heifer has not come yet for Karstin, she will be coming hopefully soon. Paul Calac took some time to go to Escondido High School Ag Farm and give a clinic on washing, combing and blowing out the steers for all the students with beef projects. He explained how you do it, why you do it and had each student participate, they all seemed to come away with something and I think it will really help the students and their animals.

August update:

One month before the applications for the heifer scholarship is due, we will also be doing a steer scholarship for youth in San Diego county applications are due on October 1st as well.

if you have any questions feel free to email text or call.

Kiara’s June, July Update

I had an amazing time at the San Diego County Fair and did extremely well with all of my animals. Both of my steers, Blake and Buddy received first place in each of their classes. I was so excited to have received 4H Champion Market Beef and honorable mention and it was an amazing experience being named Grand Champion overall with Blake. Bailey also received Supreme Champion of the Breeding Beef Show. I would like to thank everyone who came and supported me at the show.

At the end of July, I will be showing Bryce and Bailey at the Ramona Jr. Fair. I will be showing both on July 28th, starting at 2 pm with the market beef show and right after with the breeding beef show and showmanship. Hopefully, my hard work and efforts will show through like it did with Blake at the San Diego County Fair. Depending how we do, I may be showing in the Champion Drive later Thursday night at 7 pm. The Ramona Jr. Fair Auction is July 30th, starting with check in at 10:30 am, lunch at 11:30 am, followed with announcements and the auction starting at 1:00 pm. Hope to see you there.

UPDATE

Bryce and I did extremely well at the Ramona Jr Fair. Bryce was named Reserve Grand Champion and received 3^rd place in the carcass contest. Bailey received Reserve Best of Show in the Beef Breeding Show and we place first in Senior Beef Showmanship against over 20 exhibitors. When we went onto Master Showmanship on Friday, I earned 1^st in Master Showmanship. I made it into the Champion Drive with all my animals. I bred both of my other animals, however as they were both in lighter classes, they weren’t as competitive. In the auction, Bryce was purchased by Mountain Valley Ranch in Ramona. Thank you to them as well as all of the other sponsors for the fair as well as a big thank you to all of the sponsors for Curren’s Cows who helped to make this amazing year possible. This coming week, Bailey and I will be attending California Youth Ag Expo in Tulare to compete in the breeding division and compete in showmanship.

A quick shout out: Kiara, Blake and Bailey had an awesome San Diego County Fair, Grand Champion Market Beef and Grand Champion Breeding Beef. Congratulations Kiara, hard work and commitment do pay off. She had both animals looking their best.

Kiara with a quick update from this past weekend 4/23/2022

This weekend I showed at the Liberty and Freedom Jackpot in Ramona. Day one, I exhibited my ram lamb, Blake, and Bailey. I made it to senior final showmanship for both lamb and beef. I received Grand Champion Ram in the breeding sheep show. Second place with Blake and fourth place with Bailey.
Day 2, I exhibited Blake, Bailey, and Buddy. I made it into senior showmanship finals again. Bailey received first in her class and Grand Champion of the breeding beef show. Buddy and Blake both won their classes and Blake got fourth over all.

I am so excited, I won my first buckle with Bailey and look forward to the future and how they will do at upcoming fairs.

Kiara, Blake, Bryce, and Bailey February, March Update

In the month of February, I exhibited Bryce and Bailey at the Red Wave Classic in Fresno California. Bryce received third place in his class. Bailey and I received fourth place in showmanship and second place in her class.

This year I exhibited at Western Bonanza for the very first time. Bailey received third place and Blake received fourth. I really enjoyed spending time with other kids from all over the state. It was fun to meet new people that were also interested in showing cattle.

Over the last couple of months my steers have been increasing their consumption and gaining a lot. At the moment Blake weighs 1260 pounds and Bryce weighs 1040 pounds. I will be exhibiting Blake at the San Diego County Fair this coming June along with my other steer Buddy and a pig named Berry. All of our market classes will be held on Wednesday June 22^nd. Hopefully we will make it into the Grand Champion drive which will be held Thursday night. The Jr Livestock auction will be held on Saturday, June 25^th. I am hoping that we will do very well. I am planning to exhibit Bryce at the Ramona Junior Fair in the end of July along with a lamb that I bred and a turkey.

Over the last month, I have been really working on grooming all of the dead hair out of all of my animals. As I realized that my pen space at home was too small to accommodate two steers, I reconfigured pens at the dairy to facilitate being able to house my steers under cover during the day and give them access to a larger area in the evenings to help with hair growth and quality. They are loving their new pen as it gives them much more space as well as better air circulation.

Next week I am planning on taking Blake, Buddy, and Bailey to a jackpot up in Ramona. It is the second time that they will be hosting the Liberty and Freedom Jackpot. I plan to take one steer each day along with my heifer. Bryce is going to get the weekend off as he has finally started putting on weight and I don’t want to throw him off by moving him.

Please let me know if you would like to come down and visit to see the calves. I really appreciate it that you have taken the time to come watch and support me at shows this past spring.

Kiara, Blake, Bryce, and Bailey December, January Update

The past two months have been busy with caring for my heifer from the Colburn Family and working with my scholarship steer as well as my other market animals. At the beginning of December, I got another steer and so I have been extremely busy tying up my calves each day, rinsing, and working on halter breaking as they were not all halter broken. As my sister was home from college, we worked together as one of the calves likes to pull away. Fortunately he has never gone far, but it is definitely something that we need to break the habit.

I have gotten to take my animals to two shows so far. On December 11th and 12th, I attended the Holiday Classic in Bakersfield. I exhibited my heifer and she received second on the first day and 1st on the second day of the show. In January, my sister and I took my calves to the Sierra Winter Classic in Porterville. Bryce received 3rd and 4th and Blake received 4th and 4th. We were surprised that Pat and some of the donors came up to watch us compete. We were in really tough classes but I feel very proud of how the calves did. Blake is really green and so I am going to take him home and work on getting him to eat more feed and hopefully gain a lot of weight.

Currently my steers are on a combination of Beast, Pre Con, Alfalfa TMR, and free choice oat hay. The heifer is on Nutrena, however we are transitioning her onto Purina Show Chow as she seems to like it better, in addition, she is also eating Pre Con, TMR, and free choice oat hay. In the couple months that I have had my animal, the heifer, Bailey, has grown from 500 to 700lbs and Blake, all black, has gone from 800 to 960lbs. I wasn’t able to get Bryce, white sox, to the scale until about a month ago as he was still being a bit of a challenge on leading, however he has gone from 780 to 820lbs.

We are looking forward to this coming month where I hope to exhibit at Red Wave and Western Bonanza.

Kiara and (no names yet) November Update:

Hello, my name is Kiara Konyn and I am a freshman at Classical Academy High School in Escondido, CA. I am a member of the 56 Ranchers 4-H club and this is my 9th year in 4-H. This year I was honored to receive the scholarship heifer and steer from Curren’s Cow Foundation. In the month of November, I went to Kirk Stierwalt Clipping Clinic and picked up my scholarship steer and heifer. At the Kirk Stierwalt Clipping Clinic, I learned how to clip, facts about nutrition, fitting, and what different products are used for. My steer actually got to be used for the clipping demonstration. On November 21st, I went up to Colburn Cattle Company to pick up my scholarship heifer. Also on that same day I picked up my scholarship steer. At the moment I don’t have names, but will have names by next month. Thank you to Curren’s Cow Foundation for selecting me to be their scholarship recipient and for all they have done.

An update and shout out:

Kiara took possession of her heifer on Sunday, a cute little Angus Heifer that we are sure will grow into a beautiful cow. She took possession of a steer as well, and the steer will be used as a fund raiser for Curren’s Cows.

We want to thank Ron and Lisa Colburn and Tim and Heidi McBride. Ron and Lisa of Colburn Cattle Company donated the heifer as they have from the start. Tim and Heidi, sponsored the steer yet again. Tim, Heidi, Ron and Lisa have been supporting Curren’s Cows from beginning. We also want to thank, Blaine Rogers of Rogers Livestock for helping us with the acquisition of the steer, he found us a nice one.

Kiara will be very busy but we know she will do a great job.

Hopefully we will get pictures when Kiara submits her monthly update. We look forward to seeing both, the animals and Kiara’s progress this year.

Happy Thanksgiving and thank you to everyone who has supported Curren’s Cows, we appreciate you all.

The 2021-2022 Curren’s Cows Scholarship recipient is Kiara Konyn:

Kiara lives in Escondido, has shown just about every animal you can at both the San Diego County and Ramona Fair, she will be a great ambassador for the Curren’s Cows Foundation.

Kiara’s Essay:

Hello, my name is Kiara Konyn. I am a member of the 56 Ranchers 4-H beef project and this is my sixth year completing the beef project. I would be honored to be given the opportunity to raise and show a heifer for numerous reasons. I enjoy participating at both local and jackpot shows with quality animals. I also enjoy practicing and would like to increase both my showmanship and fitting skills. I would love to have the opportunity to exhibit a competitive animal and be mentored by someone who my sister spoke so highly of the experience that she had with the program. I would also like the opportunity to improve my fitting and showmanship skills through workshops and clinics such as the Kirk Steirwalt Clinic and other livestock camps throughout California. Also to be able to show beef competitively throughout the state as I have done with my dairy heifers.

Although I still have a long time to go prior to starting college I think that would like to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, or Oklahoma State University majoring in Animal Science. Through the rest of my 4-H years and into college I would like to participate on judging teams.

I am a very hardworking, dedicated person. I currently have limited funds. As I pay all of my own project related expenses, I can’t afford to purchase a high quality, competitive animal and be able to jackpot and exhibit the animal at numerous fairs. I hope that you will please consider my application for the Curren’s Cow Scholarship and give me this opportunity to raise a high quality heifer for competition.

Thank You

Kiara Konyn

Congratulations Kiara.

kiara and Ironman

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