The Recreation Thread.... what do you do for fun?

That sled is getting fairly old now, it’s early 2000’s, can’t remember exactly what year. Haven’t rode much the last 10 years or so, having kids cut into my free time and any spare money! lol. Hasn’t been very good riding here for probably the last 10 years anyway, either no snow, really rough, or too cold. When I first started snowmobiling with my own sled when I was 12, I would have put those kilometres on in a couple years, used to average 3000-3500 miles a year. Of course that’s when dad paid the gas and oil bill!

Of course that’s when dad paid the gas and oil bill![/quote]


Yeah, I've noticed since my kids stared showing cattle 4h is a hell of a lot more expensive then when I was showing and dad paid the bills. 10 head for 4h cuts into my profit a bit.[/quote]



But cpt. that is probably the best meat you ve ever tasted!  I bought half a cow this summer from a neighbour who s kids raised it to the extreme.  I swear the chuck roasts even melt in your mouth!! mmmmmmm and the sirloin  is a dream.  You never get that kind of meat from super store or walmart! 

You guys are absolutely right. Well sell it by the quarter to people and there is absolutely no trouble in doing it amd have a waiting list.

Way I do it is each kid has a steer and a breeding heifer. They keep the breeding heifer but I do limit them to three breeding animals to own. They keep the money for the steer and they are only allowed to show two animals a year so they have an extra calf to sell qhich goes qith my herd to the sale barn and they get paid. When they max out to their three bred animals I buy the bred heifer or cow from them, they also retain money for their cull cows. I'm really loosing giving them an animal, paying for the feed, and then buying it back as a bred, but it's all deductible. They have to do all the work with them but I will help. If they have sports or practice they still have cattle to feed when they get home.

Reason for limiting them to three breds is because 5 kids will swallow up my pastures too fast! Limiting them to two show animals because 10 head going onto fair does not leave me much room on the trailer. Have to make two trips to get livestock home already at the end of fair because I do a bottle calf loaner program to kids that want to show and have no cattle. They get to raise the calf and take to fair with the only expense of milk replacer. I supply dry feed and vet expense and take calf home post fair. Had 5 out on loan last year.

I was in 4-H one year. Hated it, loosing money on a calf, going to boring meetings, and public speaking are not my idea of fun. Biggest thing I learned was that the price you get for your animal is mostly related to who your parents or grandparents are and very little to do with how much effort you put into your project. There were a lot of spoiled brats that never did a damn thing that made enough money to pay for post secondary education off the backs of their parents just by being a member and not much else. Don't disagree that it is a good thing for kids to be in but it is not for everyone.

4H is good for some kids, but it seems to be getting more of a promotion for some farms. Have had nieces in beef 4H and when it came to the final show and auction, there were kids showing that hadn’t spent 10 minutes working with their animals, their parents did all the grooming and prep work, and they would win, mostly because of who the parents were. My brother in law did a great job teaching some kids, he made them do all the work and they would have to be right in there getting dirty, and on show day he stood back and it was up to the kids, win or lose they were proud of what they had accomplished, and often they did well.

My kids are in 4H but just the multipurpose club, not very many kids and they are all taking something different this year so we can’t even get together to work on projects. I’m trying to help my kids, but one is taking photography and one is doing something about painting and art, I don’t know anything about either of these. I do like the speeches they have to do, it really improves a kids confidence. My son was only 5 or 6 the first time he did his, he was really shy and had a bit of a speech impairment, but he did amazing and got 3rd place.

Up in the air if they will join next year, not sure that they are getting enough out of it now.

Got some riding in today, some really good riding in places, some places are terrible. 

Another great day for biking!... i think..