Author: CowBelle

Why’s that cow so skinny? CowBelle explains the difference between dairy cattle and beef cattle

As a cattle farmer I get a lot of questions about cattle at the fair. One common question is “Why are those big black and white cows so skinny?” They are referring to Holstein cattle, a dairy breed, and they are very healthy animals. There is a difference between beef cattle and dairy cattle. Beef cattle are being raised for meat and have a heavier appearance, while dairy cattle are being raised for milk production and have a lighter appearance. Beef cattle use feed to put on weight through muscle and fat. Dairy cattle won’t convert their feed into muscle…

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Today’s Sale of Champions is the result of hard work and dedication

Each year, youth from across North Carolina bring their best livestock to the fair with hopes of taking home the grand prize. To get to that point, though, kids work countless hours at home preparing the animals for the show ring. Getting livestock ready to show is a little like an athlete training for competition, with junior competitors having to serve as groomer, nutritionist, exercise trainer, genetic selector and more to raise the animal to its highest potential. It is hard work preparing livestock for a show, and it is even harder getting these market animals to the standards of…

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Tobacco will be curing in log barn at N.C. State Fair

Tobacco is a large part of North Carolina’s history, weaving a strong thread through the economy. This golden crop is featured at the N.C. State Fair at the working tobacco barn in Heritage Circle. Visitors can see tobacco cured the old-fashioned way — in a flue-cured barn fired by wood. Today, most tobacco is cured in bulk barns, fueled by gas. Like many inventions or discoveries, the traditional process of curing came about by accident. A worker accidentally let the wood burning fire go out in a barn of tobacco and quickly restarted the fire with charcoal. The intense heat…

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