2010-2011 Block and Bridle Club Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010:
The meeting began at 5:00pm in Morrison Hall Room 334.
Members signed in and enjoyed brownies, chips, and soda provided by Katie, and cow cookies provided by Frances.
Officers introduced themselves to the new members. The officers for the 2010-2011 academic year are:
President: Katie Stayton (kms289)
Vice President: Chelsea Jandreau (cmj54)
Secretary: Sarah Carpenter (sec234)
Treasurer: Christina Rettig (cmr224)
Livestock Show Chair: Amanda Forstater (alf86)
Publicity Co-chairs: Frances Chen (flc28) and Anne Elise Creamer (ac864))
Club Advisors: Michael L. Thonney (mlt2), 114 Morrison Hall
Joanne Parsons (jgp1)
A powerpoint covering Block and Bridle's yearly events and announcements was presented by the officers.
What Is Block and Bridle?
- A Cornell branch of a national club of college students interested in working with livestock, gaining animal experience, and spreading animal science knowledge to the Cornell community.
What do I get out of it?
- The opportunity to gain animal experience, or share what you know!
- Great opportunities to make friends with similar interests and have tons of fun!
- Taken from the Cornell Pre-vet Guide: “Your experiences working with different kinds of animals in different settings …are important considerations in the selection process. Such experience could involve rearing, feeding and showing various kinds of animals including livestock.”
Dues:
$5 dues are required to become part of the Block and Bridle Club at Cornell. These are required once per semester and help fund club activities and snacks at meetings.
$10 one-time dues are required to become part of the National Block and Bridle Club. We do not require members of the local club at Cornell to become part of the national club at this point. However, if you become a national member you are eligible to attend the national convention. You will also receive a certificate indicating that you are a member of the National Block and Bridle Club.
Dues must be paid to Christina Retting (cmr224@cornell.edu). Please let her know if you are paying just local club dues, or both national and local club dues.
Yearly Activities:
- Day trips to farms: Trips are based on member interest. Past trips have included trips to an organic dairy farm, a beef farm, a swine farm, a goat dairy farm, a buffalo farm, and an alpaca farm.
- Guest Speakers: Guest speakers are requested based on member interests. Past speakers have included Livestock Judges and Temple Grandin, a world famous animal scientist and livestock-handling equipment designer.
- Social Activities: Apple picking (see upcoming events) and a Farmer's Market Trip (TBA).
- Fund Raisers: Bake Sales: Members take turns baking goods, and we hold bake sales on campus in order to raise money for Block and Bridle events. This year we are looking into holding a bake sale at the mall.
Spaghetti Dinner: The fall harvest spaghetti dinner was a traditionally popular fundraiser held in Morrison Hall. We are considering bringing it back this year.
- Ag Day: Ag Day is an event held by Alpha Zeta every semester. We set up our poster and tell passers-by about Block and Bridle and the livestock show.
- Halterbreaking - Halterbreaking involves working with the beef heifers until they are accustomed to wearing and being led by a halter. We also groom the heifers, to get them used to frequent handling. Weekend halterbreaking sessions are held at the beef T&R. Car transportation will be provided. We rotate who goes each week, so that everyone gets a chance. Weekend halterbreaking begins late in fall semester, and continues until the spring. We choose the friendliest cows that we want to show. Before the livestock show, the heifers are brought to the Teaching Barn on campus. The teaching barn is in walking distance, so halterbreaking occurs up to three times a week, depending on member availability.
- Student Livestock Show - The Student Livestock Show is Block and Bridle's main event. One to three weeks before the show dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and horses are brought to campus. Club members and any interested members of the Cornell community choose an animal that they would like to show. Under the supervision of a Species Chair, showers learn how to take care of, groom, and train their species of choice. At the end of those two weeks guest judges come to Cornell campus, and we hold the Student Livestock Show!
- Barnyard Fun Day- On the morning of the Livestock Show we invite youth from local schools to come to the Livestock Pavilion to learn about livestock animals. Last year we had 150 kids in attendance. Each child receives an informational packet. They are able to meet show animals and pet baby animals. They can also participate in livestock related activities, including a stick pony rodeo, a goat obstacle course, butter making, wool carding, animal mask making, and reaching into a fistulated cow ("holy cow"). Food is provided by collegiate 4-H.
Upcoming Events:
Apple picking!
On October 2nd at 12:30pm we will be going to Grisamore farms to go apple picking. We will also be able to pick up other crops, including pumpkins, and visit their farm animals.
If you would like to go apple picking, e-mail Katie Stayton at kms289@cornell.edu. If you can drive to applepicking, please e-mail Katie with the number of people besides you that can fit in your car.
Farmer's Market Trip - TBA
Questionnaire:
Members were asked to answer questions about their interests and suggestions for the club. If you were not present at the meeting, or you did not hand in a sheet, please reply to Sarah Carpenter (sec234@cornell.edu) with your answers to the following questions. A summery of all of the responses will be e-mailed out to the list serve on Saturday, September 18th.
What weekday evening is the best time for meetings for you?
What type of farm would you most like to visit?
What are you looking for in this club (Animal experience, Leadership...?)
What weekend halterbreaking time works best for you?
Do you have any new activity ideas for the club?
How did you hear about the club?
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Officer Meeting Minutes - Saturday, January 29th, 2011
The officers of the Block and Bridle Club met on Saturday to discuss plans for the spring semester.
We have plans to make a Facebook Page for all members and non-members to follow the Cornell Block and Bridle Club.
We have planned a meeting for Thursday, Februrary 10th at 5:00PM.
We will vote on revising the constitution, collect club dues, and collect names of members who wish to become National Block and Bridle Members.
We will also discuss upcoming events, such as an envelope stuffing meeting, a farm tour of Engelbert Farms(tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 16th), and a bake sale fundraiser (Monday, February 14th).
We will further prepare for the livestock show by meeting the beef heifers, beginning a new t-shirt drawing competition, and signing up for barn chores.
The Spring 2011 budget was also discussed, along with general plans for the student livestock show (to be held April 9th, 2011).
Thursday 10 February 2011 meeting minutes
Block and Bridle had a brief meeting on Thursday, February 10th, 2011, to discuss our upcoming events for this semester. Baked goods were provided by Katie Stayton and Frances Chen.
All attending members signed in prior to the start of the meeting.
Club announcements were made, including:
- Semester dues ($5) are due to Christina Rettig (cmr224@cornell.edu).
- Block and Bridle will be registering members with the National Block and Bridle Club this year! We have not done this for several years, so we will be registering all members. It is a $10 fee for a lifetime membership. With membership, you are eligible to attend the National Block and Bridle Convention, and you will get a certificate indicating that you are a National member. This is also a great thing to put on your resume. We do require that all officers, and all who wish to become officers become national members. If you did not make it to the meeting, but would still like to become a member, e-mail Sarah Carpenter (sec234@cornell.edu) with your name as you would like it spelled on the certificate.
- The Block and Bridle Constitution was revised by Sarah Carpenter, and approved by Katie Stayton and Chelsea Jandreau this year. It now better aligns with the current actions and duties of the club and its officers. Members of the club at this meeting voted unanimously to approve the changes made to the constitution. Please contact Sarah Carpenter (sec234@cornell.edu) if you would like to see a copy of the constitution.
Major events for this year were discussed:
The beef heifers are already on campus, and must be taken care of. There are both AM and PM barn chores. AM chores must be done between 8 and 9am. PM chores must be done around 5pm. Barn chores involve:
- Removing the hay that has dropped into the feeding trough, and spreading it around as bedding.
- Adding a bucketful of corn to the feed trough. (The corn is in a bin outside of the pen with a bucket on top and a clipboard above it.)
- Adding 4 flakes of hay to the hayrack. (If they have eaten all of their hay, add more. If they haven’t eaten much, add less.) Hay is in a cart outside of the pen. The cart should be kept full, but if it is not, there is more hay in the back of the teaching barn.
- Counting the heifers. (There should be six. If there are not six, or if one of them appears sick or injured, call an officer or contact someone in the Teaching Barn immediately. That said, do not be overly concerned if some of them have some snot in their noses – sometimes the dust causes that.)
- Checking to make sure there is water in the water trough, and that it has not frozen over.
- Signing off on the sheet to say that you have done the chores.
- Closing all doors that you opened, especially the heifer pen.
In total the chores should take about 10 minutes.
Please sign up for chores on the following google document, especially if you are planning on showing beef heifers:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wQ7ZRmCk97Qr1DfxOTmDSOiXsEGUBiy1bSu5sVWMGfM/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNq9xu8G
We really appreciate members doing barn chores, especially morning chores, so that the offices don’t have to do them every day. Officers will be checking every afternoon to make sure am and pm chores were done.
- Halterbreaking will be held for the first time this weekend, on Sunday, from noon to 1pm. There will be several more upcoming halterbreaking times. We halterbreak the beef heifers at the Teaching Barn – you can see the heifers’ pen from the parking lot of the Teaching Barn. If you would like to join us for halterbreaking, please sign up on this google document so that we know who is coming:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?hl=en&hl=en&key=tMcZk9_UgDhlZxISexoqmCw&authkey=CIqag44M#gid=0
This link will also include future halterbreaking dates. We would like to halterbreak as often as possible, so that the heifers are ready for the show.
If you are having trouble finding us, you can call Sarah Carpenter at (845) 548-5024.
- We will be holding a Valentine’s Day Bake Sale in the Morrison Lobby on Monday, February 14th. We will provide Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, and homemade baked goods. If you would like to bake something for the bake sale, please sign up on this google document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wQ7ZRmCk97Qr1DfxOTmDSOiXsEGUBiy1bSu5sVWMGfM/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNq9xu8G
You must include an ingredients list, and everything has to be individually wrapped. If you want Katie to pick the baked goods up the night before the bake sale, you can write that down on the document.
-If you are able to help out at the bake sale, please sign up on this google document (Note: you do not have to sign up for a whole hour- just make sure to write down how long you will actually be there) We especially need people for the 11am- noon timeslot.:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArAppW3YxOv1dE1mb2E3d3d1Rk1PWFZFdDMwZGJjTHc&hl=en&authkey=CPKfj9oH
Please invite your friends to the bake sale as well! We have a facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169559093090011
- There will be a t-shirt design contest this year. Members who wish to participate must design the back of a t-shirt for participants in the Student Livestock Show. The shirt must say, “Block and Bridle Student Livestock Show” and the year (2011) somewhere on it. It must also contain drawings of all six show species (pigs, sheep, goats, horses, beef cows and dairy cows.) The winner will get a free t-shirt. It also cannot say “Cornell” or “CU” on it. To submit your design, or to see examples from past years, contact Katie Stayton (kms289@cornell.edu). The t-shirt design must be submitted by Saturday, March 12th.
- The Student Livestock Show will be held on Saturday, April 9th, 2011. We will have mandatory meetings for students planning to show animals right before spring break. At these meetings, students will listen to a CARE presentation about how to safely work with animals, choose a species to show, and sign up for farm chores. The species options are pigs, sheep, goats, horses, beef cows, or dairy heifers. All show animals will arrive on campus right after spring break. A practice show will be held the evening of Friday, April 8th, 2011. More information about the show will be provided closer to the show date. (Note: The beef heifers are already on campus. If you would like to show a beef heifer, now is a great time to start halterbreaking and barn chores.) If you are interested in being a show chair, please contact Amanda Forstater (alf86@cornell.edu)
- Barnyard Fun Day will be held the morning of Saturday, April 9th, 2011, prior to the livestock show. This is a great opportunity to teach local youth about animals and agriculture. More information will be provided closer to the day of the show, but if you have any ideas for Barnyard Fun Day, or would like to form or be a member of a Barnyard Fun Day committee, please contact Sarah Carpenter (sec234@cornell.edu). (Last year’s activities included wool carding, butter making, meeting the fistulated cow, a petting zoo, a goat obstacle course, a stick pony race, and animal mask making.)
- A farm tour is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th, 2011. We will tour Engelbert Farms (A family owned organic farm that produces milk, beef, veal, pork, cheese, butter, and vegetables) in Nichols, NY on April 16th. More information will be provided closer to the tour date. See their website at www.engelbertfarms.com.
- We will also be contacting more farms to schedule other farm tour opportunities.
Other Announcements:
Officers have already begun preparing for this semester!
- Anne Elise Creamer has created a facebook page for Block & Bridle. Please search for “Cornell University Block and Bridle” on facebook, and “like” it.
- Frances Chen has begun updating Block and Bridle’s Bulletin Board in Morrison.
- Katie Stayton, Christina Rettig, Chelsea Jandreau, and Sarah Carpenter have continued efforts to organize the Block and Bridle Closet, file cabinets, and teaching barn closet.
Tuesday 4 May 2011 meeting minutes
The final Block and Bridle meeting of the semester was held on Tuesday, May 4th. Members sampled cheese and sausage from Englebert farms, an organic farm in Nichols, NY that we toured on Saturday, April 16th.
National members received their certificates to confirm induction into the National Block and Bridle Club.
We then discussed things that we could change next year.
Suggestions for next year:
Livestock show:
- Not having the livestock show on the day of the Vet School Open House.
- Having the animals for longer before the show (3 weeks).
- Items to purchase for next year were suggested and recorded by the treasurer, Christina Rettig.
Fall semester activities:
- Trail ride
- Cheese trail
- Meat fair
- NY State fair
- Farm Tour outside of Tompkins County
- Attending the National Convention
- Square Dance/Fundraiser
- Bake Sale (Halloween themed)
- Farmer’s Market Trip
- Rummage Sale or donate old goods from the closet
- Taking an inventory of the teaching barn attic closet
- Update Bulletin board
We have created a survey to determine member interest in these activities next year. Please fill out the survey, especially if you were not able to attend the meeting. The link to the survey is here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F7CNCYK
The meeting concluded with the election of officers for the 2011-2012 academic year. The following officers were elected:
President – Katie Stayton
Vice President – Chelsea Jandreau
Secretary – Sarah Carpenter
Treasurer – Christina Rettig
Publicity Co-Chairs – Frances Chen and Julia Pogust
Livestock Show Chair – Lyssa LaCount
Dr. Thonney will remain our advisor!
At this point, it should be noted that all of our officers will be seniors next year. We are currently looking for members interested in shadowing officers, in order to learn what we do. If you are interested in becoming more involved in the club, but aren’t sure you want to take on the responsibility of becoming an officer, you can also choose to shadow an officer next year (which would be an excellent lead-way into becoming an officer the following year.) Shadowing involves coming to all the officer meetings and working closely with an officer to learn what the responsibilities of their officer position are and how they accomplish them, and taking on your own club responsibilities if you would like. If you would then like to become an officer, you can run for that position at the end of next year.
Officer duties are listed in the club constitution. The most recent version of the club constitution is on the Cornell Block & Bridle Website, here:http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/students/blockbridle/index.html
We currently have the following people shadowing:
Vice President – Sarah Curless
Treasurer – Sydney Rainey Biler (Will also be a senior.)
Secretary – Colleen Barrett
Congratulations to all new officers! Members and former officers, thank you for your participation in our events this year; you keep the club running. Thank you to Dr. Thonney, our advisor, for all of his help and advice, and to Jessica Kummer for all of her advice and help in the teaching barn. Thank you also to Karl Roneker, Tom Eddy, Lisa Furman, Scott Baxendell, all of the teaching barn staff, Victoria Badalamenti, Deloris Bevins, and Joanne Parsons for all of their assistance this year!