The California Convention Banquet was held Friday night, January 25th, honoring many of the Golden State’s youth and adult stars.

Laurie & Joey Airosa are pictured here with their grandson after being awarded the Doug Maddox Memorial Senior Breeder of the Year award.

Matt & Lauren Evangelo were the recipients of the A.J. Quist Memorial Young Breeder of the Year award.

Outgoing CA Holstein President Dino Migliazzo presents Bernie Sousa with a special award for attending 50 consecutive California State Conventions. What’s his secret to staying happy? He looks forward to conventions every year…he has a wonderful wife and family…and the 49ers are in the Super Bowl!

More scenes from the annual banquet!

It was all business today as California Holstein Association members met for their annual meeting, and the juniors competed in a number of different contests.

Dairy Bowl took up the first half of the day for juniors as there were 3 novice teams competing, 6 junior teams, and 3 senior teams.

At the same time, some of the association’s 227 senior members began to gather for the Holstein USA Regional Meeting.

One of the speakers was Holstein USA’s Dr. Sam Comstock who spoke about “fed” beef – or adding to your bottom line by growing Holstein beef for the market. Why Holstein beef? Dr. Comstock noted that with the increased price of corn, the decreased number of beef cows available, and the fact that there’s an increased interest in food with a story, now is a great time to grow Holstein beef.

Chillin’ in Visalia! Praciticing up on last minute dairy bowl questions are part of the Merced 2 Senior team – Bailey Allen, Kiara Gilardi and Colleen Allen. Missing from the unofficial team photo is Katie Migliazzo.

When is it our turn??? Christian Cunningham asks Kirsten Areias for an explanation of the dairy bowl brackets.

Novice dairy bowl participants with their favorite moderator Marilyn Herzog! The winning Novice team was Merced 1 – Hannah Mancebo, Rachel Mancebo, Holly Ballez and Haley Ballez. The second place novice team was the South San Joaquin team of Eva Van Dyk, Jacob Fernandes, Tyler Dunn and Grace Wilbur.

A very active junior silent auction will close tonight before the annual banquet starts.

Still a place for the retired! Junior members who have “been there and done that” competing at a state level are Tony Lopes, Elisabeth Regusci, Caitlin Lopes and Elise Regusci. The fab four were the moderator, score keeper and judges for one of the dairy bowl rooms.

Redwood Empire cheering section is in the house!

More Redwood Empire pride!

Merced 2 getting ready for senior dairy bowl finals!

Merced County’s senior dairy bowl teams with Marilyn!

And the winning senior dairy bowl team from Redwood Empire & South San Joaquin are at left – Courtney Faria, Ellorine Carle, Alex Gambonini and Frankie Gambonini. At left are the second place seniors from Merced 2 – Bailey Allen, Kiara Gilardi, Colleen Allen and Katie Migliazzo.

In the senior meeting, state delegates were announced to the National Holstein Convention this July, and they are Bill Genasci, Dino Migliazzo and Joey Airosa.

Newly elected to the state board is Jessica McIsaac.

Mike Deaver will serve as the official judge of the California State Show to be held April 25 & 26 in Modesto. The show will also host a National Judging Conference that same week on Wednesday the 24th.

For the most up-to-date news on association activities, visit www.caholstein.com.

There’s nothing quite like a convention host night being held at an actual home instead of a convention ballroom. California breeders Tim & Deene Souza opened the doors of their beautiful home in Visalia to welcome all those attending the convention this year. A meal “fit for a king” was enjoyed by all. Following are some scenes from this very special evening.

Happy Birthday Nisa!

Having left single degree temperatures in New York yesterday, it has been a pleasant surprise to land in Visalia for the the 2013 California State Holstein Convention and find sun, warmth and loads of California fun! The convention kicked off today with an open house at Airosa Dairy in Pixley – home to Joey & Laurie Airosa and family. The herd consists of about 1800 milking females, mostly all homebred. Visitors were treated to a special barn housing show animals and elite herd members who had been clipped and washed for the occasion.

Convention headquarters in Visalia…and yes…those are flowers in bloom!

About 1/2 hour south of the convention meeting is Airosa Dairy.

If I heard it once, I heard it a half dozen times…”Joey has done a fantastic job with this herd. Just look at the udders on these cows. You could pull any cow out of any of the barns and bring her to the shows. They’re just that good.” It’s clear that the Airosas have earned the friendship and respect of many of their peers.

The rotary parlor holds 72 cows at a time.

The cow on the right is a Champion daughter recently scored EX-93.

Mike Moretti inspects Bear’s clipping job on a Sept Storm daughter that came from Moretti’s Petaluma herd!

To learn more about this 100+ year old dairy, visit their website at http://airosa.cattleclub.com/.

Just down the road at the brand new College of Sequoias farm, Matt Evangelo and his fitting crew were getting finishing touches put on the lineup for Saturday’s convention sale. You can find the complete catalog online at http://holsteinworld.com/catalogs13/ca-convention/. Sale time starts at 10:30.

It definitely feels like spring around here…

Lot 1 – Trifecta Z Airlia-ET, an AltaAirnet from a VG-86 Dorcy with GTPI +2208. Tested free of blue tongue, leukosis, IBR and anaplas.

Lot 22 – Jacobi Colt Erica-Red – Colt P x EX-90 Debonair

Lot 33 – 12/10 Aspen x VG-88 Roy

Visitors will thoroughly enjoy the beautiful new facilities – make sure to find your way to the back of the campus and the sheep barn which will house sale cattle.

Lot 13 – Ch-Trl Atwood Desire-ET – Atwood x EX-90 Shottle

Lot 14 – R-John Aftershock Dana – Aftershock x EX-90 Dundee

Lot 35 – Calori-D Shottle Glimmer – Shottle x VG-85 Goldwyn

Stay tuned for more on convention news as tomorrow includes the junior competitions, business meeting and annual banquet. And as always, check out www.caholstein.com for the latest association updates.

California Holstein Breeders are gearing up for their state convention that will be held later this week, Thursday Jan. 24-Saturday Jan. 26 in Visalia. The convention sale (see http://holsteinworld.com/catalogs13/ca-convention/ for complete online catalog) is being held at the brand new College of the Sequoias “Tulare College Center,” showcasing the 100,000+ square foot animal science complex.

We spoke with Dr. Larry Dutto, Provost for the Tulare College Center, to find out more about this new agricultural facility.

In 1998 the College of the Sequoias Board of Trustees passed a resolution to establish the Tulare College Center in Tulare. The new 500 acre site was purchased to house The Center for Agriculture Science and Technology to replace the existing site being encroached by urban development within the City of Visalia. The college received center status from the California Post-Secondary Education Commission, CPEC, and started the process to request state facility bonds to build Phase I of the four phase master plan. The District also passed Measure J, a $60 million dollar local bond to fund Phase III of the project to house the Animal Science and Technology complex to house the college’s equine, beef, sheep, swine and dairy animals from the current site. When funded by the state, Phase II of the project will be completed in order that the college be able to move the complete industrial technology division to the new site from the Visalia campus.

Phase I of the project consists of over 100,000 square feet of administrative, student service and instructional facilities. Phase III adds an additional 65,000 square feet of animal science facilities. The $128 million dollars of state and local funding has established a campus on 120 acres of the land purchased in 1998. The master plan calls for college status in the future accommodating about 20,000 students.

Areas of large-animal study include dairy science, equine science and animal science. Also offered are degrees in ag mechanics, crop/plant science and ag management. The main campus in Visalia is also known for its police & fire academies.

Visitors to the convention sale will be able to enjoy the brand new facilities as well as an outstanding lineup of cattle starting Friday with a sale preview from 3:00-5:00pm. Sale time on Saturday is 10:30am and following the lineup of about 50 lots, there will be a lunch at noon.

Stay tuned to www.alllbreedsblog.com this week for much more on the California State Convention! We’ll be bringing you all the news, people and events from the Golden State, but in the meantime, be sure to visit www.caholstein.com for the latest news.

Allen VanGorder left yesterday morning for Louisville with the tack trailer, hoping to get far enough west before Hurricane Sandy hit New York. We’ll be following along with him as he makes his journey south!

“As I was cleaning calf pens last night, I watched out the window as the leaves swirled in a fury up past the roof of the garage. The wind began to really blow about 4pm. Thank goodness we checked the generator, I have a feeling the entire northeast might be in for a long week. The weather is something we can’t control. My thoughts drift to something within my control…. who gets on the trailer for Louisville? I’m sure many other exhibitors are asking themselves that very same question.
One cow sure to be on a trailer for Louisville is the cow pictured, Cowbell Guapo Ricochet (EX-91). She is now owned and exhibited by River Valley Dairy. Be sure to watch for her in the Jersey Jug Futurity on Sunday!

Hope you all “weather” the storm. Countdown to lift-off for Kentucky: T-minus 36 hours.

Hoping the double rainbow this morning is a true sign of good things to come for our trip to Louisville!”

Who said World Dairy Expo only starts on Tuesday? We know the official dates are October 2-6th, but cows, crews and supplies have already begun the journey to Dane County and HolsteinWorld is along for the ride!

Bonnie Bargstedt is reporting in from Copake, New York today as the Elite Dairy group was loading and heading out. Coming off Grand Champion & Res. Grand Champion wins at both the New York State Fair and Pennsylvania All-American, the herd owned by Ken Main & Peter Vail is enjoying a very exciting season!

We’ll be following along as the truck & trailer leave eastern New York today. Stay tuned for updates!

Barrie Potter (in foreground) and Steve Vail in the back make sure cows are milked out before getting on the trailer.

“Hitchin’ a ride” are a few tie-ins from nearby!

The trailers have arrived and the caravan begins to take shape.

Of course, it takes a management TEAM to get things loaded properly!

Does he have all his papers Ken?

And…..they’re off!

The end of Day 1
The crew left eastern New York at 12:30 today and after a brief stop for chores at 6pm tonight, making sure both the cattle and crew were fed and watered, they will drive into Ohio late tonight where everyone will get a rest. They’ll be up and on the road early Friday morning with an ETA of 5pm in Madison.

One of the biggest gambles traveling from the south or east is how to get through Chicago without too much of a delay, and some opt to drive all the way around it to avoid the hassle. Peter says they’ll be driving right through and expect to hit the windy city during the middle of the day.

Tim Coon, otherwise known as Cooner, will head up the fitting and chore crew. He’s joined by his daughter Carly, Colleen Hackett, Mike & Kyle Barton, and Quebec fitter Mathieu Jalbert, plus some other helpers. There are 35 head total – 24 from Elite (17 cows and 7 heifers), plus tie-ins from Clark Woodmansee, Ken Beneke, Morey Miller, Kyle Thygesen, David King, Nancy Vail and Cedar Lane. Elite Dairy’s herdsman, Steve Vail, will be joining the crew on Tuesday.

Bedding will be purchased by the set-up crew who’s a few hours ahead of the trailers. Some hay was brought along, but more will need to be purchased there. Peter says the organization to get this group of cows to Expo is something…and the Royal is even worse!

“We made it to Roger Shuggs in Monroeville Ohio! We are here milking then we will let them rest and pull out of here at around 7:30 tomorrow morning,” reported Mike Barton. “Monroeville is around 7 hours from Expo and we will make one fuel stop from here to Madison. More pictures coming soon!”

We’re pleased to report that after a 1,000+ mile journey, and 30 some hours later, the Elite crew is safe, sound and very comfortable at World Dairy Expo!

Cattle trailers aren’t the only “big rigs” that were loaded to head west! The Holstein World “urban big rig” was jammed with booth supplies and a 20-foot banner…and Tim Horton’s coffee too…

…and made the “long” trip 80 miles south to meet up with one of the west-bound caravans!

We hope you stop by to see all of our special blog editors – Budjon, Morsan Farms, Arethusa and Elite Dairy, and be sure to stop by the HolsteinWorld booth this week too. Good luck to everyone and make it a great Expo!

Lesson learned – never promise a second day of blogging when a 100+ page issue of HolsteinWorld needs to get to the printer! For those of you following my late July visit to Maine for their New England “Christmas in July Sale” (see http://www.allbreedsblog.com/2012/07/30/touring-in-maine-part-1-of-2/), this is Day 2 of my travels throughout Maine. Sorry for the delay!

Benson Farm LLC, Gorham, Maine
www.bensonfarm.com
Diversification rules the roost at this family owned & operated farm just outside of Portland. Eddie & Becky Benson and their three children have not only developed a tremendous herd of Registered Holsteins, but have capitalized on the close proximity to the ocean and a metropolitan area, and their seafood compost business is literally cooking right along!

First things first – the cows! Wow, what a barn full of good animals, including a 12-year-old Durham (one of three, 12-year-old cows in the barn), some nice young Shaquille daughters and a fresh Atwood among others. The Bensons all agree that the longer you can keep a cow productive, the longer she’s paying you back on your investment in her.

What a lineup – 24 EX cows among the group!

Kay-Ben Durham Lara (EX-94 3E)

Kay-Ben Goldwyn Dolly (EX-94) – has Windbrook and Sid daughters

Crasdale Goldwyn Lynette (EX-93)

Kay-Ben Atwood Kassie (just fresh!)

Still flushing quite extensively, Eddie and Becky list their top flush bulls as Goldwyn, Stanley Cup, Windhammer, Topside and Hero.

After a tornado tore down some of the facilities in 2010, the Bensons have slowly rebuilt newer and more functional barns. Last year a new calf shed and heifer barn were built. Here you see calves eating Becky’s Christmas present….unbelieveably good oat hay!

A new compost barn was constructed as well.

It may not look like much, but that’s 80 ton of lobster waste cooking to 130 degrees. The final product is ready to bag and sell in about six months time, which accounts for cooking and curing.

Becky & Eddie with their daughter Kati. If you ever get to Portland, Kay-Ben Holsteins is a must-stop, for cows, good seafood (not just the compost), motorcycle discussions and moose! Check out their website for additional information.

Silver Valley Farm, New Sharon, Maine
Home of Silver Shade Holsteins
Going Organic! That’s the big news at Silver Valley these days, and while Jim Davis says there were some readjustments, it’s a switch they are very happy with!

“We started shipping to Horizon Organic a few years ago and it’s been really good. It’s hard to go to sales anymore because you really can’t buy anything that’s not certified organic. So we do miss that, and we are also very limited on our flush work. But these days we’re concerned more with making the most milk we can.” Organic milk can go as high as $35/100, but Jim quickly reminded me that organic feed costs were higher than traditional as well.

They currently have five cows (of the 48 milking) that are making 30,000+ records, sired by Champion, Allen and Mr Sam.

When I arrived, Jim (at left) was helping two of his kids, Kristin & Matt, load the trucks for a local show. Jim and his wife have two other boys, Jim Jr. & Jeffrey. Jim’s brother Rick and his family are also a vital part of the farm, focusing on the equipment and fieldwork.

A pair of really nice L’authority heifers

When you get an award like this…

…you can stack mounds of hay like this!

A recently fresh Earnit daughter

A great big EX Kite daughter bred to Redburst

There are a few Brown Swiss in the herd, as Jim’s wife, Carol, was a “Prime” and grew up with strong Swiss New England roots!

Another Kite just fresh who’s waiting to be scored.

A Bo-Fran Lucky Star whose tests are running 5.0% and 5.3%!

A VG-86 Shottle from an O-Man, then a BW Marshall from 10 GMD dams. The Shottle is bred to Dempsey.

One of the herd’s best-known brood cows is Carrousel Win Blanche-ET (EX-90 2E GMD-DOM). Jim said she made over 400 fertile embryos in her life, and had a best record of 2-03 2 365 34,660 3.8 1321 3.1 1088.

Note to self – GPS doesn’t necessarily lead you down paved roads, but…

…I’ll take the risk when this is the scenery at the end of the woods!

Juniper Farm, Inc. – Gray, Maine
http://www.holsteinworld.com/juniper/

Take a visit to the brand new website of Juniper Farms, or better yet, stop by and see George Liberty (owner and manager) and his two herdsmen, brothers Dan & Tim Putnam. The Juniper “of old” was founded on such greats as Juniper Rotate Jed, Juniper Outside Wish and even…

…Eric Dew Conductor Peggy (EX-95 GMD). There’s a lot of history in this knotty-pine tiestall barn, but the “three amigos” that are running the ship today are determined to make their own path.

Juniper is located just north of Portland, and hosted the convention sale when New England hosted the National Holstein Convention in 2005.

The inside of the barn is still in exceptional condition and houses not only Juniper animals, but some partnership and boarding animals as well.

Second cow from the right is Cee Whit Shot Strawberry, a VG Shottle from a VG-88 Goldwyn dam and then Rummage SKB Strawberry (EX-94).

The end stall cow for a reason…Pineland Sovereign Tribute is a Stanhope Sovereign daughter owned by Juniper and Tim Putnam. Her dam is a VG-87 Rampage maternal sister to Pineland Goldwyn Tidbit. There are nine more EX dams behind that to the Trina family.

A deep-bodied Jasper from the Roxys, Liddleholme Jasper 6283.

A pair of maternal sisters (VG-88 Astronomical and an EX Champion) from Comco Lee Graci (EX-91).

Keep watching the Juniper website for more new cow photos to be added, as well as news from the 2012 Maine State Show that’s coming up in late August! You can also check them out on Facebook, and read about their story in the 2012 New England Holstein Annual.

To keep track of ALL New England Holstein events, be sure to put www.nesholsteins.com on your “favorites” list.

As part of the New England Convention meeting & sale festivities July 27-28th, I got the chance to tour just five of the many outstanding herds in the Pinetree State. While the weather ranged from cool and rainy to hot and dry, the underlying constant in the whole trip was great cows and even greater people! Enjoy this brief tour through Maine, and be sure to visit for yourself if you ever get the chance.

Brigeen Farms Inc., Turner, Maine
www.brigeenfarms.com
Transition. That’s the first word that comes to mind when visiting the Briggs and Bullard families of Brigeen Farms. The family has successfully transitioned from a small family operation to a large, commercial setup, without missing a beat in the development of their registered cow families. Betsy Bullard took me through the pens where they’re milking 430 right now, with cows housed in some existing, renovated barns as well as the newest freestall barn built five years ago. Cows are bedded with all sand, and grouped in just-fresh, 2-year-olds and high cows.

Both Betsy (Briggs) Bullard and her husband Bill Bullard were former employees of Cargill Animal Nutrition, which Betsy said was extremely useful in preparing them for the work they’re doing now. “We both came away with our time at Cargill with ideas on how to farm, as well knowing that in order to succeed and take over the dairy from my parents, we had to keep conversations open and all be willing to change with the times.” And it’s worked very well.

“Some cow families can just thrive and adapt in any type of environment,” said Betsy. As a whole, the group has tremendous size and frame, and good legs. Some of the cows Betsy pointed out included a VG Shottle from Outside Gigi, a few young daughters of Rabur Populist (Shottle x Outside), a VG-89 Jasper x Golden Levi x Broker Lass who has Stanley Cup, Sid and Aftershock embryos coming, and a VG-85 Bolton from a Shottle just to name a few.

Breeding decisions are still a group effort, but lots of young sire semen is used on the 60% registered herd. “Now that we can use young sires with high genomics, we really think it’s fantastic! We have more information to base our breeding decisions on. Genomics hasn’t changed the true, basic principles that we breed from, they’ve just helped us narrow down the decisions.”

On a clear day, cows and people can both get a beautiful view of nearby Mount Washington. More sires used in the milking herd include Bolton, Aftershock, Braxton & Baltimore. There’s also a many good young milking Allwyn daughters, and several members of the family’s two most prominent cow families, the “G” family and the Robins.

Cows are fed a 60% forage diet, and that’s why frames are so important. “With grain prices going sky-high, we need cows that can utilize and convert high forage diets,” explained Betsy.

Just down the road is the former site of Wauregan Farms, which the Briggs/Bullard families have acquired. This is the main heifer facility where animals are kept from birth to breeding.

In the breeding age group of heifers sired by Marvelous, Baltimore and Braxton, just to name a few.

Group housing is clean, dry and comforable inside the transitioned tie-stall barn of Wauregan. “As with any type of setup, there are challenges and especially in group housing, you have to be careful of ventilation problems. We put in tunnel ventilation last year and are really pleased with it.”

Also installed in the heifer barn is an auto-calf feeder. Betsy said the weaning transition is fantastic. “Calves socialize well and we see less post-weaning problems. They also have a good, even growth rate as a group and because they can feed multiple times a day, you don’t have a large amount of calves bawling all at once. From an animal rights’ perspective, they are free to roam around the pen and they’re full and comfortable all day long.” The system has been in place for nearly two years.

Sure to follow in his parents’ footsteps is Will Bullard, Bill & Betsy’s youngest child!

Be sure to visit www.brigeenfarms.com for more professional pictures of the cows and additional information on each of their cow families.

Conant Acres, Inc., Canton, Maine
www.conantacres.com

Driving north of Turner, you’ll find the Conant Acres farm, home to Duane & Betty Conant, Dennis & Heidi Conant, Steve & Debbie Keene, Brian & Sarah Keene, and Matt & Natalie Sneller. A true family operation, the 75-head of cows features 15 milking Goldwyn daughters, four milking Alexanders and two milking Sanchez daughters. Current service sires include Dempsey, Windbrook, Lauthority, Gameday, Gillespy and Topside. They are also still using Goldwyn to flush with, and some Sanchez & Alexander.

As you walk through the barn you’ll find picture perfect udders on nearly every cow. The family has worked for years to develop a high type herd, and as a result of careful breeding, they now have the luxury to cull hard on those cows that don’t quite measure up to rest of the herd.

Conant-Acres Gold Raven (EX-92) – Most of the Goldwyn daughters have been bred to Sanchez or Windbrook.

Conant-Acres Malachi Ruby (EX-91)

Conant-Acres Jaspr Paige (EX-92)

Conant-Acres Gold Patsy (EX-92)

Three beautiful young Alexander daughters, from left: Conant-Acres Alex Simone (VG), Conant-Acres Roxane (VG) and Conant-Acres Alexander Piper (not yet scored).

There are also three *RC cows in the barn that are being worked with extensively – Scientific Durham Halo (EX-92 sister to Debutante Rae who will be flushed to Colt 45-Red; Conant-Acres Talent Tahoe (VG-89, 2y) who was flushed to Redburst and Dirigo Malachi Ruby (pictured above – a daughter of an EX-93 Goldwyn daughter of Robin).

Conant Acres also has a very exciting heifer barn, with some beautiful Atwood and Aftershock heifers you’ll definitely be hearing more about in the coming months. In fact, there are 10 Atwood heifers and 15 Braxton heifers there, as well as others sired by Lauthority, Sid and Jordan.

The Dream Team! Part of the work-force that makes Conant Acres run is Matt Sneller, Duane Conant, Steve Keene and Dennis Conant.

The next generation to take over…Gerrit Sneller, Matt & Natalie’s very adorable & easy-going son!

Be sure to check out the Conant Acres website for more at www.conantacres.com.

You can’t travel far without seeing lobster signs!

Part of the New England charm are small, very well-kept churches.

Watch for Part 2 of Touring in Maine coming soon!

You would think things are hot enough these days in Littlestown, PA, with Penn-Gate Skychief Finesse having her 21st daughter score Excellent this spring! But there’s a little more heat in the ground at Steve, Chrissy & Corbin Wood’s than meets the eye!

Garlic. Over 3,000 garlic plants to be exact. And the new horticultural hobby for Steve definitely has its perks. Working with a grower in Texas, Steve, Chrissy & Corbin spend each spring planting about 25 different varieties of the popular, health-craze spice, and their varieties feature three levels of heat or intensity.

Before putting the plants in the ground, each has to be soaked in rubbing alcohol for about five minutes right before planting. Garlic grows best with plenty of sunlight and in not-too-damp soil. Unlike other garden plants, the clove of garlic will separate into “daughter cloves” and continue repopulating. Ready for harvest late June and early July, the leaves will start dying back and the cloves themselves will get bigger. Harvesting needs to be done before the bulbs split and the wrappers begin to deteriorate. Another harvest precaution is sunlight. Garlic can get sunburned and some varieties change flavor when left in the sun too long.

The sideline business for Steve & Chrissy has been a welcomed change of pace. With over 12,000 cars passing their farm every day on the main highway, getting involved in a “cash crop” has been a good thing. “We enjoy doing something a little different,” said Steve. We work with a great grower who handles our plants when they’re ready to harvest. The amount of time and effort we have to put into the crop is minimal, but it’s opened so many doors for us. It’s good to learn about new segments of agriculture and we think this is only going to grow in scale at Penn-Gate.”

The certified “naturally-grown” product will be ready for farmer’s markets and mass orders in about two weeks, as well as being used for the Woods’ own cooking! And once the garlic is done, it’s time for harvesting over 200 tomato plants (14 different varieties).

The next time you’re driving through southcentral Pennsylvania and you want to combine a cow/cash crop visit, why not spice it up with a stop in Littlestown? Steve & Chrissy would enjoy showing you what’s been keeping them busy these days!