Hard
work, dedication, persistence, rewarding and fun are the descriptive
words that come to mind when I think about my days as a 4-H
Beef Club member. With the help of my grandpa I was able to
have cattle as my yearly 4-H project. I did not live on a
farm and my cattle were kept on my great grandmother's farm
so I had to work a bit harder than most to care for my cattle.
Preparation
for the Elkhart County 4-H Fair came many months before that
last week in July. We had to purchase the calves in the fall
and do a good job of feeding them over the winter. There were
monthly 4-H meetings to attend and much to learn about cattle
before the fair. When the weather warmed up, the hard work
began. I had to go out to the farm every day and work with
my cattle; I always had at least two as projects. We had to
brush them, walk them around to simulate what we would be
doing in the show arena and feed them. Sundays would be the
day to bathe them and work with them a little longer. Many
days I just really did not want to be doing any of it at all.
I just wanted to be like all my "city" friends and hang out
at the ballpark or pool, but I was a "4-H-er" and that was
my life for the summer.
We
also spent many weekends traveling the state to open shows
where I could show my cattle and get a lot of practice. I
had to help with everything. I learned how to groom the animals,
clean stalls, feed them and show them. But throughout the
summer and all the work, I was always counting the days until
the Elkhart County Fair. I would spend all day, every day
at the fair. Up and at it early to get the cattle fed and
give them a little exercise. Then, I was off with my friends
from the beef club. We would go out in the fair and have great
fun or come up with creative ways to have fun hanging out
in the beef barn. I made great friends through 4-H -many I
will never forget.
All
that hard work throughout the summer would pay off. Show day
would come and my cattle were always well prepared. When some
kids were having trouble with their animals, mine seemed to
just know what to do. I won many awards, some because my cattle
were judged to be the best of that group and some for my showmanship.
Because I had worked so hard and learned a lot about my animals,
I was rewarded. All that hard work was worth it when I was
rewarded for caring so much for my animals.
