By ALLIE DELPH
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abigayle Williams.
Photo provided
4-Her’s are four times more likely to give back to their communities and two times more likely to make healthier choices. 4-H teaches such important and valuable lessons in life. If you ever get the chance to enroll and serve as a 4-H member I recommend it! There are so many opportunities 4-H can lead to. 4-H is not only about showing but knowing how to invest money and learning responsibilities.
I show dairy cattle at the Hamilton County 4-H fair. I show a bucket calf and a steer each year. Getting the privilege to show is a wonderful experience, but I’d be kidding if I said it was all about showing. One thing people don’t think about is what all it takes to get your animals ready for fair.
We get about four to six calves in January. My brother and I get up every morning and bottle feed them, along with giving grain to the other steers. We do the exact same thing at night for the next three to four months. Then, we move them to the pasture and start them on grain. When we get the calves out of the barn my brother and I rotate who feeds morning and night. We start to walk them when they are calves and get them used to being haltered. When it starts to warm up, we bathe them too.
I would be lying if I said my parents didn’t help me out, by feeding when I’m not home, helping catch the cows in the pasture, or just being outside with me when I work with them. What I don’t agree with is when parents do all the work for their kids. What are the kids getting out of it? Who wants it more, the kids or the parents? I think the kids are responsible for taking care of their animals if they are the ones showing them. Of course, when I was younger and I needed help controlling my steer, my dad would hold the end of the rope with me, but he wouldn’t walk my steer for me.
Many of the important aspects of 4-H get overlooked. For instance, my brother and I began 4-H learning how to save money. My brother and I buy one or two calves each year. We pay for their grain throughout the year. Then, we sell our 4-H steers at the fair and we take our other steers to market. We get money from our premium, the market price of the steer, and the pasture steer we take to market. My brother and I invest our money into our own accounts. My money goes toward making payments on my car and buying calves the next year.
In conclusion, 4-H is not only about showing, but knowing how to invest money and learning responsibilities. 4-H teaches important life lessons. If you get the chance, don’t pass it up. There are many 4-H activities besides showing, like baking, building, posters, sewing, gift wrapping and much more. 4-H teaches great life lessons!