Looking for youth to show livestock

By By Justin Rodgers / 4-H youth agent
Aug. 3, 2003
Looking for a way to teach your children to be more responsible and help them gain valuable life skills?
Look into the Lauderdale County 4-H Livestock program. It offers many activities to youth of all ages including showing market steers, lambs, and hogs, registered and commercial cattle, and meat and milk goats.
Youth can compete in activities at the county, district, state and national levels. Rewards include an increased appreciation of the influence of the livestock industry on our lives and recognition in the form of awards, prizes, trips and even college scholarships.
I am looking forward to the 2003-04 livestock show season. The number of Livestock Club participants is steadily increasing, as well as the number of animals being shown.
If you are interested in showing market goats for the Dixie National, the deadline is Oct. 1. If you are interested in showing hogs, registered or commercial cattle, we have a little more time to find prospects with the animal ownership being Dec. 1.
This is a program that will require involvement from one or both parents. You may not know a lot about showing livestock, or livestock in general, but I will be glad to help you in any way if you are interested in participating.
The County Show and Sale will be at the end of January at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center. There will be buyers from different business who will purchase the market animals. We greatly appreciate the support of these businesses; without them this program could not be successful.
In addition to the animal projects, activities such as judging, visual demonstrations, cookout contests, meats bowl and dairy bowl are included as part of the 4-H Livestock Program and contribute to the personal development of youth.
The mission objectives of 4-H are to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become productive and contributing members of society.
These skills are much more than physical skills and are a combination of acting, thinking and feeling. They help 4-H'ers function as adults in society and accept responsibilities, gain the ability to communicate, solve problems, make decisions, and work with other people.
The livestock program is a way to use live animals to develop the youth. The main objectives of the program deal with the young person, not the animals.
Youth learn something about agriculture and livestock production but the main objectives are to teach life skills and help youth become productive citizens of our society.
The experience of youth owning and working with animals, being responsible for their care, health and growth, and exhibiting them in a competitive environment is a tremendous character-building process.
Even though the ownership deadlines are months away, we need to start looking for project animals as soon as possible.
For more information about the 4-H Livestock Program, call the Lauderdale County Extension Office at 482-9764.