The Experience that will last a Lifetime

Kristin Clark-Webb

English 1A

3/19/13

Essay 2

The Experience that will last a Lifetime

Confidence, responsibility, teamwork and determination are just a few of the many valuable assets that are gained by youth who show livestock in the 4-H program. Youth ages 5-19 are gaining the life skills they will need to grow up to be a successful and productive member of society. These kinds will get the scholarships to go to college; will have the interview skills to get the job, the determination and responsibility to keep it, the social skills to enjoy life and hobbies and the time management skills to do all of it at once. And all of this can be gained through raising livestock, big or small through the 4-H program. I believe that the 4-H livestock projects are the best activity for youth to get involved in because of all of the life skills that are gained that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

            4-H is an after school youth program that provides an environment for youth ages 5-19, (or one year after high school) where they can develop life skills and leadership abilities to become successful and productive members of society. 4-H does this by providing local 4-H clubs within most counties across the country. For example in Solano County, there is at least one club in every city. Vacaville has the Vaca Valley Club and Elmira Club, Dixon has the Roving Clovers club, Dixon Ridge Club, Wolf Skill Club and Maine Prairie Club, Fairfield/Suisun has the Suisun Valley Club, Vallejo has the Sherwood Forest Club and Rio Vista has the Rio Vista Club. All of these clubs make it possible for kids who live anywhere in the county to join a club close to them.

            Within each club, there are adults, usually parents or past 4-H members, who lead various projects. There are a countless amount of projects in each club some of the most common are; Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goats, Dairy Goats, Equine, Poultry/Game Birds, Rabbits, Cavies, Alpacas, Vet Science, Sewing, Photography, Food Preservation, Cooking, Archery, Shooting Sports (Rifle & Shotgun), Taxidermy, Rocketry, Guide Dogs, Dog Training, Orphan Kitten Project, Record Keeping, and Leadership. The list could go on and on. Each 4-H club has a set of youth officers; President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, Historian, Attendance, Hospitality and Recreation. There are also opportunities to become involved at the county level in a leadership level as a youth are representative at the county 4-H council as well as a county Youth Ambassador.

            The most beneficial 4-H projects are the livestock projects which include; Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goats, Dairy Goats, Equine, Poultry/Game Birds, Rabbits, Cavies and Alpacas.  This is because the animals that 4-H members raise are almost like having a child or multiple children of our own. They are living things that require being fed multiple times a day with a well-balanced diet, constant access to clean water, they have to have protection for predators as well as harsh weather, they have to be bathed so that they stay clean and healthy, the get vaccinated to ensure that they are free of diseases, occasionally they require medical attention if they get an injury or need some sort of treatment beyond what I can provide for them, and they have to get exercise and get let out of their pen so that they can be taught how to behave properly so that they can be shown at the fair. There is always a constant demand that never goes away for as long as you have the animal. That often means that on Friday night when friends want to go to the movies and hang out, 4-H members with livestock projects have to make sure all of their responsibilities are taken care of before they can go anywhere and if they aren’t taken care of then they don’t get to go. You have the responsibility of taking care of a life that depends on you to live and if you don’t fulfill that responsibility that life could die or become seriously hurt.

4-H has had a huge impact on my life as well as many others. For many of us we have a set daily routine to follow and to this day I can still hear my mother’s voice telling me, “Not until you finish your homework!” after my continuous asking to go out to the barn and play with my goats. You see, I’ve always loved my livestock and ever since I could walk I was always getting into trouble carrying around the baby goats or feeding the does random fruits from around the ranch. Then, Kindergarten came around, homework started being assigned and I joined the most important youth organization that would change my life forever.

            I started in beginning 4-H. Our first meeting was quite a challenge for me and my mom. I was so scared to be away from my mom, I held onto her leg for dear life! After much reassuring I sat down at a table with the other kids and eventually this is where I built confidence in myself and learned how to speak in front of a small group of people.

When I was old enough to enroll in the other 4-H projects I signed up for the meat goat project and even in my 11^th year in the 4-H program, I am still enrolled in the project. I started out as just a member of the project and then realized my passion for raising meat goats. My first year I raised two, bottle fed, market wethers for the Dixon May Fair and Solano County Fair. Now my passion has led me to currently owning 14 meat goats; 7 breeding does that I show and breed and from their offspring I have 4 doelings and 3 wethers. I am also the Teen Leader for the Vaca Valley 4-H Club’s Meat Goat Project for the 6^th consecutive year, Vacaville Youth Area Representative for the Solano County 4-H Leaders Council, Vaca Valley 4-H Club President, and a Solano County 4-H All Star Ambassador. The daily routine that I followed from the first time I was able to go play with the goats on my ranch is what enabled me to become the person that I am today and it is the sole reason that I was so successful in 4-H and through my teenage years.

By being an active 4-H member and participating in 4-H livestock projects youth will gain countless leadership and life skills. Planning and organization skills from planning the majority of the meetings, goal setting by establishing goals for themselves and working hard to achieve them, communication skills by learning how to communicate with others if you’re having trouble or need help, patients form working with animals and teaching fellow members of all different skill levels and learning styles, teamwork by working with my leaders and fellow members to accomplish tasks, public speaking from participating in speaking events as well as teaching youth and the public at the local library, fairs, and Ag days about livestock, confidence by learning that everyone makes mistakes and we have to have faith in ourselves to accomplish our goals, compassion for animals as well as others, time management by balancing family, friends, school, 4-H meetings, and livestock projects, determination by having a goal and not giving up until you reach it, independence by learning and having the confidence to do tasks on your own, financial responsibility by having a budget and keeping track of expenses and income and most importantly responsibility and to follow through with commitments. All of these skills will help a child or teenager transition into life as a young adult and help them to be successful.

4-H members need a place where they can show off all of their hard work and be rewarded for it. This is where fairs and shows come in. All of the training and preparation is shown on the day that the member and the animal walk into the show ring to be judged. The quality of the showman and the animal are judged and in the end there is a winner. All year long you strive to be the Champion and show day is when you find out if what you have been doing is good as well as what you need to improve on. You can’t always be the winner and here we go yet again with another life skill. Being a good winner and looser with dignity and having good sportsmanship. In the end everyone wins, some with fancy belt buckles, ribbons and trophies and others win in the sense that they have learned so much from the experience.

4-H members who show livestock walk away in the end with more than just ribbons and fun memories. They walk away with lifelong friendships, a foundation of knowledge to build upon later in life, and an endless fountain of life skills that will get them as far as they want to go in life. All they have to do is remember what 4-H and raising livestock taught them and they can achieve even their wildest dreams.