One of these days I'm going to do an introduction of the folks whose names come up in this blog. One name the you will likely hear often is Cassidy. She is my 9 year old daughter. Cassie and I have a shared interest in all things agriculture. She has even told me that she wants to grow up to be a farmer. With the bloodline that runs in my family that would be just fine by us.
So what does a kid living in Chicago do to get ready to be a farmer? Well, one of the great opportunities we do have is 4-H. This is a organization where kids ages 8 to 18 get to try their hands at different projects. These projects then go on to the county fair and sometimes even the state fair to be judged. The choices are almost endless. You might build a rocket or bake cookies. For many of the kids in the Glenview Clovers one of the highlights is the chance to own and show livestock. We have had dogs, chickens, Guinea pigs, real pigs, sheep and cattle taken to the fair.
After a number of years showing, Cassie's animal of choice is bovine. Last year we went to a special 4-H sale and picked up a Jersey heifer that she immediately called Buttercup. Cassie and Buttercup kind of stood out in the crowd because of two things. First she was one of the smallest showman and second her calf was brown, a velvety mocha brown. This color contrasts greatly against the black and white of the Holsteins. At the fair, the two had a great time and really bonded. Over the winter, Buttercup and three other calves went to a special place that works on getting them ready for the show season. We are planning on going to get the bovine crew shortly and bringing them back to the farm. In the meantime, I thought that maybe a couple pictures might show how much little Buttercup has grown!
