Have you ever wondered how a bunch of city kids learn how to properly take care of their livestock projects? I can tell you it takes a lot of work. Julie and the folks around the farm do a great job of starting with the basics and working up. Sometimes we get lucky and have experts help us out. This past weekend we had the honor to host Dave Fisher, the University of Illinois Dairy Specialist to Wagner Farm and present an in-depth class on dairy health and showing. The first part of the day was spent in lecture followed by a hands on section where the kids recorded the detailed specifics about their animals. Statistics like body conditioning score, wither height and a tape weight were all factored into developing a perfect ration for each animal. After lunch the whole crew went up to Golden Oaks and Gary, Nate, Ethan and Amy put on a clinic on bovine judging and scoring techniques. At one point they brought out a cow and talked to the kids about the strengths and weaknesses of this animal. Then they lined up the calf she had just had and showed how the daughter had carried some of the traits and improved on others. To see the different generations side by side was really a neat way to illustrate how genetics work in the real world. The day was wrapped up in typical farm fashion by helping out with chores and then a cookout.
Many years ago when I first considered starting the 4-H club I thought of all the hurdles that potentially stood in the way. Would anyone actually be interested? Would the kids be afraid of getting dirty? Will city kids be willing to work? Do they really know where their food comes from? All these years later I look back and have a huge pride in what these kids have been able to do. Some kids find their calling in music or maybe sports. The Clover's club fills a void and offers a program that is so unique that even in farm country this would be unusual. The Dairy Camp shows the dedication these kids have to doing the best job they can with their projects. They have so surpassed my expectations! These are the kinds of kids that we as a community should be holding up as examples.
