The Northwestern Michigan Fair is a big part of the Grand Traverse County Community and the 4H program is too. With several students in the area participating in the program. The 4H program instills value in young people to learn responsibility, time management and communication. All by raising livestock.
9&10’s Megan Huiskens spoke with sisters Hailey and Olivia Taylor to hear about their first-time raising lambs.
“It’s a very good community. And I don’t think we would do it unless we had our next-door neighbors doing it,” said Hailey.
Hailey and Olivia are experiencing their first year being part of TC Hooves and Wings 4h Club.
“The club leaders help out a lot,” said Hailey. “They’re very good with just like setting a foundation for the club, especially for us since it’s our first year. Our club leader and the rest of our club, we all live right around this neighborhood. So, it’s really nice that we don’t have to travel far for meetings because like every month we meet up just to talk about a project, talk about the booth that we’re making.”
And as part of the club they also have gotten the chance to raise these lambs with their neighbors. All to get them ready for auction.
“At the Northwestern Michigan Fair we show in we for lambs for at least two shows. There’s market and showmanship. So, in market they will be judging the lamb and the animal of how it is, how muscular it is, like how meaty it is, how good it performs. Then showmanship is judging you already, and then they get auctioned off eventually.”
“Bracing him is where you show off his muscles,” said Olivia. “He likes to jump, so I guess it’s just a struggle. I don’t really know how to handle that as much, because this is my first year.”
People sometimes go into 4H for the money, but Hailey says her experience is worth more than that.
“It’s just taught me a lot time management and definitely accountability,” said Hailey. “I need to do the lambs. I need to feed the lambs or else they’re not going to gain. Also working with them too. You need to make sure that you trust them and they trust you.”
“I’m planning on doing it again, using the money that I get from this year’s lambs to go to my next year lamb,” said Olivia. “After we auction it off, the money goes to us and I’m going to use the money for my college fund and going to my next year’s project.
And along with those valuable lessons-they’ll eventually have to learn how to say goodbye.
I’m a little bit sad, I really like my lamb’s personality,” said Hailey. He’s not as much anymore, but he used to come up to us a lot, and he used to have a big puffy face from his wool. Which none of the others had, but we sheared it down. I just love that and I think he’s like a really cute lamb. And obviously it’s like our first year, so we’re very attached to them.”
