Animal projects help 4-Hers with skills
- Laurie Sidle, OSU Extension Wayne Co.
- June 12, 2023
- 389
The Wayne County Fair is months away, but 4-Hers are well into the season of raising and caring for their animals, which will fill the pens, stalls and show rings.
A total of 2,762 animals have been enrolled by Wayne County 4-H members.
Learning how to be responsible for another being takes practice, and 4-H members who experience animal projects practice those skills daily. They have deadlines to meet, clinics to attend, skillathons to complete and daily care of the animal.
They had to enroll in their projects by April 1. By June 1 they had to upload photos of their animals with identifying information on 4-H online. The 4-H online system manages all aspects of the 4-H program including membership, events, projects, activities and communications.
Junior fair livestock committees plan clinics for project members so they can learn how to best care for their animals, understand what they need to bring to the fair, and see demonstrations and learn from fair judges on how to best present their animal in the show ring.
At the fair members compete in showmanship classes where they are judged on how well they handle their animal and what they learned about it. In market show classes, the focus is on the animal. The judge is looking for things like bone structure, muscle, mobility and overall quality of the animal for its species.
All 4-Hers with an animal project must attend a Quality Assurance session. The Quality Assurance program teaches 4-H youth how to use best practices that support the production of quality and safe animal products for consumers. It also teaches responsible animal handling, care and welfare, not only for farm animal production, but also with companion and performance animals.
In addition to Quality Assurance, animal project members also must participate in a skillathon, an educational session where volunteer facilitators conduct a learning station for youth to gain or demonstrate their knowledge and skills learned by doing their livestock projects. Skillathons enhance learning through hands-on activities and demonstrated skills. They are not just a test, but also enhance critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.
As an example, last year’s activities included identifying feed samples and participating in an interview with a volunteer judge about the members’ projects to help build interviewing and communication skills.
The Wayne County 4-H program will hold two skillathon sessions on June 15 and 19 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the fair’s event center. Nearly 80 volunteers will help with the event.
Animal projects aren’t just for 4-H members who live in rural areas. Anyone can learn how to care for just about any animal, in just about any location — small ones like rabbits or ducks, mid-size like goats, larger like steers or horses, or even more unique animals.
Members strive for top placings, not only in the show ring, but also for their overall achievement in their project area through the Outstanding Exhibitor Awards program. This program was developed to recognize youth who go above and beyond in their species, both in and out of the show ring. Final scores include points for an educational poster, Outstanding Exhibitor Exam, project record book, showmanship placing and breed or market class placing.
Generous award sponsors are a big part of this program.
It’s an investment that helps our youth learn about the livestock industry and develop responsibility, decision-making and patience.
Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension program assistant for 4-H and family and consumer sciences.