NEWELL—The Lucky Ten 4-H Club and Whatever It Takes Coalition teamed up to host a 4-H Livestock Class at the Newell Christian Fellowship Events Center on March 22.
The class is mandatory for any 4-H participant who intends to show livestock at the Butte/Lawrence County Fair and/or State Fair. Veterinarian Sammi Hansen led the training. “I’m also the Swine Superintendent down at the local county fair, and do vet check in. And so for this type of class, they have to have someone that has the knowledge of animals,” she explained.
Hansen’s experience in working with youth was apparent in the way she engaged the kids in learning and participating in the workshop. She would ask a question and ten hands would go up in the air; after a kid answered, Hansen would toss a piece of candy in their direction. The children were excited to participate and get a reward for trying.
The program started with Hansen describing to the audience the importance of sending a thank-you card to a sponsor. She then went over the steps in writing such a card: 1) Greeting, 2) What are you thanking them for? 3) What impact will it have? 4) Warm closing, and then followed it up by writing a practice thank-you card utilizing the steps the youth had just learned.
Next, Hansen broke down the steps in calculating the costs of feeding a lamb or other animal for the year, including grain, alfalfa and hay. She explained how to fill out the 4-H paperwork needed for reporting the costs.
The vet went on to explain how to keep track of vaccinations and treatments given to the 4-H animal each year. “You’re going to learn to look at a vaccine or a vaccine label—if you’ve been through one of my classes, we’ve done this same vaccine label prior—what I want to know is, on this product, how many ML or CC’s are we going to give,” said Hansen. “That’s all you have to write on this sheet.”
Hansen also reminded the group of the three places to inject a sheep and to read the warnings on the label that tell you when you must stop giving shots prior to slaughter.
Time was spent going over how to write the official ID number.
Hansen told the participants about a new program coming to the fair this year and encouraged everyone to take lots of pictures of the youth caring for their animals. “The last thing I would like to tell you guys about is about a program we are bringing to the county fair this year…If you raise your own livestock, it is highly important to be taking pictures with them as they are lambing, kidding for the goats, or calving…I went out and gathered sponsors throughout the country. These are producers wanting to give back to producers—that is you guys—4-Hers. They have donated money, and I’m not talking $20, I’m talking $1000s that will be divided among you kids,” shared Hansen. “So if you finish your own livestock, please take a picture, and you will enter at the fair.”
If you or your child want to show an animal in the County or State Fair this year, you must attend the livestock class. If you missed this one, there is one more scheduled for April 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the basement of the First Interstate Bank in Belle Fourche.
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