4-H market beef project members weigh in steers to begin their year
courtesy photo
Matt Herried, left, and Tim Herried, market committee volunteers, help Cadence Schweigert during weigh-in at the Mission Valley Stockyards on Jan. 14.
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Mid-January marks the beginning of the 4-H market beef project for Lake County members who have elected to raise and care for a steer during the next seven months. Calf weights are recorded along with breeder information, and growth rates will be measured this July in time for the Lake County Fair.
This project actually begins when steers are weaned in the fall. Many of the 4-H members select their calf at that time using a scientific approach that identifies the most desirable traits for the show arena and consumer. During the project 4-H members learn and apply humane husbandry skills through a curriculum of quality assurance that includes comfortable housing, complete nutrition, health care, and environmentally sound issues. 4-H members also train their steers in order to exhibit, in the show arena, traits breeders select for to produce quality nutritional beef.
4-H Youth Development Program offers many other project for members to gain education in life skills, such as leadership, community service, science, engineering, photography, shooting sports and hundreds more. Each project is a building program for youth to develop at their own level of interest.
Volunteer leaders who oversee 4-H projects are key to the program’s success. MSU Extension Lake County administers 4-H youth development; however, volunteer leaders are the backbone of the program which wouldn’t have near the reach or impact that it does without volunteer involvement.
