Livestock kids learn livestock skills

The eighth annual 307 Northeast Show Clinic was held at the Crook County Fairgrounds June 10-11. The clinic welcomed over 50 4-H and FFA members from the northeast area of Wyoming as well as participants from South Dakota into Sundance.

The 307 Show Clinic brings in show industry experts that teach participants all about showing, fitting, feeding and care of their animal projects. Generous donations from local businesses helped to keep the cost low for attendees and contributed to the great success of the camp.

The clinic was separated into two days based on level of experience or years in the project. The clinic was broken into groups for beef, sheep, swine and goats.

The learning was focused on daily feed, care and management, handling techniques, skin conditioning, hair care, clipping, shearing, fitting and showmanship for livestock projects. Participating youth had the opportunity to work with beef, sheep, swine and goat show industry experts from Wyoming utilizing hands-on learning to help youth build their skills. Show-rite feed representative, Ryan Sites, talked about feeding and worked one-on-one with kids and their animals to give individual feeding programs to work toward making weight for fair.

The clinic also provided youth the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills to the test at a showmanship competition as a wrap-up to the event.

The unique opportunity for youth to participate in a series of show clinics and in a program specific to their species of interest also allowed them to simultaneously interact with peers, helping youth to broaden their knowledge about animals, troubleshoot questions and gain a better understanding of the show industry through interpersonal interactions. Additionally, many youth attending camp left with friends from neighboring counties, leadership experience helping their peers and higher self-esteem resulting from increased knowledge about their projects.

Showing animals increases youth responsibility, integrity, record keeping, leadership skills and perseverance. Participation in 4-H and FFA has been shown to strengthen youth leadership skills, but showing animals gives these youth an advantage to their peers in responsibility and decision making.

Family involvement is also increased in animal projects as well as record-keeping ability and confidence. Social relations and character development life skills are enhanced through livestock showing according to a study by Texas Tech University and validated by the University of Nebraska.

Please contact the Extension Office at 283-1192 with any questions about 4-H or how you can help with future camps.