THE SHOW TIMES

Win-A-Calf…

The best thing I have ever done!!!  

By Reagan Fontaine, Wyoming County 4-H Member

In December 2014 I decided to participate in the Win-A-calf competition. I was really excited to get started! First I had to get a calf to raise and her name was Mya. Then I had to begin my first month records. I started thinking about how much work it was going to be and I tried to get out of it, but

I am glad I didn’t quit because now I own my 1st registered Jersey. Her name is Jozie. After a couple months, I realized that it wasn’t hard at all and I was determined to do my best!

Win-A-Calf was awesome. I learned that it is not easy to be a farmer. Keeping track of what the cow is eating, prices, etc., is a lot of work. I stuck with it, tried my best, and worked with my cow Mya

a lot to make sure I did good in show. At the fair, Mya and I did pretty good. About 2 months later I went for an interview at the 4-H office and talked about myself and my experience. It was really fun because all of the people there were fun to talk to. On my way home, we got a phone call that I had won Win-A-Calf!

After a year of hard work and dedication it all paid off! About 5 LONG months after learning that I won, I went to True Farms in Perry and picked out my Jersey cow, Jozie. Knowing that she is mine is the best feeling ever.

Jozie has helped me grow up because she is completely my responsibility. She is a dream come true and I love her so much. We celebrate her birthday every month instead of waiting for the first year! When I feed her I squat down and she will lick my face and I get covered in grain. I walk her almost every day and she has become more a part of the family rather than a pet.

Jozie is loveable and friendly. For example, when I am walking her and I sit down, she will either lick me or put her head on my shoulder. She is more than just my cow…she is my best friend! To prepare for the fair this year I am getting everything I need and I keep walking Jozie.

I wrote this article to keep Win-A-Calf going and so more people can experience what I get to and be as happy as I am! I hope everyone has a great time at this year’s Wyoming County Fair and don’t forget to come and say “Hi” to me and Jozie!

Media Of Choice: Vegetables

By Mary Vandenbosch, Wyoming County 4-H Member

This year’s overall winner of the Youth Building’s Vegetable Art Contest was James Prattico. He created “The John Deere Tractor”. His favorite part was at the end when he finished. He has been doing vegetable art for three years and he really enjoys it. Another participant of the vegetable art contest was Cameron Milligan and Jada Smith. There creation was “Penguin”. They worked really hard on their creation and really enjoyed the way it came out in the end. This year’s judges were Kelsey and Lydia Milligan. Their job was to judge each of the cre-ations and pick the best for each catego-ry. Some of the categories included fun-niest, scariest, cutest, and best of show. Each of the participants received a small ribbon as a prize for their creation.

The First Iron Chef

By Donald Lockwood, Wyoming County 4-H Teen Member

The Jr. Iron chef competition had a great turnout on Tuesday with seven teams of 3-4 4-H’ers. They were given one fair food item. The food was anything from a slice of pizza to a beef and chicken wrap. The teams used the fair food as the main ingredient to make their new, healthy dish. Then, they had a table of other foods and spices that could be used in their final dish. They had 45 minutes to make and prepare their dish to get ready for the judges. The winning group made a pasta with cinnamon marinara sause and side salad start-ing with a candied apple. It was made by Mary Jane Mathis, Miriam Shepard, Naomi Shepard, and Jameson Shepard All the kids had fun and enjoyed themselves very much. Most all the kids said that they would like to do it again next year.

An Unbreakable Bond 

By Angela George, Wyoming County 4-H Teen Member

> As a 4-Her, farmer, and dairy showman, I can definitely say that the relationship between my cows and I is very strong. The same can be said for many People often wonder why we would want to show a big, smelly, animal that takes so much time to take care of. Well, for many of us, taking care of these animals is a way of life. Many exhibitors either work, live, or are on a farm every day. We are constantly feeding, washing, and work-ing with our cows. Which as anyone can imagine, creates a bond that nothing can break. The county fair is a way for us to display how much work, effort, and time we put into our animals. There’s nothing better than having all of your hard work pay off and receiv-ing a blue ribbon after a show. However, not everyone who works with cows every day gets a blue ribbon, or a ribbon at all for that matter.Every day farmers who go to work before the sun comes up until the sundown often re-ceive little to no recognition for everything they do. Feed-ing cows and calves, milking, and giving shots and vaccina-tions are something a farmer does on an everyday basis. This can become overwhelming very quickly. You may be asking yourself, ‘Why anyone would want to be a dairy farmer?’. Well I can personally say that our passion for the dairy industry, our love for Agriculture, and the bond we have with our cows is what gets us out of bed in the morn-ing and into the barn.So whether it be a show cow or just another cow on the farm, the bond between cow and an exhibitor or a farmer is a strong one. 

Last updated July 26, 2019