4-H: 30 years down, 20 to go!

 This past week our oldest took his first prospect beef to the spring weigh in. "Weigh-in" is like a registration event for all the prospect beef that will attend the Clinton County 4-H and Youth Fair the last week of July.  At the event the department leadership tag the calf, vaccinate them for shipping fever, check to make sure they are castrated, and weigh them, of course.  The weight helps the 4-H member judge how the animal is growing, and how much more growth the animal needs to meet the weight requirements for the fair.  "Clover" came in at 225 lbs.  Off to a good start!

 Many people do not realize how many volunteers it takes to run the county 4-H program. There are organizational leaders, project leaders, department chairs, superintendents, fair board members, committee members, fair council members, and it goes on and on.  Very few people involved in 4-H get paid for their time and investment into helping our neighborhood youth become better people.  These volunteers live out the 4-H pledge with their creative minds, loyalty to the program,  and continued service all in an effort to make this a better community, country and world.

 My siblings and I have been involved in 4-H for over 30 years now.  Its not surprising since my parents were also involved in 4-H. My mom often recalls entering her projects at the fair, and how much fun she had. She once said that she couldn't even remember how well she did on them, just how much fun it was.  I recon that was probably because the projects were not the most important thing at the fair. Turns out my dad was!  When my mom worked her "fair job" (remember-the fair is mostly ALL volunteers, including the youth!) She sold milk at the milk stand at the Ingham county fair in Mason.  My dad, noticing her, drank a lot of milk that day.  A LOT.  The rest is history. They've been married over 40 years now.  4-H does that to people. 
     This was the first weigh in for me in 15 years, although it may as well have been yesterday.  In some ways a lot has changed, but in others, not so much.  The tack box is in the basement, ready to go (never unpacked from 1998...).  Later this summer we'll pull out the clippers, shine up the halters, and go to the fair.  For the next 20 years.

-Terri