It was a great day for Jalin Stangler and Sophia Sánchez, and Mi Michel Najar knows it. She knelt on the ground next to the 9-year-olds, blocking the movement around them, and reminding them of everything they had learned over the past few months, reassuring them that they would be fine. Minutes later all eyes were on them.
Well, in fact, all eyes were on Jalin, Sophia, their pigs spotted and crows, and half a dozen other kids and chickens. Greenley County Display Day was August 7.
Every year, at Greenland and Graham County shows and in Southeast Arizona Animal Exhibition in Wilcox, children apply what they have learned about animal art. In a few weeks, a judge will look at those animals to determine the quality of their income.
Large animals – pigs, lambs, goats, herdsmen and heifers – are judged in the same way, and by showing off, children are more likely to highlight the best qualities of their animals or hide flaws. Najar.
Forcing your animal to hold its head up shows the back, making Z in front of the judge ensures that the animal sees both sides, back to belly, and both ends.
“The judges looked at the muscles above them, how the animals were built, and their skeletal structure,” Najar said. “The judge is looking for cultures of certain species … Like pigs, they look at the area of the hind legs, where the hind limbs grow. They look at the overall growth of muscle for meat production. ”
Most of the children in the race were a mix of 4-H and future American farmers. At age 5, you can join 4-H and start showing animals at 8.
In front of the judge
It was the first time Jalin and Sophia had shown their explorers to a judge. They used their swine sticks to guide them here and there, so that their chickens would not wander or fight with other pigs.
“It was fun,” said Jalin. I was shocked because it was a new experience, but I think I did very well.
Joseph Fickett, a native of San Simeon, who presided over the event, said it was good.
“He had a beautiful smile and a good attitude, but I had to see him more,” she said.
For the past few months, Jalin has spent about an hour practicing with the spot every day, and that does not count the time she spends feeding, caring for, and breastfeeding in her warehouse.
It’s worth it, she said, “Because I love animals and I love the show.”
Sophia was also very happy with her time in the arena, although she had to cross paths with many other children and in front of her.
“It was fun. In fact, it was fun,” she said.
Learn about them
Najar is the leader of a 4-H pig in Greenland County. She also spends time teaching children about other races.
Marcy Harris teaches second grade FFA at Duncan Elementary School. While in FAA Middle and High School, children learn about animals, local government, wildlife management and gardening.
Harris and Najar The children may have a lot of fun, but strangers in the countryside may not know how much work they do to raise animals.
The animals were purchased months ago by aid workers, and young people often spent up to an hour each day demonstrating their abilities.
“Most of them are small animals, but they raise more than one animal. I say 90% raise more than one animal, ”Harris said.
“And I say one-third raise about two different species, so they show up in two different parts,” Najar said.
They get up early in the morning to feed them, clean and decorate their pens. Children in 4-H also spend hours in the classroom learning about nutrition and what their animals should eat, such as reading the percentage of protein and fat that should be given. You will also learn about body parts, amputations, and various ailments.
“Before we buy an animal, we start classes because we want the children to know what to buy,” Najar said.
Bakeries and lambs are purchased in October or November, and pigs, goats and lambs are purchased from early March to mid-May.
4-H leaders probably meet with children and their animals four or five times.
“We have exercises with their animals and we weigh them so that they can see their weight regularly throughout the year,” Najar said.
Children should keep track of their expenses, feeding records, animal records and taxes.
Children who do not have their own pens will travel to Frenice-Macmoran, a facility that has been built for them.
And don’t forget, ladies, all this work goes beyond homework, sports and other extracurricular activities.
“Perhaps half of these kids are playing sports or another club,” says Najar.
“These kids are the best,” Harris agreed.
They are all driven, determined, emotional and responsible, he said.
Harris, for his part, said: “Their ambition in the real world is amazing. When they go out into the real world, they say, “Oh, it’s good.”
“They think eight hours’ work is delayed by graduation,” Najar said.
Adelina Segovia, a 17-year-old runner-up in the Rhode, won her age in sheep and rabbit classes, and two of her nine brothers, Lings and Sister, also won.
“These events show that I am determined and capable. Raising and transporting animals on your own is a lot of responsibility, ”said Adelina. “I have learned that not everything in life is easy. You have to work hard to be successful. ”
Alex Smith, 13, from Bonita, has been showing the lamb for four years. This year she somehow showed Hudini, who always misses his pen.
“I learned that you don’t have to wait for it to happen,” says Alex. But I love it because I can see a lot of people I know and it’s very exciting.
“It’s a time when someone else is winning and you still feel good about him,” said her mother, Lina.
Anisa Danel, who lives in Maurice with her sister Jalin, certainly noticed the difference in her.
“They told her to do well and she will do it now,” says Daniel. “She is now more responsible and definitely out of the shell. She was very shy, but being in a group with others helped me.
Sophia’s mother, Amanda Sánchez, also saw a change.
“She’s a little brave,” said Sánchez, a Sheldon resident. She is always afraid to go to the barn on her own, but now she is more confident and responsible for finding an animal that is responsible for her.
Not all kids go home winners, but it doesn’t matter, Harris and Najar.
“They get a sense of sportsmanship. It’s not about winning, it’s about how you participate. You learn about bad luck and lack of sportsmanship, ”Harris said. “You see the sick man coming to help the other children.”
Feket, who has been judging the show and Jack since he was 13, says he is trying to get out of his way to reduce the level of anxiety in children.
“I try to make the show as enjoyable as possible,” says a 23-year-old student at the University of Arizona. “I am a very outspoken person and I try to go down the stairs. I want to help them in any way I can. I will not go out there to show myself. I talk to every single child because I think they understand that and I try to criticize them in a way that builds them up.
And at the end of the county fair, some families are thinking about paychecks, but most families are not even broke, Najar said.
Many children spend their money on their next pet, often choosing to move on to the next big animal, the women said. Rabbits start at $ 35 to $ 50, goats and lambs at $ 200, 300 chickens, and market managers at $ 700 to $ 1,000.
As the children involved in 4-H and FF call their critics and grow to love them, the women know what will happen after the show.
You learn that animals are exported within six to eight months. They will then age it and then your flesh will be a little stronger. You have a high fat ratio and you need some fat because it tastes good but you don’t want too much fat because it is a waste. ”
Najar: “From the beginning, make sure you remind all the leaders that children are market animals and that they are selling meat to someone else.
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