An aspiring drummer and an apprentice welder were the big winners at Calgary’s 4-H on Parade May 30-June 1.
More than 800 young people from the Calgary region poured into the city for Canada’s largest achievement day, showing off a year’s work that covers everything from the traditional market steers and lambs to bunnies, photography projects and sports.
For 11-year-old Kier Scott of the Irricana, Alta., beef and multi club, achievement days bring mixed feelings when he shows and sells his market lambs that usually end up on the slaughter block.
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“They make you name them and raise them and you get attached to them,” he said.
“I’m a little bit sad but I’ll get over it. I’m half happy, half sad.”
The good news was receiving $8.80 a pound for his 117 lb. wether purchased by Dale Bushfield of Airdrie, Alta.
Scott’s family raises 500 ewes and he raised five for his 4-H projects, although there are only four clubs doing sheep projects. There are fewer animals to compete against in the barns, he said.
“I’m going to stick with it but my dad wants me to go with steers,” he said.
A Grade 6 student at Kathyrn, Alta., he has taken up drumming along with his farm work among the market lambs. He also has a confession.
“I have never eaten a sheep. I don’t think it’s right,” he said.
Travis Hanson, a fourth generation rancher, is more stoical as he winds up his 4-H this year with the grand champion steer.
He is graduating from high school this year and has already started his welder’s apprenticeship in Calgary with Enerflex.
The 18-year-old gave his plan considerable thought. He started working the last semester of high school as an apprentice welder and finished his academic work this semester at Airdrie. He would have preferred to stay on the farm but prospects in agriculture look poor so he wanted something else.
“I need to find a new path to travel right now but maybe later I’ll return to agriculture,” Hanson said.
He is also president of the junior Hereford Association and will continue to enter his home-raised steer in youth events.
His steer weighed in at 1,236 lb. and sold for $7.10 a lb. to Ironwood Building Systems of Calgary.
In addition to the large slate of market animals, clubs volunteer each year to raise animals for charity.
The Bow Valley club raised a 95 lb. lamb that sold for $19 a lb. to Balzac Meats with the money going to Samaritan’s Purse. The Crossfield-Madden club raised a 1,354 lb. steer that sold for $10,832 with proceeds going to Ronald McDonald House of Southern Alberta. Encana Corp. was the buyer.
Events like that have made the Calgary achievement day a bigger draw each year. This year 4,000 individual projects were represented.
Each year new projects are introduced with this year’s parade showing off 25 different kinds of projects including dogs, crafts, small engines, cats, photography, snowboarding, rabbits, money management, model horses and party planning, said Rob Smith, Alberta Agriculture 4-H specialist.
“The biggest bulk of the members are still beef and horses. We’ll make anything work because the opportunity for personal development is the key. The project is the vessel,” he said.
