"When the reality of the fact that he had to go to market hit, it was awful." We went to the fair and I got a blue ribbon," she recalls almost wistfully. "His name was Justin, and he was my best friend. Katie Pratt, a corn and soybean farmer from northern Illinois, sold her first market calf when she was 8 years old. That's significant for anyone who hopes to raise animals or keep the family farm running smoothly.
Growing up animal how to#
Not only are children raising the animals and learning the how-tos of vaccinations and record-keeping, 4-H'ers with market animals are also being taught how to add up the costs and weigh them against future profits. You're also learning how to market the animal, explains Heather Shultz, a 4-H extension specialist for livestock programs in Georgia. Someone took the time to raise and feed and vaccinate and care for that animal so you could have it on your table," Wagner says. One of these lessons is "the cycle of life." Jill Wagner, a former 4-H member from Iowa who works in agriculture, says that even when her children were 2 and 3, she tried to emphasize to them that hamburger didn't come from the grocery store, "It came from the cows down the road. There are also 4-H programs that don't involve animals at all - yet for those that do, learning to sell the animal can teach important lessons (and provide some extra cash, too). Not everyone does a market project in 4-H - some raise breeding stock or show animals that are more like pets than livestock. "I can honestly say I looked at it as, and I hate to say this, an opportunity to make some money," Fleeger says. But she still did not find it that hard to sell. While in 4-H, Fleeger showed one cow for eight consecutive years. There's a difference between the relationship with that animal and one that's part of a herd." "You spend a lot of time teaching that animal to walk on a halter. "There's definitely a relationship," says Marsha Fleeger, a former 4-H'er who grew up on a farm and now covers the organization's events for the Record-Argus, a newspaper in Greenville, Pa.
Though these separations between children and animals are hard, they fit with the 4-H slogan, "Learn by doing." Children learn what it actually takes to raise an animal for food and then let it go. The four H's stand for "head, heart, hands and health" and as part of the 4-H pledge, members vow to use these four things for the betterment of "my club, my community, my country and my world." Today there are nearly 6 million participants in the nonprofit 4-H in the United States. Unlike farmers who often have dozens, if not hundreds, of animals, 4-H children work closely with one or two animals for a year, or even longer if the animal, such as a steer, takes more time to raise. Auction day is when many 4-H kids must say goodbye after a year of training, feeding and caring for an animal.Įvery year there are photos circulating online of crying children on market day. Yet there's one day of the fair that's bittersweet and, for some, downright heart-wrenching.
Growing up animal full#
There are rides, craft displays and, of course, barns full of animals that nonfarmers rarely get to see. Visitors can gorge on deep-fried Oreos, hot beef sundaes and heaps of cotton candy. Each hour-long episode is an intimate look into the birth of a different iconic animal: grizzlies, sea lions, elephants, African wild dogs, chimpanzees and lions.įor a full list of everything coming to the United States in September, click here.Not only are kids raising animals and learning the how-tos of vaccinations and record-keeping, 4-H'ers are also being taught how to add up the costs and weigh them against future profits.ĭarren Huck/The Washington Post/Getty Images The series, narrated by Emmy-nominated star of “black-ish,” producer and CEO Tracee Ellis Ross, follows animal mothers and babies from the womb to the outside world as they face the triumphs and trials of nature.
Growing up animal series#
You can watch a trailer for the series below:
“Growing Up Animal” is the magical story of a mother’s instinct to nurture and her infant’s drive to survive.Īll six episodes of “Growing Up Animal” are available to stream now on Disney+. Each episode sees the incredible transformation of a different iconic animal, full of wonder and emotion. Go behind the scenes of “Growing Up Animal,” the six-episode, intimate and extraordinary adventure of baby animals, from the safety of the womb to the uncertainty of birth and their tentative first steps. One of the Disney+ Originals coming to the streaming service next month is “Behind The Scenes of Growing Up Animal” which arrives on Disney+ on Thursday, September 2nd. Disney+ has announced the full list of everything coming to the United States in September including premieres of new Disney+ Original Series, additional episodes of fan-favorite series, and new library title additions.
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