What goes into raising a 4-H project?

The 4-H program promotes the “learn to do, by doing” mind-set in youth. The process of selecting, caring for, and raising these animals to the best of their ability is the job of the 4-H youth, who range in age from 6 years to 21 years. Through mentors they discover what their animal likes to eat and what nutrition the animal needs, what makes the animal most comfortable (large pen size, clean bedding, feed variety are examples), how to identify health problems and determine a course of action to resolve the issue, and how to train these animals to follow a lead, have a bath, and learn to accept pets and scratches from their human care takers.

Raising a beef animal is hard work! 4-H members start a beef market project in October and typically finish in May or June. Likewise, members start a market Lamb project in March and finish in May or June. Feeding, grooming, pen cleaning, and animal care culminate in countless hours of work by the members to grow and deliver a quality animal to the buyer.