The Sisters and Their Cows

BY DEMANI BUTLER

Muddy shoes, country music and a lot of cows. Junior Sadie Janisko and her sisters Haley senior and Shelby Butler sophomore annually participate in the Kentucky State Fair Cow Show along with their family members.

If you live in Kentucky or around Louisville, chances are you’ve attended the Kentucky State Fair and seen the cow show. The family spends a lot of time training and preparing their cows for these events.

The Butlers own a specific breed of cows called Jerseys. They travel all around the country showing their cows and their hard work throughout the year. “Preparing for the Kentucky state fair is a year-round job. We are constantly working with our animals, figuring out which ones we will bring and preparing our display,” Haley Butler said. “We have to work with our cows to make sure they will be calm and cooperative when around other people,” she said.

Cows are not home pets so it is not as easy to train them and get them used to other people. It takes dedication and natural care from the Butlers in order to get them ready. “Although prepping is a lot of work and very time consuming, it’s all for fun,” Butler said. Haley has participated in roughly 20 shows and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. “I have been showing with my family my whole life but I have been showing on my own for seven years,” Butler said. The girls have spent most of their lives working with these cows so a love for the activity is an understatement. Many people aren’t very aware of what this family does and how important it is to them and their community.

“Training calves takes all year long and the process of training your cows really never ends. There are always things to improve on, whether it’s a calf or a cow you’ve shown for three years,” Shelby Butler said, “I am very thankful to have been able to grow up around something that not many people are fortunate enough to experience.”

Shelby has won the past two years at the Spencer County fair winning grand champion with her 5-year-old cow Pepper.

“I believe it is important to inform people on what we do because not many people get the opportunity to do it. Most people who come by the state fair are eager to learn because they don’t know much about dairy cows or farming and they find it very neat,” Janisko said.

The family on showing day 20201. “I really enjoy being with them,” said Saddie Janisko. Photo taken by mother Alicia Butler.

They become more interested as well as adults and like to learn more about the animals and also look at all the fun things the Butlers offer to show.

“I would say I enjoy the family bonding more than anything. Even though we are doing things that aren’t necessarily fun at all times, being together and finding things to laugh about makes it enjoyable,” Janisko said.

This is a unique bond for this family that a lot of other families can’t share together. Not only are their friends and family members watching their cows progress and get older, they are watching each other grow. “My momma’s heart is always proud of these three, however, watching them on the farm makes me a little extra proud,” mother Alicia Butler said, “agricultural life teaches so many life lessons that many are unable to experience. My kids know hard work, physically hard and mentally challenging.”

As a parent, Alicia Butler is able to train the girls and watch that she teaches them pay off.

“Individually they have won many awards but the one that makes me most proud is the Kentucky State Fair Dairy Herdsman award two years in a row,” Alicia said. This award is based on things like appearance and cleanliness of the area, how well your display is put together, and how much you conduct a crowd.

The sisters plan on carrying this tradition throughout their lives and many others. Siblings Sylus Janisko, Ragan Butler Evan Butler, and Ellie Butler have recently joined the events to further out the family tradition.

The Future Farmers of America (FFA) pathway is available to those who wish to understand more of what these people do. The program has grown immensely over the years and has great opportunities for students.

The family showing their accomplishments from previous years. These banners are now hanging up in the family’s home. “I love being able to celebrate times like these with my family,” said Alicia Butler. Photo taken by Jackie Butler.

Staff Editorial

The people that work hard for what they want are the ones that inspire others and how they earned their spot on the red carpet of the world.

People who push themselves are the ones who keep the world moving and growing. They find something that they’re good at and want to get better at it. When we get better at things, we challenge others to do the same and to start finding themselves. They push new opinions and ideas on the world to show that they’ve made it in the world and are ready to continue doing the best they can do.

New ideas and new ways to do things are created and these new things allow people to discover new ways to grow. We change the world with the way we give certain ideas the opportunity to rise over the others and to challenge what we think in our everyday lives. People have to push for their voices to be heard in the world and have to take charge when new opportunities arise to question others. When people question others, they get pushed into new things and have a new chance of discovering something they could excel at.

Success is something that everyone in the world wants, even if it’s just with something little. We quite often see people succeed and persevere through the world in our lives. New advancing ideas come from the success and hard work of people pushing to have a spotlight in our world and create new ideas. These people can be team captains, leaders in a class, or just someone who’s friendly walking through the halls of school. These people don’t start from anywhere, they’re the people that go out and do. They see where they’re starting and know where they want to end. People start to grow where they’re planted in the world and succeed because of this.

The people who have pushed themselves are always the ones we see the most recognized and are usually the most deserving of their time in the spotlight. Many fail to find what they’re really passionate about and take time to find their time to shine. Finding the things and people that you love can push you to better yourself and help you go after the things you want in life. Being the best that you can be is what makes most people find the things they’re good at. Showing the people around you that have accomplished this helps push others to find themselves and learn to do the same.

Spotlights in the world don’t just start from popular ideas but start with someone who’s willing to work for something they love. They work to find their own red carpet spot to shine and grow. How will you work to find your place to shine and have a spot on the red carpet spot in the world?

Sincerely, The Livewire Staff

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Livewire is a 32 page newsmagazine and accompanying website that is updated daily. All content is generated by student journalists at Bullitt East High School in Mount Washington, Kentucky.

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