REITER’S BLOCK
fleeting, due to the nature of the project, and it’s that emotion and care and effort that is on full display this time of year all over this great land. I remember the first time I realized that my beloved show calves were going to market and might end up on my dinner plate; I was mortified and I’ll bet I cried for a full day straight. It was a scene. But it taught me some of the most valuable lessons that life has to teach. Lessons about the order of things and why that order is essential to the lives we enjoy. Lessons about relishing the present and building memories that have no expiration. Insights gained as to mortality and how to best spend our limited time with the people and things we love. The impermanence and fragility of life and why it is critical to breathe it all in and live fully. These are the great lessons of junior livestock showing.
4-H and FFA livestock projects have been the educators and life coaches of so many young people that turn into strong, helpful adults because of these essential life lessons. Vital teachings like reliability, consistency, attention to
detail, punctuality, compassion, toughness, sportsmanship, and budgeting are just a few more of the byproducts of junior livestock work. The project books teach us about the animals, but the animals teach us about ourselves and life and our places in it. It’s a beautiful thing. One that I hope never ends.
Thanks to Wes Untied, OH, for submitting several photos of his neighbor, Alicia Graham of Frazeysburg, OH.
Alicia’s efforts and prowess with her market lambs were on display at the 2024 Ohio State Fair where she placed near the top of an historically tough show. But what was really on display was that bond, unmistakable and everlasting. Well done, Alicia, and well done to every kid that leaned into their projects this year. You are the future of this business that we love so much. Sometimes we just need a reminder. Buy. Sell. Be Happy.
Craig Reiter Publisher
