Less than 10 years after competing on the coloured shavings of World Dairy Expo in showmanship, Charlton will be back to place the Junior competition.

Growing up on a farm and then raising kids on one can be challenging, yet ultimately rewarding. This was the inspiration behind the creation of a podcast by dairy farmer Arlene Hunter and beef and sheep farmer Caite Palmer.

Grangeville student takes showing livestock to community youth clinic.

“The skills they’ve learned, the work ethic, doing chores, taking care of animals have set them up to be successful adults. This is why we do what we do through 4-H and FFA – try to raise kids with those skill sets.”

“Public speaking is scary; I get it, but you have to do it, and in this family, you will learn to do it well.” I found these words tumbling out of my mouth following my 10-year-old daughter’s 4-H meeting. 

Building skills for a lifetime with an emphasis on teamwork, a trip to Toronto in November for the TD 4-H Classic begins with dedicated volunteers such as Bobbi-Jo Uhr.

As a young female farmer in her late 20s with a bachelor's degree in biology, public speaking seems like it is just part of who I am. Growing up in the era that I did, and as a student in the science field, it seemed as if multiple times throughout the year, I was speaking in one of my classes or giving a talk on a science project.

Beyond the Ring to youth who show livestock is similar to what PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association) is to rodeo.