The weight of expectation is now on the shoulders of local 4-H kids.
The youth development association offers some members the chance to raise a livestock animal for market, as a miniature example of what farmers and ranchers do. These young members buy their animal when the critters are newly born, and raise them with care until the rabbit, swine, sheep, goat, beef or poultry is ready for sale at open auction.
This past week, the animals were all officially weighed to give each member that baseline data to compare to at the end of their project.
"The reason for the spring weigh-in is to give them a way to calculate their rate of gain," said Beaverly 4-H Club's sheep and swine leader Angela Crowe. "They take the weight in spring and subtract it from the weight in fall [at the Northern BC Exhibition final event] and that tells them what their daily rate of gain was. You don't want them to gain too much or two little, they want to finish at an ideal weight. For sheep it's between 125 and 130 pounds, but that is just an average. Different breeds have different ideal finishing weights. That's true too for beef or swine or any animal project."
As part of the science of raising the animal, each 4-H member keeps a monthly log of the amount of feed the animal eats, the varieties of food, and how much it cost. They also track any medications or vet appointments, special grooming, tools, training (4-H animals are hand-exhibited at the annual fall fair) and so on.
In addition to arriving with an end record of health, it also allows each member to cross-reference their final sale price with their money they spent during the year. It helps them spot the pros and cons of their investment choices along the way.
"They are kind of running a mini-business here. They are future entrepreneurs, and this is part of their training," said Crowe. She was a longtime 4-H member herself and grew up to be a financial advisor for Raymond James. Her two kids Morgan and Blake - 11 and 10 respectively - are now involved in raising 4-H animals.
"They are learning so much from 4-H that will transfer into whatever they do in later life," Crowe said. "And they love the animals."
The public is invited to come see the finished 4-H animals at the Northern BC Exhibition in August. The annual fall fair offers many opportunities to see the results of their hard work and affection.
The live 4-H auction is the afternoon of August 10, where the market-ready projects will be sold to the bidders in attendance.
