Monday, August 07, 2000
Young farmers show skills at fair
Caring for animals pays off
By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor
HARTWELL — Sunday was show time in the Red Barn at the Hamilton County Fair.
On the last day of the fair, youngsters paraded their animals in the livestock arena, then led them into the center of the shaving-strewn ring for auction. As auctioneer Chuck Johnson drove the bidding, it was the moment of truth for each young farmer: How well was his or her project going to pay off?
Ellie Logan of Indian Hill struck gold with Dutch,her 6-month-old lamb. He earned a first place ribbon and was named Grand Champion in the market lambs category. The 127-pound Dutch fetched $6 per pound.
“That money goes into my car fund,” 12-year-old Ellie said.
Ellie, a member of the Greenacres 4-H Club, kept her two lambs at the Greenacres Foundation farm in Indian Hill, where she didn't have to pay for space. She estimated, however, that raising her two lambs cost between $300 and $400.
Freckles earned $3 per pound for his owner, Cody Schindler, 9, who raised the lamb in a horse stall on the family's farm in Colerain Township.
This was Cody's first year in 4-H, and Freckles was his initial market project. He's looking forward to raising another lamb next spring.
“I'll work with him a little bit more,” said Cody, explaining that more exercise and human interaction improves an animal's muscle tone and showmanship.
After posing for a photo, Cody ran off to purchase a drink for Freckles' buyer.
“They are supposed to buy the person a drink and write them a thank-you,” explained Cody's mother, Lori Schindler. “It's kind of a courtesy.”
“This is the climax to (the 4-Hers') market project,” said Paula Keller, adviser to the Greenacres club. She added that the six-month projects involve twice-daily sessions with the animals to feed, clean and train them.
“They sweat a lot and get dirty and grimy, but they love every minute of it,” Ms. Keller said.
Is it hard, after six months of bonding, to see your prize lamb, hog or chicken sold for meat?
“We make it clear, up front, that that's what will happen,” Ms. Keller said. “Those that can't stand the thought pick another kind of project.”
The 145th Hamilton County Fair closed Sunday night with strong attendance, officials said.
“Although it's difficult to know exactly how many visitors we've had, because of free days and passes, we believe we've had at least 75,000 people this week,” fair treasurer Kathy Kearns said. “We usually run between 60,000 to 65,000, so we're up this year, in part because we've had such beautiful fair weather.”
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