Rockwall Youth Fair March 30-April 2

4-H Beef Club grows, family traditions continue

(ROCKWALL, TX – March 24, 2016) While other families headed to the beach or went skiing, eight Rockwall County 4-H Beef Club members recently spent their Spring Break at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

One member, Trevor Rowe, exhibited a heifer that he purchased with the $1,750 certificate he earned catching a calf at the 2015 HLSR Calf Scramble.

Senior Sarah Kazlow won scramble certificates from three shows two years ago, valued at $2,800. As per the terms, she exhibited her heifer last year and returned to Houston one last time to show her as a cow/calf pair. From her scramble experiences, Sarah earned $16,000 in college scholarships.

In addition to showing cattle, Beef Club members have the opportunity to meet other exhibitors from across the state. This allows students to improve their social skills as well as their leadership skills. Four Beef Club members hold officer positions with their state breed associations.

Miller 1991 — Melody Jones Miller, 1991.

Rockwall High senior Tanner Howey, an eight year member, currently serves as President of the Texas Junior Simmental/Simbrah Association. He also exhibits cattle on the national level. In January, he exhibited heifers at the National Western Stock Show in Denver and won Grand Champion Simmental heifer. “My beef project has challenged me to come out of my shell and doing that allowed me to make new connections and meet new people. It has also taught me responsibility and compassion for my animals,” he said.

Tanner has been accepted to Oklahoma State University and will enter college with scholarship money from his hard work in the beef project.

Rockwall County 4-H Beef Club comprises youth in third through twelfth grade who enjoy the process of raising and exhibiting animals for show, and the family bonding that goes along with it. Several are second and third generation Rockwall County beef cattle exhibitors continuing the family tradition. Despite the decrease in land, interest is on the rise. In four short years, the Rockwall County 4-H beef show team has grown from 7 to 27 members. That is a 1,000% increase!

Rockwall County 4-H Beef Club members are just some of the hard working 4-H and FFA members you can see exhibiting livestock projects at the 63rd annual Rockwall Youth Fair March 30 through April 2nd at the Rockwall ISD Ag Science Center on Riding Club Road. The breeding beef and market steer portion of the show begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 2. Other highlights include a BBQ lunch at 11:30 a.m. and the Market Sale of all animals including steers, which begins at 1.

For more information about the Rockwall County 4-H Beef Club. call 972-204-7660. Stay tuned to blueribbonnews.com for show results.

By Shelly Spearman, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office.

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