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Branston Pohlman, 13, of Fort Recovery will show his heifer Cheese Curd at this year's fair.
CELINA- Summer is often a time of rest and relaxation for most students. However, those involved in 4-H have been busy working on projects for the 172nd Mercer County Fair Aug. 8-14 in Celina.
4-H is a community of young people across America who learn leadership, citizenship and life skills as they work in partnership with adults on a variety of projects - from food and forestry to rockets and rabbits, according to www.ohio4h.org.
Youth that participate in 4-H must be at least 8 and in the third grade as of January 1. The last year of eligibility or participation in 4-H is the year in which the individual turns 19.
"They've completed books to learn about their animal and then they do whatever preparations needed to get that animal ready for the fair, which obviously looks much different for a dog versus the dairy project or a beef project," said Ohio State Extension 4-H Youth Development Educator Beth Guggenbiller. "At home, they're working on getting that (project) ready."
Haylee Harling, 13, of Celina started in 4-H by showing horses and will show dogs for the first time at the 172nd Mercer County Fair in August.
Haylee Harling, 13, of Celina started in 4-H by showing horses and then recently switched to showing dogs.
"We got the dogs from a rescue and so they were very skittish and I went to try to train them to be more happy and more kind with people, instead of scared," she said. "I thought that taking them to fair and working with them would be really good for them."
Harling will show her dog Reba, 3, for the first time at this year's Mercer County Fair. They will compete in agility, obedience and rally.
Reba, 3, poses for a picture.
"I started working with her probably two or three months ago," Harling said. "I work with her pretty much every day of the week as long as it's not too hot. I set up an agility course and take her through jumps and a table, and I work on basic obedience."
In addition to showing their animal or project off physically, 4-H students also learn a lot about their animals or project subject.
"They sign up for a dairy project and so they have a book," Guggenbiller said. "In that book they're learning things like the different types of breeds, record keeping. So what expenses do they have for taking that animal and what income might they have from that animal, whether they're selling the milk or selling the meat from the animal. They also go to a project judging. They're going to an interview where they are sharing with the judge what they've learned about their animal and what they're doing daily to get ready for the fair."
In his first year at the fair, Branston Pohlman was awarded the showmanship award, which judges handlers on their ability to effectively exhibit an animal to its best advantage.
Branston Pohlman, 13, of Fort Recovery has shown dairy calves since he was 8 years old and will show a heifer named Cheese Curd at this year's Mercer County Fair.
In his first year at the fair, Branston Pohlman was awarded the showmanship award. For the showmanship award, 4-H students are judged on their ability to effectively exhibit an animal to its best advantage in a competitive show ring environment.
When showing dairy cattle, judges look for various different things, including how well the animal is presented, per the www.midwestfarmreport.com.
"Judges are also looking for how you are setting your animal up and if you are making sure it is looking its best at all times," the website states. "That goes into the physical appearance as well as making sure that they are well tempered and being handled well in the ring.
Exhibitors should also be keeping a safe distance between them and other animals. Showmanship differs from the regular animal age classes because in showmanship you can bring in a heifer that maybe isn't as correct in her confirmation. However, by the way you show her you can still do well in showmanship."
Prior to the fair show, Branston's mom, Dixie Pohlman, said his calf will undergo a lot of prep.
Show preparation includes washing the heifer with a garden hose and soap, clipping her hair with a large clippers, cleaning her ears, trimming her hoofs and fluffing her tail and back top line, she said.
Branston Pohlman, 13, of Fort Recovery, does his chores.
Both students agreed that there's a lot of camaraderie within 4-H.
"When you go to school and you all live in St. Henry, you're going to see the same St. Henry kids, maybe on your ball team and in the classroom and in your community," Guggenbiller said. "But when you come to the fair, if you're a dairy kid, you're seeing dairy kids across the whole county, and you start to build those friendships."
Haylee Harling and her dog Reba will compete in agility, obedience and rally at this year's fair.
