Official Kids Mag is specifically written for kids ages 5 to 12. It contains activities and stories ranging from kid heroes, cooking, gardening, STEAM, education, fun facts and much more every month.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1476435
By Karen Rice Official Kids Mag Thirteen-year-old Emma Evans, an 8th grader at Gentry Middle School, is excited to show off her "project" at the Benton County Fair this year. Her "project" being a black and white Simmintal/ Angus steer. Emma's steer is one of the first in a new program this year at the Fair—the Pasture to Plate Market Beef Program. Students ages 9-19 who joined in the program raised a steer and kept records of growth and input costs. They will have the opportunity show the steer at the Fair, have the steer harvested, and then sell the beef to the public. The program gives youth a chance to learn about costs, effort and steps involved in preparing and selling a beef steer for harvest. Beyond that, it also educates the general public and gives businesses and consumers the opportunity to purchase locally grown beef. It's a long-term project for the kids that takes nearly a year to complete. Emma began her project in the fall of 2021, acquiring a calf born and bred on her family's farm. Then the work—and the learning—began. "When raising this steer we put it with another steer so that they would compete to eat more food to gain more weight," Emma says. "I also made sure that he had clean water 24/7 and feed two times a day, making sure he ate all of his food, with hay in with him so he had the option to eat it as he pleased." Emma also had to keep detailed records on her steer as part of the project. "We kept records like how much grain was feed a day, we traced how much he gained each month, when we purchased feed, how much of what medications that he received, and much more!" she exclaimed. Through it, she says she learned how to keep track of records very well. And the best part for Emma was "watching an animal grow that you put a lot of work and time into." The hardest part?—"remembering to weigh the steer each month," she admitted. Participants in the program will be working toward awards in four categories: highest average daily gain, record keeping, show ring presentation, and overall finish grade. During the Fair, interested consumers and businesses will be able to bid on the beef projects to purchase post-harvest. "I am so excited to show this steer at the Benton County Fair this year!," Emma said. "It will be fun to see everyone else's projects that they put a lot of work into!" After her nearly year-long effort, Emma has advice for other kids who might like to take part in the program. "Find a calf and feed it a lot, and make sure that they have clean water all the time. Put another calf in the pen so that they are competing to eat, so that they eat more to gain more weight!" To stay up to date on purchasing beef from this program and to learn more about the youth involved and their projects, check out "Benton County Pasture to Plate" on Facebook. locally grown 6 • SePteMBeR 2022 • www.OfficialKidsMag.com