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
