This week is our county's 4-H fair. It's always fun to go and see all of the animals...especially for my 2 yr. old son! I believe 4-H is a valuable resource for our communities. It's something everyone should support. Even if you aren't a "farmer," you eat, so you need to be somewhat interested in how our food is grown! Here are my reasons why 4-H is great program:
- It teaches young men and women how to treat animals. One of the things my family always taught me is that you don't mistreat animals. They are God's creation, and they are your income/food.
- 4-H encourages local agriculture. In a day when we buy dog food from China, fruit from South America, and juice from Pakistan, it is encouraging that small, local farmers are still producing quality food products that are safe to eat. No farmer is going to jeopardize the safety of the food their family eats.
- 4-H is about community. The giving and taking of help and ideas foster the idea that all of us are in this together. 4-H is not just a one week event. It's a year round project. When animals are involved, it's often a life style. 4-H-er's often share resources, skills, and sometimes animals.
- Having animals teaches responsibility to the young men and women feeding and taking care of the animals.
- Raising an animal (very much like a pet) and leading it to be processed is one of the toughest parts of 4-H. I firmly believe, however, that this is an important aspect of life. The animal or plant must die for us to live. We are part of a vast cycle of life and death. Most of us live our lives oblivious to this, but there is a very spiritual connection between a farmer and the land/animal. This is why farmers tend to be more religious. They get to see the mysteries of life, birth and death, on a regular basis.
Don't get me wrong, there are bad parts to 4-H as well...such as the competition aspects. Painting hooves, using hairspray on tails, making sure the youth wears the right clothes, is all bogus and has nothing to do with 4-H; however, the real experience of raising an animal, taking care of it, and joining the world of agribusiness are important and vital maturation points for our communties' future agribusiness men and women.
Have you been to the fair yet? Hope to see you there!
