06/09/2026
Last week was a hectic one with our own 4-H regional show and having the honor to photograph two beef shows. It was my yearly reminder of how amazing the 4-H program is.
I've been heavily immersed in our own 4-H club all year, but these beef shows truly bring out the true spirit of 4-H.
These kids work all year with their project for the final shows. The put literal blood, sweat and tears into these animals, and in the case of beef, they have to let them go after the sale. I watch these kids get beaten up by cattle, and keep that smile on their face. I watch them lead them around the sale pen and hide the sadness as they sell the animal they've nurtured for the last 9 months. I watch members step in to help with an unruly steer, with a younger member who has never been to a show. I watch kids with brooms taller than they are keeping aisles neat and tidy. I watch kids interact with buyers in hopes that they will be the one to buy their animal. These show days are hard on my as an adult and yet the members handle it all with grace and a smile on their face, through the exhaustion, the sadness and the definite bruises.
Here's to you, 4-H Members. You are truly inspiring.
