Known as the 4-H market animal program, it’s this last activity that she’s focused on at this time of year. The year-long learning experience pairs students with steers, pigs or lambs and culminates with a live auction at the Cumberland Fair. The program provides budding farmers with the hands-on experience they need to successfully raise and sell livestock.
“They’re learning how to care for an animal correctly,” Gallagher explains. “They’re learning time management, record keeping and how to market the animal.”
The students who choose to raise beef cattle, begin the process at the end of the Cumberland Fair. They either catch an animal in the fair’s calf scramble or purchase one on their own. Those who want to raise hogs and sheep get their piglets and lambs in the spring.
In addition to the daily work of caring for a farm animal, the students spend time learning what it takes to market and sell an animal. Gallagher says in some cases students may opt to position their animals in a hot marketing niche, by using organic grain, forgoing antibiotics or allowing the animal to graze free-range. She says these marketing techniques are not emphasized by 4-H, but could be implemented by individual students.
To find out exactly how this year’s 4-Hers are positioning their animals, you need to be at the live auction taking place Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 4 pm at the Cumberland Fair show arena. Anyone can bid at this auction in hopes of walking away with a year’s worth of meat. Last year’s price per pound (based on the live weight of the animal, not the weight of the finished cuts) ranged from $2.60 to $2.70 for the steers, $1.10 to $2.55 for the hogs and $3.24 to $13 for the lambs.
This can translate into an auction price of more than $2,000 for a full steer. But because half a steer can feed a family of four for a year, often a group of friends or an extended family will join together on the purchase of an animal. Following the auction, local slaughterhouses are on hand to cart the animals away and turn them into the winning bidder’s preferred cuts.
“The money goes back to the 4-Her,” Gallagher says. “Because they’ve paid for the grain and the hay and the medical expenses. A lot of them put it toward their college or future plans.”
Beyond earning money for college, the 4-H market animal program ultimately could breed more professional farmers. Even though land devoted to farming in Cumberland County is shrinking, more people than ever are interested in eating locally grown and raised food. Which sounds like an ideal market for these kids who won’t ever be able to ditch their 4-H roots.
— Avery Yale Kamila