Club Life About More Than Just Farm Animals
My name is Rhett Keaton. I am 10 years old and I live on a beef cattle farm in McDonald County.
4-H has basically just been a part of our family. My parents were both in 4-H and my older sisters are in 4-H now. I’ve been a Clover Kid since I was old enough and was just waiting until I could move up as a member. It wasn’t really a choice or a matter of if I was going to be in 4-H, but when I could officially be a member. I had looked forward to being old enough to be a member for a couple of years and I finally got to.
I have learned many things in 4-H this year. We have had several different speakers and field trips during our meetings recently. I have learned about shooting safety, water safety, and farm safety. We also had a demonstration from the local fire and rescue unit. They discussed fire safety and actually brought the truck for us to tour.
I also got to visit the local courthouse and learn about what goes on there and some about our local government. During our meetings, I have learned about making motions and voting on things we discuss. We have watched videos on running a meeting and what members are supposed to do during meetings. I’ve also learned how to do demonstrations in front of an audience.
One of my projects this year was beef cattle. I learned it takes many hours of work and dedication to get calves ready for the fair. Showing calves that are six to eight months old is very different than showing a bottle calf. They are quite a bit bigger and stronger and thus require a lot more time at home. I sure didn’t want her to act crazy when we took her to the fair.
My other project this year was shooting sports. At our first meeting we talked about guns and shooting safety. I hadn’t shot a gun prior to this, so the instructions and safety information was very useful for me. Throughout the summer, we got together several times to shoot. I’m getting better, but still have a lot of room to improve.
I think the thing I’ve enjoyed most about being in 4-H is attending member camp at Roaring River. While at camp I made several friends, played games, went fishing and so much more. I am looking forward to next year.
— Rhett Keaton, 10