MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — It’s that time of year again, when our 4-H youth are choosing animals for their upcoming county fairs! Back again this spring was the CNY 4-H Livestock Rodeo Series, which educates youth about raising, preparing and showing livestock animals.
This year the focus was on Rabbits and Poultry. Each of the sessions had experts and staff present to guide youth through hands-on activities to help prepare them for the upcoming show season. Each youth was provided a learning opportunity about prepping their animal for show and showmanship basics. The rabbit and poultry event was recently held on Saturday, April 15 and was hosted at the Cortland County Fairgrounds in Cortland, NY. Approximately 30 youth from six counties attended the session to learn about rabbits, chickens and turkeys from experts in the industry.
Holly Pullis, a 4-H Alumni and owner of Hollywood Enterprises in Richfield Springs, spoke with youth about her experiences raising turkeys as a youth and how that led her to the business that she runs today. Holly discussed the different breeds of turkeys, feeding, housing, and she gave a talk about showmanship practices for youth headed to county fair.
Rebecca Coombe, who is a junior at Cornell University and 4-H Alumni, spoke about rabbit care and showmanship using her own personal rabbit for demonstrations. Youth were so excited to pet the soft rabbits and learn how to set themselves up for success when showing their own rabbits.
Emily Hurd, a sophomore at St. Bonaventure University and another 4-H Alumni, spoke about chicken care, breeds, and showmanship. She brought two chickens with her, which allowed youth to get hands-on practice. The youth enjoyed holding the chickens during Emily’s presentation.
We are truly grateful to have such a fantastic community of 4-H Alumni who are willing to pass on information and skills that they learned during their time in 4-H. The hope is that our current youth will be able to take the information they learned at the Livestock Rodeo and apply it to their own animals. We look forward to seeing these youth show this year at both County and State Fair!
4-H is a nationwide youth development program for youth ages 5-18, teaching skills in homemaking, animal science, health and wellness, STEM, agriculture, and more! To learn more about joining 4-H, contact your local county’s Cornell Cooperative Extension.
–Madison, Cortland, and Onondaga County 4-H Educators
Cornell Cooperative Extension
