High feed costs not a detriment to 4-H’ers’ livestock projects

While feed costs have skyrocketed this year for livestock operators, it hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of young 4-H'ers showing their animals at the Hall County Fair.

Corn prices this year have climbed as high as $7 per bushel, but have since gone down below $5 per bushel in recent weeks. Corn is the primary ingredient in livestock feed.

Tiffany Schultz, 15, of Cairo has been showing livestock at the Hall County Fair since she was 8 years old. This year, Tiffany is showing both hogs and cattle.

As a 4-H'er showing livestock at the Hall County Fair, part of her responsibility is keeping records on her livestock projects, including how much it costs to feed the animals.

Tiffany said she is well aware of the increased cost to feed her 4-H projects this year because of the required record keeping and from past years of 4-H livestock projects.

"I pay for that out of my own pocket, and I have had to pay more," she said. "But it didn't keep me from doing it because I like it too much. You just do what you have to do."

Tiffany's dad, Rob Schultz of Cairo, said that while feed costs have gone up, "All the families out here (at the Hall County Fair) enjoy doing this (showing animals) and it's a learning experience for the families and 4-H'ers.

"You work hard at what you do and you want to do well," Schultz said. "You have to practice and take care of the animals every day. Yeah, you look at the costs, but you overweigh those by the learning experience that you have."

He said the rising cost of feed has impacted the 4-H livestock projects the kids have done this year.

"Some of the families may have had to cut back on a few animals because of the feed costs," Schultz said. "But they are still in the program."

While feed costs have been high this year, there are a lot of other factors competing for young people's attention that have impacted the overall number of livestock entered in 4-H livestock shows over the years.

Along with her 4-H projects, Tiffany is involved in a lot of other activities, such as sports, that also demand her time, along with finding time to spend with family and friends.

"You really have to prioritize your time," she said. "But this (4-H livestock projects) really teaches you about hard work and responsibility. I have to make sure that things get done."

Tom Drudik, a Hall County Extension educator, said there's more to livestock feeding than the cost of feed.

"The experiences that the kids gain from this, whether you win or lose, is the most important thing," Drudik said. "They will be taking these experiences with them for the rest of their lives."

And it's not just about the experience of raising livestock, he said.

"They learn about how to work with others, how to cooperate and how to work as a team," Drudik said. "That's very important. It's something that sticks with them the rest of their lives."

Drudik, who also judges livestock shows at other county fairs in Nebraska (Webster, Boone and Platte counties), said he has seen lower livestock entries this year, and that is more than likely due to higher feed costs, among other factors.

At the Hall County Fair, Drudik said, pre-entries were about even with last year. 4-H families were checking in livestock Thursday morning at the fairgrounds located at Fonner Park in Grand Island.

"But we are noticing that with some of the animals they are a little bit lighter or underfinished, compared to other years," Drudik said. "That would reflect a little bit on the amount of grain and feed that they had."

Drudik said the weather could also be a factor as the year started out wet and then turned hot and dry and may not have been suitable to good weight gain for livestock.

"There are a lot of factors to consider and you can't just blame it all on high feed costs," he said. "But it's one of those things that farmers learn to live with."

For Cierra Huxtable, 10, this is her third year for showing livestock at the Hall County Fair. She is showing cattle at this year's fair.

Cierra said the feed costs are a consideration, but it's also the learning experience that counts.

"You learn a lot about responsibility for taking care of them and feeding them and washing them," she said.

Her father, Craig Huxtable, raises cattle in Hall County and is well aware of how high feed costs have been this year for his cattle.

But that hasn't been a consideration when it comes to his daughter's participation in the 4-H livestock program.

"You just do it because it's for the kids," Huxtable said. "But it's a factor because your bottom line narrows up."

Still, there's a bigger picture to consider when it comes to youth participation in livestock shows.

"You just have to look years down the road because the kids are developing their values at this age," Huxtable said. "But that's the way farming is. You make money one year and you lose money the next. You just hope everything averages out and you have enough equity to pull you through.”