4-Hers show passion and fortitude at Sanders County Fair

With roosters crowing and cattle balling, the agriculture and 4-H/FFA section of the Sanders County Fair was already noisy and then add in the chatter and laughter of everyone in the pens and barns, and one could not have felt that there was a better place on earth to be over Labor Day weekend.

The traditional auction on Sunday is always exciting and leading up to it, people have the opportunity to visit with young farmers and ranchers who very much enjoy telling people about their critters and how they raised them.

Chad ‘CJ’ Burnaroos is 12 and his rabbit, Coal, did very well in his division. 

“He is a Rex rabbit which is the softest rabbit that is known,” he explained. “They are not a meat rabbit. They are raised for their fur.” 

Another rabbit he entered received four blue ribbons which is a Rex/New Zealand cross.

“She shows more of the New Zealand than the Rex, so she is a meat rabbit. But she is too old for her meat as over time, their meat gets tougher.” BG, or Baby Girl, is 3 years old, he thinks.  

“Recently, she had a liter, bud sadly all eight of them died,” he said. 

He went on to say that when born, they look like baby rats and they are extremely susceptible to cold temperatures. Therefore, the mother has a big pouch-chin that she uses to keep them warm right after birth. His family raises and sells the rabbits for both their meat and their fur but Burnaroos admits that he can’t eat rabbits. 

“I still eat meat. I just don’t eat rabbit meat because I grew them and I loved them, yeah. I think raising cows and sheep would be different and I could eat them.” 

He also competed in the dog agility show and he was pleased with his performance and his K9’s on Thursday. 

“This is really fun, but it’s also a lot of work. I get to show people and talk to them about my animals,” as he wraps up his second year in 4-H attending school in Plains and living in Paradise.

Averie Wright is an 8th grade 4-H student at Charlo School and has been in the cattle business for seven years. She was showing open in the Sanders County Fair as she had shown and sold her steer at the Lake County Fair last month. Wright was grooming her heifer, Emmi, for judging Saturday morning which had been bred but was not going to be sold. 

“Nope, “I’m going to use her to build my herd more,” she explained. “She’s very deep in her belly so she’s going to make good calves.” 

Wright does sell some of her cattle for market and admits there is science behind it that can be challenging.  

“It’s difficult to put correct marbling into the fat,” she grins. 

But as far as 4-H goes, she decorates cakes and entered chickens and rabbits in the Sanders County Fair. Her parents were on hand and shared that as a family, they have 65 to 70 chickens that they raise for their eggs which they sell but always make sure they have some to give to the Ronan Food Basket Food bank.

Katherine Wessely from Plains had three of her seven Nigerian goats entered in the 4-H program. 

“This breed typically only gets to about 75 pounds when full grown. They are good milk producers. So, I take away the babies at night and then milk her out in the morning and if it’s a 12-hour fill, I get about a quart of milk.” 

Her farm is called Fat Goat Farm, “Because they are all fat and I actually make soap with their milk. I sell it at farmers markets and everything and I make some good money off of that.”  

She’s been doing this for three or four years and at 13 years old, one can see the entrepreneurial spirit bubbling to the surface. 

“In the evenings I just let all seven of them out in the pasture and they graze for about 30 minutes and then I put them back and give them a little bit more hay, depending how good the grass is growing,” she said. “Last year’s crop was much better than this year so I didn’t need to give them as much which saved money on their feed.”

John McNamara is a 12-year-old from Plains and has been raising sheep for four years. 

“It started because I wanted to try sheep and do it in 4-H and my parents made a joke, ‘Well they better make a sheep that you don’t have to shear,’ and I did some research, and they do!” 

Dorper sheep, McNamara explained, is a robust breed developed in South Africa known for its hardiness and suitability for meat production. 

“In the spring, they get this cape on them which is a softer hair and they just rub it off.” He was selling ‘Robert’ for meat at the auction Sunday but also said their hide has strong value. “Anytime you buy sheepskin gloves, the gloves are made out of Dorper. They are renowned around the world.” 

He also had shown a ram and ewe but was not selling them as he plans on using them for his breeding stock. 

“I bought my original flock with an FSA (Flexible Spending Account) loan which was 5 ewes and a ram and today I have 25 sheep.”

The atmosphere of the Sanders County Fair was what everyone wants to remember fairs by. But the incredible passion and fortitude of the 4-H kids was overwhelming.

    Tips from experienced 4-H participants to other members are eagerly shared as it’s a culture of caring and helping their neighbors in any way that they can. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    ‘Squirrel’ is a Nigerian goat being held by Katherine Wessely. She makes and sells soap from her 7 goats at farmers markets in the area. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    Kyla Warnes from Hot Springs was just showing her first bovine entry but has been a 4-H member for 4 years. Horses, sheep and chickens in the last 3 years moved her to this year’s Jersey heifer, Buttermilk, that she was only showing. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    Cattle were shown on Saturday and then those that were to be sold at the auction stayed at the fairgrounds and many that were just to be documented left that afternoon. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    Kara Christensen, 17, from Hot Springs about to show her steer, which was her 6th overall in her 9 years of being in 4-H. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    Averie Wright is an eighth-grade 4-H student at Charlo School. She was grooming her heifer, Emmi, for judging Saturday morning which had been bred but was not going to be sold. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    Chickens and turkeys filled a small barn with entries from all parts of western Montana. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)