From the eyes of a 4-H’er: Fluffy cows at the Sedgwick County Fair

Walk around the Sedgwick County Fair and you will find 4-H’ers from across Sedgwick County alongside their cows, goats and rabbits.

“A lot of people go to the carnival because it’s fun, and then they go to the cattle show and ‘Oh my God, it’s a fluffy cow,’ ” said Abbie Schwab, 14, of Andale High School. “They see a fluffy cow sitting there that they think we never worked with.

“We see responsibility and all this determination that has been put into this calf. Being a 4-H’er, you see all the work you put into the animal.”

Jordyn Trout, 12, of St. Mark’s School, said it is the behind-the-scenes work that makes all the difference between a 4-H’er and the average fairgoer.

“We have to get them ready and prepare them for the shows before people see them,” Trout said.

Schwab and Trout said they spent anywhere between 24 and 48 hours working with their livestock each week leading up to the fair. Schwab has a heifer, a young, female calf, and Trout raises steers, male cattle that have been castrated.

Their 6:30 a.m. alarms mark the start of long days filled with washing, feeding and preparing their livestock for shows in the Kansas heat.

“My mom never has to wonder where I’m at,” Schwab said. “She knows I’m at the barn working with my heifer.”

Trout said the long, sweat-filled days are worth it because she gets to work with animals.

“I just enjoy having the animals around,” she said. “You want to have compassion for your animals and make sure they are healthy.”

She will sell her steer on Saturday during the 4-H livestock auction, and her profits will go toward her college savings account.

Schwab will not sell her heifer during the auction; she will take the animal to the Angus Junior Nationals next week.

“I love seeing my hard work pay off,” she said. “I love animals, and I would do anything for them.”

Although the two love their cattle, they said they also have a desire to win in the show ring. They are judged either on presentation skills and how they work with their animal, or on how well the animal meets certain standards.

“I worked my butt off at home,” Schwab said, “and I want to win here.”

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 5:27 PM with the headline "From the eyes of a 4-H’er: Fluffy cows at the Sedgwick County Fair."