Author: Jacob Ison
Planning Unit: Elliott County CES
Major Program: Agriculture
Plan of Work: Beef/Livestock Production
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
Elliott County 4-H Livestock has long been a great program for the youth in our county with around 20 youth showing rabbits, chickens, sheep, goats, hogs, and cattle.
The livestock program teaches participants how to successfully and responsibly raise a marketable livestock product and the hard work and dedication it takes to do so.
The Elliott County Livestock Club is not just about show day. Each youth participating must attend and complete 6 educational credit hours throughout the year in order to compete in the annual show. The educational credits come in the form of evening programs, discussions and field trips with the focus of learning all they can about livestock health and how to raise an animal to it up most potential.
Farm visits are made by agents and certified livestock volunteers throughout the season to check on the progress of the projects and to help give advise along the way.
Elliott county has had a great livestock pavilion for years but the facility was needing a staging area to hold the animals while they were waiting to be shown on the day of the show.
After some time and effort, and a lot of community involvement the Elliott County livestock club had a plan to build what was need and construction was started soon after.
We collaborated with the Elliott County Fiscal Court and the Elliott County Health board to get a permit and the funds to begin construction.
Mountain Rural Telephone donated a digger truck crew and their time to punch the post holes needed to get started and a unbelievable group of volunteers constructed a 60ft x 12ft monoslope building just off the east side of our show arena. This allowed our growing livestock club 6 very nice , shaded, dry stall for our large livestock projects to be staged while waiting for the show.
This project provided not only a nice place for our animals but also provided a safety barrier between the animals and the audience who come to see all the hard work our youth has put in over the last year.
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