So, you joined 4-H and you bought yourself your first animal to show at the county fair this year. But now what? What do I feed? How do I clip? What should I do in the show ring? These are all thoughts that have run through every showman’s minds at one point in their career.

This year Prowers County 4-H held their first ever mini livestock boot camps. These were held June 11- 13 with each night being a different pairing of species all the way from rabbits to market cattle.  

During these camps topics were covered including the basics of owning, raising, and showing livestock. Mr. Rick Robbins was kind enough to present on the basics of livestock nutrition for the large animals. He went over everything from feed storage to what kind of feeds to feed animals to get them show pen ready. Our other presenters included; the Crossland, Melgoza, Torres, Comer and Prosser families who each discussed different species over the three evenings.  These families used their time to demonstrate how to clip and prepare and animal for a show and what the kids should do in the show ring with their animals. They also talked about some tricks of the trade to help the perfect showmanship skills. Participants even got to handle presenter’s livestock and receive one-on-one coaching. We are fortunate to have such helpful and willing families in our community. 

Over these three learning-filled evenings we were able to reach 48 youth spanning Bent, Baca, Pueblo and Prowers counties. We hope to grow this program for years to come. It is our hope we can put several on during the year focusing on topics appropriate for the time of year. This fall we are looking forward to a selection clinic for cattle.

Next spring, we hope to put a selection clinic for small animals and then continue through the spring and summer with clinic topics related to nutrition, clipping and fitting and show ring practice. You can never stop growing and learning so keep an out for upcoming boot camps