Summertime is finally here

Summertime is finally here which means warm weather, barbeques, baseball games . . . and county fairs. The Hoard's Farm wastes no time in getting involved in its community where it leases out several Guernsey animals to local 4-H youth as dairy projects each year for their annual county fair.

The Hoard's Farm was well represented as nine Guernsey heifers were exhibited last weekend at the Jefferson County Fair. Six young people, including Jason Yurs's (the Hoard's farm manager) two children, each showed their animals at the Jefferson County 4-H show. Preparation for the county fair started early in the summer where the animals were selected and separated to be put on their show cow diet which consisted of hay, grain, beet pulp, and water.

The 4-H'ers took turns each day feeding, watering, and bedding these show heifers to make sure they were in prime condition for show day. The month of June was a busy time at the Hoard's Farm as there was always someone feeding or leading their heifer around outside.

In recent year's, the Hoard's Dairyman Farm has a tradition of showing registered cattle at the local level. Each year, several kids from around the county come to the farm hoping to lease an animal as a dairy project for the summer. The farm strongly believes in getting young people involved in the dairy industry.

"Showing animals is a great way to get kids involved and to show them what the dairy industry is like," says Jason Yurs. "They quickly learn the meaning of responsibility, hard work, and patience when they agree to take on a 4-H dairy project, while having fun in the process."

With another successful summer fair come and gone, the Hoard's farm is already looking ahead for more to come in the future.