The season of lambing, calving, and other livestock births is upon us. If you show livestock in 4-H, you’ll need animals born in the heart of winter so they’re sized up by summer fairs. This isn’t for the faint of heart. And youth in agriculture have to balance breeding programs and the often-chaotic birthing season with school, extracurriculars, and more.
As a 4-Her myself, I decided at age 14 that I’d take my projects to the next level. To me, that meant not only raising market lambs, but also building my own breeding program, starting with just two ewes. If the cold isn’t enough, disaster-loving sheep always seem to pick an inconvenient time to lamb, whether that’s in the middle of the night or during the school day. With dozens of other priorities, properly running a breeding program is far from easy, but many youth in agriculture still jump into the fray.
Take Abbey Smith, for example. The Pennsylvania 4-H teen decided to follow in her parents’ footsteps working with beef cattle, and at an early age, she also got involved with other livestock. When I asked her about her daily life, she explained that most days start early. She gets up around 5 a.m. to go feed and check for lambs, calves, and kids in their respective seasons, followed by school. After school, she typically goes out to the barn to check again and do chores. When chores are done, she’ll focus on her homework. When she’s preparing for beef, dairy, goat, sheep, or rabbit shows, she’ll head back out to the barn again to spend time training before finally finishing up for the night.
Of course, there are days when Abbey can’t commit as much time to her animals, such as when she has a choral rehearsal or performance, but it’s important to her to stay committed and adjust her schedule when she can, even if that means working early mornings or late nights. She always makes time to prioritize the health and safety of her animals, no matter what else is going on. Over the years, Abbey has put substantial effort into her animals, including entering contests and saving money to be able to afford to start her herd, and then working in any free moment to prepare for shows. The extra time required during lambing, calving, and kidding is challenging, but she knows it always pays off later in terms of successful births and healthy animals.
Michellynn Schroeder, a 4-Her and freshman college student from New York, also has to juggle school and her animals, and her routine is pretty different from that of the average livestock breeder. She’s been involved with 4-H and raising animals – including rabbits, market chickens, goats, and horses – since 2015, and she’s focusing on her horses and rabbits this year, her final year of 4-H.
Before driving to college around 8 a.m., Michellynn heads out to check on her American Fuzzy Lop and Mini Lop rabbits, topping off waters and picking up any other small chores she can fit in. She uses this early morning time as an opportunity to keep an eye on the rabbits and ensures none of them are showing signs of illness. When she’s finished, she leaves for her college classes, and typically isn’t back until 8 or 9 p.m., when she’ll do her evening chores and work with her rabbits. Her horses are boarded at another site, so she’s not fully responsible for their daily care, but she uses the weekends and any other spare time to work with them and help out with chores. It’s not uncommon to see her out in the barn at 10 p.m. or later. While late nights aren’t always the easiest, she values her time at the barn and prioritizes it.
Of course, there are times that Abbey, Michellyn, and I, or anyone else raising livestock, struggle to keep up with the demands of their care. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated, maybe even lose interest, when schedules get busy. I know that when I’ve had a long day and I walk into a messy barn, my “happy place” is much harder to appreciate. One easy way I keep caught up is by challenging myself to conquer one extra task every day, whether that’s sweeping the feed room floor or getting extra hay ready. That makes the days when I’m short on time just a little less overwhelming.
It’s also valuable to keep a well-organized schedule, even if you have to stray from it at times. Plan out your daily chores, and then specify which days you’ll pick up the weekly or monthly tasks. If you have time earlier in the week, try to get ahead, but don’t be afraid to take time to enjoy what you’re doing. Space out the “fun” and interesting jobs, such as washing a lamb or walking pigs. If you have something to look forward to each time you go out to work, the entire day is less stressful.
While it’s important to stay organized, don’t be afraid to take a break when needed. At times, the best way to de-stress is just to step away until you feel better and are ready to tackle problems. While raising and breeding livestock can present a variety of challenges, the youth involved continue to rise above. When the going gets tough, be like them. Just stop, take a breath, and work your way, a little at a time, to a solution.
Originally published in the March/ April 2025 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
