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If your family is like most families, your kids love animals. And if you are lucky enough to have some livestock on your family farm, then you’re in for a special treat! Kids who participate in the Livestock Project learn about animal care and management aspects. This post will give you a brief introduction to the basics of taking care of your project animals and how much they might cost. So get ready to learn about one of the most exciting livestock care and record-keeping lessons!
Livestock Project Memories
I have so many fond memories of taking livestock projects to the fair as a 4-Her. My favorite was always the pigs. Their personalities and antics always made for a fun summer. I enjoyed it so much that I was inspired to get a degree in Animal Science and eventually a career as a 4-H educator. I learn so much from taking on a livestock project!
My son is now old enough to purchase his first project animal this year and I am so excited that he chose a pig. It will be so nice to have those little rubbery noses around again! I hope he loves it as much as I did growing up and I can’t wait to make our own memories as a family.
Benefits of Caring for a 4-H or FFA Livestock Project Animal
Caring for a livestock animal teaches our kids many essential life skills. These life skills will carry over into their personal life and into any career path they wish to pursue. The following is a list of some of those skills that youth learn along the way by taking on a livestock project.
Life Skills Learned by Caring for a Livestock Project
(List derived from the 4-H Life Skills Model)
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
- Goal Setting
- Record-Keeping
- Planning/Organizing
- Problem Solving
- Resiliency
- Wise Use of Resources
- Responsibility
- Communication
- Conflict Resolution
- Cooperation
- Empathy
- Nurturing Relationships
- Leadership
- Self Motivation
- Teamwork
- Build Character
- Learn EVERYTHING Livestock and Livestock Industry
4-H or FFA Livestock Project Lesson Ideas
As a 4-H leader, it was always tricky to find livestock lesson ideas that youth ages 5-18 could benefit from and were adaptive to multi-species interests. Our club had youth that took cattle, lambs, goats, and swine as projects. They were all at different skill levels and had different learning styles. We soon realized we couldn’t please everyone at every meeting.
I came up with 101 Livestock Lesson Ideas that leaders and parents could use as a menu of options to plan lessons and activities. Older youth and volunteer leaders can use the list as a starting point to plan activities for the year and help spread the responsibility of planning across a team.
The other challenge we encountered is that we had many youth and parents interested in taking livestock but had no idea where to start. I came across a resource from Michigan State University called the Youth Business Guide to Success – Make the Most of Your 4-H Market Animal Project. The 4-H project book is for youth 12-18 years old and is designed to teach financial management and marketing of livestock projects. (I highly recommend purchasing this curriculum!)
From this livestock project guide came the idea of Livestock Keeping, a hands-on simulation where youth visit ten (10) different stations making financial decisions from purchasing and caring for livestock to selling their livestock project animal at auction.
Livestock Keeping solved two challenges
- Providing a fun way to teach livestock budgeting and record-keeping and
- A way to introduce new families to the financial and care decisions necessary to complete a livestock project.
Livestock Keeping: An Introduction to Livestock Project Care and Finances
Livestock Keeping is a hands-on simulation that takes youth through ten (10) stations based on what they need to consider when raising or “keeping” a livestock project animal. The simulations are based on an approximately four-month project. Action cards provide unanticipated life occurrences that affect their budget and spending. Youth will discover that some of their choices affect their livestock animal’s well-being and how well they perform together in the show ring.
This lesson is also an introduction to “record-keeping” and budgeting. Record-keeping is an important skill for every youth and adult to learn. If your child is in 4-H or FFA they are probably required to keep a project record book.
Each station is a true-to-life mandatory station for the health and well-being of their livestock project animal.
While the numbers in the simulation are estimates, it is the beginning of the foundation for creating a real-life livestock project investment and sale plan. It is also thought-provoking and a good introduction to what is actually required when raising livestock.
Ten Stations: Budgeting the Cost to Raise a Livestock Project
Livestock Keeping starts with an interest-free loan based on the child’s birthday. Youth must budget and make financial decisions based on the amount awarded and must not spend more than the awarded amount. If they do, they are required to go back and make some adjustments.
The livestock budget plan is made up of the following categories. The following is more background information to teach your family or group the simulation.
Purchase of the Livestock Project Animal
This scenario is based solely on the market animal project. An animal is purchased and raised solely to be sold at the market (auction) and harvested for meat. The simulation represents four species: steer, hog, lamb, and goat.
As mentioned above, for this scenario, all animals are assumed to be purchased and taken care of for four months. In reality, cattle are a much longer time and financial investment, approximately ten-plus months. However, for this simulation, in order to include the cattle projects and ease of implementation, we made the time commitment of four months for everyone.
The animals are young at the time of purchase and are raised to full market weight by the project completion.
Housing and Shelter
Livestock animals need a place to eat, sleep, and protection from the weather elements. When a young animal is brought home in winter or early spring, it will need a shelter that is warm, draft-free, and dry.
Youth can choose a housing option that already exists in a structure on their family property that needs maintenance, to build a new small structure on their property, or rent pen space from a friend or family member.
Resources to help learn more about livestock facility requirements and other livestock-related topics can be found at eXtension.org.
Bedding
Livestock animals need to have a nice dry and clean place to lie down and rest. Livestock pens need to be cleaned on a regular basis.
Youth will need bedding for safe trailing or for pens at livestock show events.
Several options of shavings and straw are available in the simulation.
Nutrition
One of a livestock animal’s basic needs is food! Livestock animals have to eat every day, at least two times a day or ad-lib. Cattle, goats, and lambs’ diets are comprised of both forages and concentrate, compared to a swine diet comprising concentrates.
How much food your livestock animal eats depends on the animal’s
- Age
- Body Composition (fat and muscle)
Nutrition is the fuel that makes the project animal grow and put on muscle. Muscle equals meat the product we are raising for consumption.
In this simulation, several feeding packages are based on quality and availability. Cattle, goats and lambs must add hay to their feed package choice.
Health Care
From day one, the livestock animal requires daily health checks to ensure they are eating properly and not sick.
Livestock animals require vaccinations against common diseases, regular deworming, and other parasite control. A good relationship with a quality veterinarian and the producer from whom you purchased the animal will help determine your livestock animal’s needs and keep them healthy and in good maintenance.
A quality producer can also help you determine if you are making the right investment in your new project animal before purchasing.
Before attending livestock shows and depending on the current health requirements for local, state, and national shows and guidelines, you will need health papers from your veterinarian to attend or transport animals from your farm.
Livestock Animal Care Supplies
Youth will need feed pans, waterers, buckets, grooming supplies, fly spray, etc for the everyday care of their livestock animal. Of course, they will need livestock show supplies and equipment.
If they are a new project exhibitor, they might need everything. Or they may already have some of the supplies they need at home or from family and friends. Sometimes they can find used items or they may have to purchase new items. Several package options are available in the simulation.
Livestock Show Clothes
Youth must look nice and neat when presenting their animal in the show ring. Depending on the length of the show might require several outfit changes. For most shows, the standard is a nice button-down shirt, jeans, belt and closed-toed, leather shoes or boots.
A pair of rubber boots or muck boots for washing and grooming animals and cleaning stalls.
Again, some youth may choose to purchase all-new show clothes, purchase used ones, or may already have some in their closet (hand-me-downs).
Transportation
After purchase, youth have to be able to transport their animal home and to the fairgrounds for shows or other events. There are several options in the simulation. Buying a used trailer is the most expensive option and sharing a ride with a friend is the least expensive. The choice is based on realistic options for the youth and their family in their area.
Club or Show Entry Fees, Marketing and Buyer Thank You Gift
The cost of club membership and Junior Fair Show fees depends on where you live. In the Livestock Keeping simulation, everyone is accessed the same club and show flat fee.
As part of the livestock market project, youth are required to sell their animal at the end of their project. Again depending on where you live, this might be an end-of-fair week auction or end-of-show season county-sponsored show and sale format. In both scenarios, there will be specific requirements that must be met to participate in the auction.
In all cases, youth and their families will need to invite potential buyers to the livestock auction and ask for them to please bid on or purchase their animal at the sale. Most of the time, the buyers are local businessmen and women who want to support the 4-H/FFA program and youth taking livestock projects.
It is important to teach youth how to market their projects to potential buyers and teach them the benefits of marketing to increase their financial bottom line at the end of the project. The more effort they put into marketing, the greater the reward.
Then, of course, thanking the buyer with a purchased or handmade gift and card is extremely important for continued support and teaching gratitude and kindness.
Action Cards
Action cards are life’s unexpected ups and downs. Youth may draw one card and, like in Monopoly, receive money or pay money depending on the action on the card.
Some of the income cards are things like birthday gifts, opportunities to earn extra money or winning first prize in showmanship. Examples of expenses may be treating a hoof abscess, mending a gate latch or you want to learn more about showmanship and you sign up for a clinic.
Try Livestock Keeping
Are you looking for a fun and unique way to teach kids about livestock? Look no further than the Livestock Keeping Simulation Guide! This innovative program takes youth through the process of purchasing, raising and selling a project animal, all while learning about key financial concepts. The guide comes with 13 stations, each with its own printable card. Action cards are also included to simulate life’s unexpected incomes and expenses. Plus, there’s a handy simulation planning guide to help you get started. This is the perfect activity for kids aged 9-18. So why not give it a try today? Your family or students will thank you for it!
I used Livestock Keeping with my 4-H group and they absolutely loved it! It really was an awesome learning experience for both youth and parents.