I’ll be honest here, I don’t exactly know when I joined 4-H. There wasn’t a day when I declared that I joined the program to everyone I knew, but to my knowledge, I joined about when I was 6 years old. (I believe…but you know, I’m getting older and have the memory of a goldfish, so I’m not too sure).

I do remember though, that I joined 4-H in anticipation to show animals at the Harford County Farm Fair. I always wanted to be one of those kids who had animals there because I thought showing off my animals to people across the county was the most awesome thing a child could do in the year 2001. Anyway, when it comes down to it, I joined 4-H to show pigs. I thought I was the coolest girl around because not only did I have my own pigs that I bought with my own money at such a young age, but I was doing what my dad and grandfather did. They were and still are two of my biggest role models, and they inspired me to join 4-H and to work hard in the program.

So there I was, a little 8 year old girl who bawled after her first Berkshire pig, named Cameron, was sold. And yes, you can tell I was scarred because at 19 I still remember her name and those exact moments after the sale, when these days I have a hard time remembering what day it currently is. That little heartbroken girl who was bawling about losing her pig ironically had been hooked on the thing which made her so sad. She became hooked on 4-H at that very moment because she realized how much that pig had done for her, and she was eager to see what other things she could get her hands on and grow from in the program.

The next year, I showed my first cow. I’ve talked about her enough that you probably know more about her than any other animal in the county, but this Holstein changed my life. Ethel taught me about myself, 4-H, dairy cattle, perseverance, teamwork, and even my dad. When I first showed her, I thought “Man, one day, I want to win the Fitting and Showing Show at the Harford County Farm Fair.” I didn’t do awfully in the beginning of my showing career, but I sure had a lot of room to grow. I never thought I would actually win the Showmanship Show with all of the big names in the dairy industry who showed with/against me. I thought winning showmanship was something to aim for but would never actually happen.

Fast forward a few years in 4-H with many leadership opportunities taken, weeks at camp spent, friends made, and crafts, plants, photography, swine, and dairy projects completed. In June of 2011, Ethel’s baby was expired and had so many complications that Ethel had to have a C-section. She almost didn’t make it, and that’s no secret. But thanks to Jen Trout, a vet who not only saved Ethel but saved my soul at the time, Ethel is over 10 ½ years old and is still kicking with her twin, Emma. I never thought I would show Ethel again because I didn’t know how long she would make it after having such a horrible time with the baby and C-section, and I didn’t want to take a chance.

Eventually I did take Ethel to another fair, but not too many times. Primarily she is a pet, one people like to visit more than visit me, but she is definitely a spoiled pet. We keep her at home with all of my other cows and our family’s cows, and she loves life. And it broke my heart when I decided to stop showing her, but I knew I was doing what was best for my best friend who happens to be a cow.

I took a break from showing for 2 years to make being Alternate Maryland Dairy Princess and Miss Harford County Farm Bureau & Miss Maryland Agriculture 3rd Runner-Up my priorities in their respective years. I truly missed showing, but I didn’t feel like I was missing showing Ethel because I wasn’t showing at all. The two kind of fell together which made not showing Ethel feel better.

It wasn’t until this year when I decided to show again. I wasn’t going to show Ethel, and I wasn’t going to show her not registered family members, nor the registered family members who refuse to walk on halters. The options were not there for me, so I branched out to the Guernsey breed with the help of Miss Jo-Ann Chason. I decided to go to the Guernseys for multiple reasons, but the main one being that our farm started out as a pig farm. Then we got a few Guernseys (back in my great-grandfather’s day) and ventured into a dairy farm. Now we’ve come full circle with the Guernseys, which is really special to my family. I even got to use the same halters my dad used when he showed Guernseys, which made it even more special to us.

I leased two Guernsey heifers this year from her. We kept them at our house when I got back from school, and my dad (very nicely) took care of them when I was in Africa. I got back from my trip and that day I started clipping the girls. The winter yearling, Denmark, was very nice-looking but had a few flaws. The December calf, Dunham, however was so strong and very dairy, even at such a young age. Miss Jo-Ann had always liked her, and we did too.

When I was working with Denmark and Dunham, Ethel would always come over and stand to watch us. You could tell she was jealous, and it just killed me knowing that I couldn’t take her to the fair for my last show. It was always my dream to win showmanship, and I always thought it could be possible with her. I always thought I would win because she was easy to walk, not because I could handle a cow well. Basically, I thought she would be why I would win.

County fair rolled around with jet lag and exhaustion from my trip to Tanzania, and I was still really excited to show. The fair flew by fast and the show quickly approached. Saturday morning at 11am got there after I drenched myself when washing the cows and carefully did their toplines. It was my last show ever, so I gave it all I had. The Showmanship Show was first, and I won the Senior class. Then I went in for Overall Fitting and Showing Champion, and somehow, with the baby, Dunham, I won. My dream became a reality at my last show. No, I didn’t win with Ethel, but I wore my ear tag necklace with her name and birthstone on it during the show, so she was there with me. Not only did I accomplish what I never thought I could do, but I did it myself. It wasn’t Ethel. I learned that I was a good showman and it wasn’t just the “easy to walk and set-up cow” that helped me win my showmanship classes years before. When I won, I teared up and couldn’t believe what happened. I was honored, excited, sad, and so happy all at once. I was even more glad when my grandmother surprised me by coming, even when she didn’t feel her best. She knew it meant a lot to me, and I’m so happy that she could see her last 4-Her grandchild at her last show.

That little December calf went on to win Junior Grand Champion Guernsey and Grand Champion Guernsey (there were slim pickings there, but hey, she beat out the older ones which was impressive). Then to make the show even better, which I didn’t think was possible, she won Supreme Junior Champion. I received the Meaghan Nash Memorial Trophy, which I never even thought I could win. I was in pure shock when it was handed to me.

I honestly could not have wrapped up my fair experiences in any better fashion. I gave the best speech I’ve ever given at the Miss Harford County Farm Bureau contest (working on uploading a video..more to come later), I did very well with my photography entries, I accomplished my dream in the Showmanship Show and my favorite little Guernsey calf won Supreme Junior Champion. I’m so grateful for the incredible weekend I had and all of the support I’ve gotten from the county I’ve grown up in- not just this year, but from the get-go when I hopped on the 4-H bandwagon. Thank you to all of the people who have helped me- from the Branscomes who taught my brothers and I how to show pigs our first few years to the Gills and Dallams for being such awesome families to show with and to the Harford County dairy crew for being great friends (and teaching me all the card games I know)- every part of each fair throughout the years has been fantastic because of the people I’ve shared the experiences with.

No, this past Harford County Farm Fair wasn’t the end to my 4-H career, although I did cry a significant amount when I got home and thought it was. December 31st is the official end to my time as a 4-H member, and I’m not looking forward to that day. But when it comes down to it, the 13+ years I’ve had in the program have made me the absolute best person I can be. Taking the title of “4-H member” away from me on that dreaded day isn’t going to change who I am. It’s not going to change what’s happened to me in the program. But I do know that it’s going to make me proud- proud of the program, myself, my projects, my friends, my experiences, my family, and proud that I’ve fallen in love with the best thing in the world.