All around Montezuma County, youths are spending their time obsessing over the eating habits of livestock.
While concerns over food rations for swine, exercise for sheep and posture for cattle are perhaps not typical fodder for teenage daydreams, they are perfectly normal for 4-H members in the final two weeks before the Montezuma County Fair, scheduled for July 29 through Aug. 6.
More than 250 young people in the region are in the end stages of prepping animals and projects for the annual agricultural event. The final weeks before fair are the culmination of months of work and are often stressful for fair participants, said Montezuma County Extension Office 4-H Coordinator Tonya Yates.
Right now it is really down to the wire, Yates said. Record books are due for the livestock projects two weeks before the fair and they have to be completed to date. They are pretty intense for the kids.
The record books include all the information about raising the animal that will take center stage at the fair. Included in the book are tantalizing facts such as weight, rate of gain, expenses, health records and feed information.
In a sense, the record books tell the story of the effort that goes into prepping an animal for fair.
(The record books) are not easy, said 13-year-old Bailee Karo, who will show lambs and compete in equine events at the fair this year. Since this is my fourth year it has gotten a lot easier for me to keep the records but my brother did his first (record book) this year and we hate them. Usually about this time we have a big fight in the house. It can be pretty hectic.
This is also the time of year 4-H livestock project participants begin focusing their attention on the weight and shape of their animals. It is not an unusual sight in Montezuma County to see goats, sheep and cows taking daily walks with their owners, sometimes tied to the back of an all-terrain vehicle or lawn mower.
The time spent walking the animals also allows for practice standing still.
As Karo walks her sheep down the driveway of her Lewis home, she stops them every few yards to set up, or make the animals stand in show position. Adjusting a leg here and the tilt of a head there, Karo works to ensure that every aspect of the presentation of her sheep is perfect.
We walk them to make them look better and they will move better in the ring and be more structurally sound, said Patrick Cottam-Rhine, 18, a nine-year 4-H member who will show sheep and pigs this year. We also work on feed rations to make sure their body composition is where it should be.
Yates said all animals entered in the county fair have a maximum weight and most 4-H members will spend the last few weeks before fair ensuring their animals do not tip the scales in the wrong direction.
The opposite is true for animals on the other end of the weight spectrum.
There are some who may have bought a smaller animal and may be pushing that animal to make weight, Yates said. Kids come up with clever ideas to try and get their animals to eat.
One example Yates gave was freezing food to entice a pig, suffering in the hot July sun, to finish a complete meal.
Cottam-Rhine keeps track of the specific dietary needs of each of his sheep and writes the recipe for each of their meals on a board on their feeding pen. For those struggling to make weight, liquid fat is poured on the food mixture as the final ingredient.
The sheep are also muzzeled during the day to prevent unauthorized snacking.
Despite the work of prepping the animals for show, members of the 12 different 4-H organizations in the county say the program offers them a wide range of skills that will be useful later in life.
Ive learned how to be a good leader and teacher, Cottam-Rhine said. Ive learned how to explain things a lot better.
The students look forward to the fair and the opportunity to show off their work, though the fair itself tends amplify the stress.
(The fair) is both a lot of work and a lot of fun, Cottam-Rhine said. Its a lot of work for a few days and then you have just nothing to do and you have to find things to do without your animal. It is a change.
The Montezuma County Fair is scheduled for July 29 through Aug. 6 at the county fairgrounds, 30100 U.S. Highway 160, Cortez.
For more information, call 565-3123 or visit www.montezumacountyfair.com.
Reach Kimberly Benedict at kimberlyb@cortezjournal.com.