‘Make them all fluffy to look their best’: 4-H Saskatchewan beef judging competition held in Yorkton

WATCH: The best of agriculture was on display at Yorkton's Gallagher Centre as the 4-H Sask Beef show came to town. Fruzsina De Cloedt explains.

Aspiring ranchers and producers gathered in Yorkton over the weekend for 4-H Saskatchewan’s latest beef show and judging competition.

The exhibition grounds at the Gallagher Centre were busy with life despite the ominous storm clouds gathering above the barns on Friday. The iron gate at the front was opening and closing as hay was being transported by wheelbarrows.

Young 4-H members and their helpers hastily worked get their cattle ready for showing.

Inside, the barn echoed with sounds of power dryers used on animals that were thoroughly bathed in the building behind.

“[The cattle] actually just came off the pasture so we got to get them clean,” said Kierra Hawreluik, member of the 4-H youth organization. “We are washing them in the wash rack right now actually.”

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The 4-H aims to equip youth, aged 6-21, with guidance and resources to make them active and contributing members of their community.

“We get members from across the province. Every corner is represented here and everywhere in between,” explained Ashley L’Henaff, 4-H Saskatchewan’s north regional specialist. “[We’re] just celebrating all the hard work they put in and creating opportunities for them.”

While this weekend was about beef, but 4-H Saskatchewan is hoping to diversify their projects in the future.

“Our biggest challenge is finding some clubs that aren’t agriculture-based,” L’Henaff told CTV News. “Because, as we see here today, beef is huge in our industry and in 4-H Saskatchewan as a whole, but [we want to] just bring in projects for those urban kids as well.”

For the rural kids, becoming a 4-H member is often already a family tradition.

“My dad, when he was a little boy, he was in 4-H. So, it kind of just moved the tradition through our family,” Hawreluik told CTV News.

The chair of the organizing committee for the weekend’s event is also a 4-H alumni.

Jennalee Beutler said that being part of the organization as a member in her youth helped her with a variety of skills that she is still using today, including organizing this event.

“It can help you with your organization skills early, just the networking and meeting lifelong acquaintances and friends, that’s important,” Beutler said. “Learning all about taking care of animals and the commitment that it requires. So, yeah, so many great skills.”

Both Beutler and L’Henaff agree that one of the best skills 4-H members learn through the project is communication and public speaking. The weekend’s event is a prime example.

“[Members] showing off their [animal’s] best features, working to fix those qualities that are not ideal,” L’Henaff pointed out, “And honestly being able to talk to that judge when they come up and they ask questions.”

4-H member Kierra said the program also helped her choose her career.

“I’m actually going to Lakeland College for animal science and I’m majoring in beef. So, in the future I actually want to go into genetics,” Hawreluik said. “So, this is what sparked my interest in cattle and genetics.”

On Friday, Hawreluik was confident about the competition.

“I’m very proud to have my heifer this year, she actually won grand champion heifer at the show back in July and then my sister’s cow calf did very well there as well. She got grand champion three-year-old, so it was really exciting.”

The judging competition had high stakes: the top eight competitors would move on to the national competition at Agribition in November.

Over the weekend, 4-H members competed in beef showing, showmanship, and a judging competition.

“So, we groom them up, we glue their legs. We put shiny stuff on them to make them all fluffy and to look their best. So yeah, that’s what that’s what we’re doing,” Hawreluik said, outlining the plan for Saturday.

In light of the growing concern from farmers across Saskatchewan that the next generation chooses the city over the fields and pastures, the event was an agricultural delight.