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Date: 8/3/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Since 1914, the Eastern States Exposition has sponsored a 4-H Summer Event for children across the six New England states. 4-H – a United States-based network, consists of organizations with a mission to engage and educate youth across many different avenues.
This year's 4-H event began on July 26 and ended on the 29th. In addition to the New England states, 4-H youth from Eastern New York were also in attendance. Bonnie Burr, department head for extension at UConn said the pandemic cancelled all 4-H events in New York, so they asked if they could come and everyone agreed.
The 4-H Summer Event hosted about 200 kids, each accompanied by one or two animals. In addition, their parents/guardians attend as well. “The parents are amazing,” said Burr.
She went on to say that youth components are important and through this event, youth projects are able to be evaluated.
The activities that took place during the 4-H Summer Show included different animal species participating in their own contests. Across the different species/categories, was a designated judge. According to Burr, all of the judges are well respected individuals.
The judges of this year'’s event included a dairy, beef, goat, sheep and dog judge, along with multiple horse judges. “The beef judge is from the University of Kentucky and the goat judge is from the National Goat Show,” said Burr. “Kids learn from the best and are judged by the best.”
In the category of beef, Burr said they look for “natural thickness” or breeding for meat consumption, whereas a dairy cow is built differently and metabolizes differently. “A beef cow is like a football player and a dairy cow is like a long distance runner … it’s all about genetics.”
Judging is done in two ways. The first is straight placing – first, second and third – based on type or how the animal is prepared and presented. The second way is by breed or market class – showmanship – how clean and presented the animal is, along with how well the youth works with their animal.
Burr said that learning is the most important part of the entire event. This includes learning about genetics, health, and much more. Through their animals, the 4-H kids learn how to better care for them, along with best practices and sustainability. The kids even learn about finances when it comes to what they should be feeding their animals. Financial literacy is something they will carry with them for life, said Burr.
“We learn so much from the 4-H program.” She went on to say, “It’s so much more than animals.” 4-H includes robotics, locally grown vegetables, flowers, urban gardens, videography, and so on. “You don’t have to live on a farm,” added Burr.
The majority of the animals that were at the 4-H event will also be in attendance during the Big E. At the fair, Burr said there will be a big beef sale event. In addition, the Big E will host a 4-H Dairy event with a milkshake and grilled cheese contest. “Everything is science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based,” said Burr.
“The Eastern States Exposition has been gracious enough to host this 4-H event. The youth love coming here,” Burr added. “People want a location where they can compete at a high level.”
Throughout her work, Burr has traveled to many barns across the country, however, she believes this barn is one of the best in the country.
The Eastern States Exposition allows the 4-H kids to utilize their barns at no cost for the duration of the event. “Eastern States Exposition has a commitment with 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA),” said Burr. Farm Credit East is another sponsor of 4-H which is the largest agricultural lender in New England.
As the 4-H organization is entirely volunteer run, Burr said that all donations are incredibly appreciated and important to keep the program up and running.
While the families travel from all across New England, the Eastern States Exposition also allows for them to pitch tents and campers on their grounds to sleep in, while others may stay at nearby hotels or commute from home.
In the past, Burr said a church group would make all the food for the event, however they have since retired. They are currently in search of someone new who can cater in the future.
To ensure safety throughout the event, all 4-H kids were required to wear a mask and practice safe social distancing – regardless of a vaccination. “The West Springfield Department of Health has been working with us,” stated Burr.
“This is so important for our young people – COVID affected them… A lot of them had no face-to-face interaction,” she claimed. “I’m excited that the state of Massachusetts opened. Seeing smiles is what it’s all about.”
Burr followed with, “It’s a fun event to see your friends and kids even get to meet others from out of state. It’s life networking.”
Burr reiterated her appreciation to the Eastern States Exposition for their continued generosity and to all the trained volunteers - without them it wouldn’t be possible, she claimed.