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| Duane A. Lienemann UNL Extension Educator |
Well, it is upon us. It is County Fair time. We are, of course, busy with preparations. By the time this column hits the newspapers we will be right smack in the middle of another Webster County Fair.
I looked at last year’s edition of this publication. It brought back painful memories of a broken hip, arm and heart as I had to miss my 40th Webster County Fair.
In columns in previous years I have talked about the sights, the sounds, the smells of the fair, and particularly the kids as they show the results of their work with projects such as animals, sewing, cooking and you name it and how addictive that is to me. It seems that these fairs, livestock shows are in my blood. One thing I have not really talked about, however, is the benefit to local counties, agriculture and to our kids that a fair such as ours provides. I think that most people who have been associated with fairs understand the roots and the reasons, but let’s look at it a little differently.
As an UNL Extension Educator and long-time ag teacher, a former 4-H and FFA member and livestock exhibitor, a former cattle producer, and even more importantly - the parent of a daughter that loved to show cattle, I am fully aware of the time and effort of a large number of people that work together to make shows, exhibitions and fairs like ours possible. This list of people includes of course the exhibitors and family members, but also breeders, extension staff, 4-H leaders and FFA advisors, award sponsors, ag society, and so many other volunteers working behind the scenes. There are countless hours of time and significant dollars dedicated to the successful completion of a show. So why do we do it?
I have been around for a long time, but believe it or not, I was not around when the concept of holding expositions and putting on livestock and produce fairs began, but I can speculate that the goals of those involved were relatively simple. Especially at the county level, I am pretty certain that fairs were started as a means to showcase local agricultural production, learn about new technologies, and let folks learn about what was considered the industry standard for a species of animal for that day. I'm sure that some folks were motivated by making a little bit of profit off the event as well! I understand that a lot of trading, buying and selling and even betting went on.
Webster County has a rich history with its County Fair. You can read about what it used to be by going to www.webstercountyfair.org . Things, of course, have changed rather dramatically from those earlier years, but much about the fair should not be lost in history.
I would be remiss not to point out the direct benefits to 4-H and FFA youth that participate in today’s fairs and shows. When it comes down to it youth that participate in junior shows, like we have at our fair, have the opportunity to learn many lessons that can better prepare them for adulthood. Project participation prepares youth who desire to become involved in production agriculture in the future a sound knowledge base to work from when developing their own herd or enterprise. It also prepares young people, who might never become producers, have a background in agriculture as at least half of the people in our area are either directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. Statewide I believe one out of every three jobs is in agriculture. So it should not be a surprise that I look at the county fair as being a great career builder.
Besides learning about animal husbandry, 4-H and FFA programs can provide the opportunity to develop leadership, responsibility, teamwork, ethical decision-making skills, etc. through their participation in livestock shows. Unfortunately, our youth livestock projects and other 4-H/FFA related programs have been successful for so long that they are often taken for granted. I do believe possibly the most important purpose for having fairs and other livestock shows grows in significance with every passing day. These fairs and exhibitions provide animal agriculture with a golden opportunity to better educate an uninformed public about what we produce and the methods we use to accomplish food production.
God knows that people are so removed today from their agricultural roots that there is a disconnect with many people, and particularly consumers, and that is not good in an agricultural state like ours. These educational opportunities are available at county, state, and national shows at any time we interact with the non-farm public. Do not assume that just because we have exhibitors and people attending our county fair that everyone understands our production methods and how we care for animals. The public's disconnect that I talked about with production agriculture is growing in rural and urban settings alike. I see the local county fair as a catalyst for educating the public about livestock and agriculture.
I believe it is the responsibility of every exhibitor, family, farm, or ranch that participates in a show and at county or state fair to tell the public about our positive role in feeding the world. Outside of family functions or acquaintances at school or your job, when will you have a better opportunity to tell the story about how we raise our product? It is easier to tell the story at a show because you have the animal on hand to assist with "show and tell!" Isn’t that a novel idea?
While animal agriculture in Nebraska and many other states have faced challenges in recent years as to how we do business, the fact of the matter is that our society has always had animal consumption as a part of our diet. How large a part of the public's diet will be derived from animal proteins in the future remains to be seen. There is no doubt in my mind that fairs, like ours and others in this area, can be an important avenue to assist us in our efforts in "animal welfare" and show the public that livestock producers do have the animal's best interests in mind. See you at the fair!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home
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