Why We Buy 4-H Animals
Published
on Monday, September 2, 2024
in
Community
If you’ve attended your county fair’s 4-H show, you may have seen MEC purchasing an animal or two.
4-H gives local kids an opportunity to develop life skills they may not have a chance to learn through school. By purchasing animals, we are contributing to their growth and investing in our community’s future.
Here are just a few of the benefits to kids.
Budgeting
Raising an animal takes money and resources. Through 4-H, kids learn how to anticipate costs and save for the future.
Supply Management
Going hand in hand with budgeting, 4-H teaches kids the value of keeping an up-to-date inventory. They learn how to recognize which supplies their animals need, how to keep track of their stock, and how to obtain more when they’re getting low.
Caretaking
Learning to take care of something other than yourself has immense value.
On the practical side, kids learn how to keep their animals in good health. They plan nutritious diets, look for signs of illness, and administer medicine if necessary.
Caretaking also teaches compassion by encouraging kids to consider and meet the needs of another living being.
Project Sales
The material benefits of 4-H are important, too. When a participant shows and sells their animal at the end of their project, that money is often put toward their future.
Many children use the money to purchase their next 4-H animal. Participating multiple times in 4-H reinforces the positive skills they’ve begun to develop.
Another popular use of 4-H proceeds is to build the child’s college fund. In this way, 4-H gives local students greater opportunity for higher education.
Building Future Community Members
A study by Tufts University found that 4-H participants were:
- Nearly 4x more likely to make contributions to their communities.
- About 2x more likely to be civically active.
- Nearly 2x more likely to make healthy choices.
- About 2x more likely to participate in extracurricular science, engineering, and computer technology programs.
Our vision at MEC is to build vibrant, relevant, sustainable rural communities. To us, 4-H is a major investment in the future of our local youth and the families who live here.