A couple weeks ago, we were offered a great opportunity to show the Leavenworth County 4-H group around the ranch. While this isn't the first time we've done a field day/open ranch day, it was the first time that Hoag and Cowboy John ran the show!
Ms. Katie ( on the far left) was the 4-H leader and she brought a group with kids ranging in age from 12-18. This group was interested in everything from showing cattle, cattle nutrition, raising their own herds to you name it but today they were learning how our feedlot operates. Cue Cowboy John.
While he's not much of a talker, he sure knows his stuff and the kids really listened. We started with explaining how we get the feed to the cattle. This is the tub grinder where the hay is chopped up and blown into the hay barn to be used later.
Even Hoag was intrigued :)
Then we were off to the Silage pit where Hoag and Cowboy John explained the rations, how they're put together, how we keep track of it all and who gets what!
Next stop, Big Bertha! A peek inside the old feed truck to see how everything gets mixed once it's all combined.
Then it's showtime. The kids asked all their great questions while we waited for Bertha to mix and make her way up the hill. These are clearly cattle kids.
More questions and then it was time for cookies and punch.
It's always such a treat to get to share what you love to do with anyone that will listen. But talking to the next generation of farmers and ranchers... that's just an honor.
