By Hilary Kaltenbach
If you haven’t been to an auction lately, you might not know what a “yepper” is. These are the folks who scan the audience for the sign of a bid, the raise of a hand or nod of a head, and call “yep” back to the auctioneer. The good ones work the crowd, get them cheering, and cajole them into one more bid.
Last Saturday the stands were full of “yeps” at the Okanogan County Fair livestock auction, with businesses and individuals from around the county showing up to support our young people who are raising animals in their spare time. The Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Club had 51 of our of 72 members selling animals in either the livestock or small animal auction. You’ll smile at their pictures in the insert this week thanking their buyers, businesses that buy these projects to support the kids. In last week’s issue, I hope you read Rick Lewis’ article highlighting our senior members as they reflected on their last fair.
Now I’m asking you to think about our 4-H club and the county fair from a different perspective. Our family are relative newcomers here, just eight years since we moved from the west side, inspired by predictable factors: mountain vistas and trails, a community connected by shared experiences, space to keep a couple of horses and raise some chickens. The rural character of the valley might be what everyone agrees is worth protecting. Hayfields and sheep flocks, cattle moving to their summer grazing lands, pigs you can see on your way to school: these are hallmark images of valley life.
So how are we preparing the next generation who need to keep the work of this picturesque rural character alive?
The 4-H program is the only organized livestock education in our valley. Our members, ages 5 to 18, live from Methow to Mazama and when they’re not participating in 4-H, you’ll find them on hockey teams and in theater productions, on the volleyball court and in the high school ASB.
They are children of insurance brokers and firefighters, doctors and real estate agents. It’s about as diverse a group as you can find in this valley and by the end of the year, kids and adults alike have made new friends. You’ve read in other articles about the skills our 4-H members will use for the rest of their lives: confidence and leadership, patience and responsibility.
Lifelong learning
There are more practical skills they learn by necessity. Our valley doesn’t have a livestock vet anymore, so in addition to caring daily for their animals, our 4-H members also learn how to give shots, identify mineral deficiencies, and deliver newborns into the world.
Do I think they’ll all decide to become ranchers or large animal veterinarians? Of course not, and that’s not the goal of our 4-H club. But whether they are nuclear engineers or underwater welders or physical therapists or radiologists, I know they will understand what it means to contribute to a rural community. I know they will understand the importance and perspective of ranchers and farmers. And I’m willing to bet that a few of my club members will be raising quality meat for their neighbors and more than a few will choose to live if not in our rural towns, in ones like ours.
This is my last year as 4-H club leader and I’m bringing new leaders alongside me to take the helm. That’s what we need to do for the rural character of our valley too. We need to invest in the next generation of our community, those who will not only admire its pastoral appearance, but understand the work necessary to maintain it. We can do that by supporting the hard work of our 4-H members at the fair auctions.
So consider this your personal invitation to join us at next year’s fair. Mark your calendar for the weekend after Labor Day. Friday, tour the barns to applaud these kids as they demonstrate to a judge that they can handle their animal and themselves with confidence and knowledge. Saturday, I’ll save you a seat in the metal bleachers at the auction. I guarantee you will smile at the kids in the ring, you will cheer for a generous sale, you will talk to someone from our county you didn’t know. You will also have the opportunity to invest in our community, in our next generation of rural leaders, and give those auction callers a reason to “yep.”
Hilary Kaltenbach is the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Club Leader.
