Six Generations of 4H

My name is Sadie Yates and I am 21 years old. I am originally from Bayfield, Colorado.

Agriculture has always been a part of my family tradition. My great grandparents, grandparents, and parents have all been involved in Ag throughout the years. My Granny (great grandmother) was a 4H leader. Her sons, one being my grandfather, showed Southdown sheep and did other projects in 4H. Over the years my grandfather showed cattle at the Cow Palace (Daly City, CA) and many other places. When he and my grandmother got married they started a farm in Durango. They raised dairy cattle, sheep, and swine. About 14 years ago they were able to buy their original farm back. They still garden and raise hay on the home place. My grandparents’ stories really influenced my love for agriculture.

Sadie’s steer, Bullwinkle, would lick her face when she said, “Give me kisses!” Sadie says, “As cute as it was, it was a bit painful. Their tongues are like sandpaper.” Bullwinkle was a Charolais.

Everyone is involved in agriculture every day, whether they know it or not. Agriculture is a large part of everyday life, even if you don’t live on a farm or have a garden. As soon as my siblings and I were old enough, my parents signed us up for 4H. My family was very active in 4H. I am a sixth generation 4Her myself. When I was eight years old, I started showing rabbits. As I got older, more responsible, and bigger, I took on sheep and cattle projects. Once I started working with cattle I found my true passion – raising beef cattle.

For me, fair was the final test. If I was able to make sale, pay my bills after the auction, and satisfy my customers, I had a successful year. My favorite moment has to be my second-to-last year at fair. I was showing two steers that year. One I bought from a local producer, the other I raised from my own cow. It was the first calf out of my cow and I was showing him in the market class. On show day, both my steers made me so proud. Adonis placed first in his class, and Zeus, the steer from my own herd, placed third. To top off the experience, the next night the Silver Steaks competition results were announced, and both of my steers made it into the top 5.

While standing in the ring it hit me. I had managed to get over half of the steers I showed into the top 5 over 5 years. The fact I had 10 steers in the top 5 for this contest meant so much to me. That made all the hard work worth it. I never received 1st in the Silver Steaks, but that was okay with me. Even though I didn’t win, I was still a winner.

In addition to showing her own animals, Sadie mentored many young 4Hers. Here, Sadie and and a young family member prepare to show Sadie’s heifer, Josie. Her niece is now four years old. “I do my best to teach her everything I can about livestock. She always tells her mom she wants to grow up and be like Aunt Sadie.”

My 4H years taught me many skills that still help me today. Those skills include responsibility, time and money management, public speaking, record keeping, hard work, determination, respect, and so much more.

Sadie was a proud member of the Livestock Judging Team at Casper College in Wyoming.

My future goals all involve agriculture. I spent the last two years in Capser, Wyoming attending Casper College. I just received my AS in Animal Science. Next year I will attend school at University of Wyoming in Laramie, and plan to earn my BS and MS degrees in Animal and Meat science.

Once I finish college I want to start a ranch. I plan to raise Charolais cattle. I will probably crossbreed them to gain the best meat quality I can get. I want to raise cattle and run a butcher shop. Once the time comes and I am ready for a family, I plan to raise my kids in an agricultural lifestyle similar to what I had. I would also love to give back to organizations that gave so much to me. I plan to get a degree that allows me to be a 4H extension agent. If not, I will be a 4H leader.

We need to teach youth about agriculture and keep this tradition alive.