Locally grown beef and so much more
Locally grown beef and so much more
By Karen Rice
To keep up with growing demand for locally grown beef , the Benton County Fair will once again be offering the Pasture to Plate Market Beef Program .
4-H and FFA students ages 9-19 will have the opportunity to obtain a steer , keep records of growth and input costs , show the steer at the fair , have the steer harvested and then sell the beef to the public . Fifteen families participated in last year ’ s program .
“ This program is designed to not only help further our youth ’ s education in agriculture , but also educate the general public and consumer ,” said Wesley Evans , committee chairman . “ It ’ s a long-term project for the kids that will take nearly a year to complete , but at the end we will be able to connect the consumers with locally grown beef from our youngsters .”
“ I also think this project really gets at the original intent of why 4-H was created ,” added County Extension agent staff chair Johnny Gunsaulis . “ We ’ ve taken kids that have never dealt with cattle , helped them become confident and successful to the point that they in turn help their siblings the following year .
“ The program includes project training , which gets put into place by the whole family ,” he added . “ And the parents are really learning as much about this as the kids are .”
Participants will be working toward awards in four categories : highest average daily gain , record keeping , show ring presentation and overall finish grade . During the fair , which will run Sept . 20-28 , any interested parties will be able to bid on the beef projects to purchase post-harvest .
“ The program will give youth the opportunity to learn cost of gain , break even , and ultimately to prepare and sell a beef steer for harvest ,” Evans continued . “ Furthermore , businesses and community members will have an opportunity to purchase locally grown beef .”
The Benton County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Program is helping to sponsor the program .
To stay up to date on purchasing beef from this program and to learn more about the youth involved and their projects , check out the Benton County Pasture to Plate page on Facebook .
120 Years - 1904-2024 23 2024 Benton County Fair