our youth: AG STARS
Kember Bench
Victory Baptist Student
Show Interest In More
Than Heifers
BY SCOTLYN OGLE
T
welve-year-old Kember Bench has been
showing animals since she was in the second
grade. As a matter of fact, she comes from a
family of livestock show enthusiasts; her entire
family shows.
As soon as Kember was old enough, she
jumped at the chance to become involved. She
started as a junior FFA member, joining the 4-H
the following year, and is planning on pursuing
4-H throughout high school.
Kember has shown breeder pigs, market hogs,
market goats, breeder rabbits, market rabbits,
turkeys and is now focused on breeding heifers,
with her current heifer being “Angelica.” Kember
says the Black Angus heifer is spoiled. “Every
day, I feed Angelica, brush her and just talk to
her,” Kember said. “Talking to her helps calm her
down.”
Angelica’s first show was at the Fort Worth
Stock Show in January, when she was just a
baby. Since she is a Black Angus, her long hair
must be maintained before each show. Though
this was Kember’s first cattle show, she did really
well and placed fifth in her class.
This June will be her fourth year showing, but
showing is not the only activity this sixth-grader
is involved in. At Victory Baptist Academy,
Kember participates in basketball, volleyball and
orchestra.
In 4-H, Kember’s other interests include proj-
ects, such as being on the livestock judging team,
as the club reporter and the vice president on
the 4-H county council. Her main project right
now is clothing and textiles, and she is currently
working on a huge project where she collects
clothing and household textiles to donate to The
Center of Hope, where she volunteers twice a
week. Kember has set a goal of donating at least
500 pounds of textiles.
As for awards, Kember is most proud of her
Reserve Champion title, which she won during
her first show with a breeder pig. She recently
won first place in our County Fashion Show in
the Intermediate Refashion category by purchas-
ing and designing her own refashioned jumper,
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which allowed her to advance to the district competition. In addi-
tion to this, Kember won first place in the County Food Show,
proceeding to place second at the district show. She was also on
the Food Challenge Team. Last year, she received the county level
Bronze Star Award for Junior 4-Hers. Though she has yet to top
her Reserve Champion title, it’s one of her next goals.
Kember is extremely thankful for her brother Cooper and her
friends who have helped her and gi ven her advice for raising and
showing cattle, with this being her first year.
“I love my 4-H family,” Kember said. “My very best friends are
in 4-H, and we all have so much fun together.”
She hopes to be like them when she gets older, and then
follow in her mom’s footsteps and become an entrepreneur, pref-
erably in the fashion and gift shop industry.