During summer vacation I wake up early and then can sleep late on a long hot day after chores. But I learned that when raising animals that just because Im sick, I cant take the day off. Just because Im sick doesnt mean the animals are sick. Another thing is that I like working with animals more than field work. I never judge the animals. There is a special bond between us. Ill be out there loving on them while cleaning and feeding them. But its not the life for some people.

"Being on a farm introduced me to 4-H the best thing, hands down. There are not a lot of farm kids at Western Reserve but 4-H introduced me to other farm kids at the fair. I made friends around the whole county. We see each at various 4-H events. We meet at 4-H Camp Conger every year, too. It has been a camp for nearly a hundred years. Elaine Conger asked the campers how many of their parents went to camp here and a lot of hands went up. She asked how many grandparents went to camp and fewer hands went up. When she asked how many great-grandparents went here the circle got a lot smaller but I could say yes to all. There were only three of us in that circle.

Linder said the club opened him up to attend the Ohio State Fair and competing in the health and safety speech contest. He said the fair is a year-round event.

"Also when choosing my animal to show, it doesn't start two weeks or two months before the county fair. It starts two weeks after the fair, when we begin to clean up our barn and get ready for new animals to come in.

"This year we had three animals we were going to show, but one didnt have the right hair quality so two will go to Huron County and the state fair. They are on a schedule every day. In October they weighed 650 to 700 pounds. Now eight months later they hit 1,050 to 1,200. They still need to gain three to four pounds every day and are weighed every two weeks. You can tell a lot about their general health by their weight if they are sick or need to be vaccinated or if they have worms.

"This year I also have two boer goats but only one will go to the fair. Also, of the three hogs, only two will go to show. Besides four hours or more a day taking care of the steers, more time goes into getting these other animals ready. If Dad needs help in the field, I can go out and do that, but he makes sure I have time for the animals. I learned it may not always be fun, but if that's what you love you'll do the work anyway. It's in your heart and mind.

"From the beginning Dad has helped me start my own herd and now I have 12 cows. The first one was bought from winnings at the fair and now some have calves."

From all this work Linder has a growing investment and he even gets taxed, he says. Due to his continuing experience raising these animals, through 4-H, chores, and extra shows, he is planning to study embryology and animal husbandry in college.

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Western Reserve student learns responsibility through farming and 4-H - Norwalk Reflector