Ben DeSalvo

Parents: Philip and Beth DeSalvo

Hometown: Center Ridge, Ark.

4-H Club: Nemo Vista Pioneers

Club Leader: Alicia Hugen

Describe your 4-H experience?

“I started showing when I was 8 years old with a steer and a heifer because my family had always liked showing and I wanted to be part of it. My black steer I named Blackie and the black baldie I named Part because her face was part black and part white. I still really like showing and keep an informal record book of how much I feed the show animals every day which is about 1 percent of their total body weight, something my dad helps with. The show animals require a lot of time and work. In the morning I walk them for three or four laps, feed and water them and a few hours later hay them. At 6 at night I repeat the procedure again.”

What do you like about showing, competing?

“I really like hanging out with my friends and my cousins, but I also like competing with what my family raises, which is Brangus and Ultrablack cattle. Because I am competing against my sister and cousins, it can get pretty intense.

What do you do to help out on the farm?

“I started driving a tractor couple of years ago so I help with raking and haying. I also feed out of the cake box in the truck plus working on fencing and over seeding wheat for winter pasture using a no till drill method.”

What is your favorite part about living in the country?

“Classrooms can sometimes get kind of claustrophobic with all the people around in such a small area. I like being out in the open spaces.”

What are your future plans?

“I really want to stay on the farm and see how the Brangus and Ultrablack breeds develop. I’m considering starting out with an animal science degree at OSU or Kansas State because both have good ag programs. After my four-year degree, I’d like to go to vet school and become a large animal veterinarian because there aren’t many around and I could contribute those skills to our farm so we won’t need anybody else.”