Age: 11
Parents: Johnny and Darla Cheek
Hometown: Yellville, Arkansas
4-H Chapter: Leaders for Tomorrow
Leaders: Glenda Rosenblum and Jessica Fox
What is your favorite aspect of agriculture?
“Animals are my favorite part especially beef cattle because I started showing with a 1 1/2-year-old commercial heifer.”
Who is the most influential person in your life?
“Emily Cheek, my cousin’s wife, has really helped me because she used to show cattle and gives me great advice such as how to properly groom a show calf.”
What is your current involvement in agriculture, including your daily routine?
“I have to feed my calf so I have to get up at 5 a.m. on the days my mom works, which isn’t my favorite thing to do. Later in the day, I help feed the cows by shaking out the cubes from the bags as my dad drives. I open and shut gates and count the animals to make sure they’re all there. If one is missing we go through the bushes, the fields and down by the spring, especially during calving season. I help with working cattle by manning the gates. I check my calf and my cousin’s show calf for food and water and finish by training them and brushing them.”
What are some of your agricultural memories?
“There was a little calf name Rastus whose mom wouldn’t take care of it so I bottle fed it when I was 4 or 5. I did a good job so my parents gave me the calf, and now I have two cows of my own because I took care of them when they were babies.”
What are your future plans?
“My mom and other family member are nurses, and babies are really special to me so I want to be an OB nurse.”
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start in 4-H?
“Sometimes you don’t know if you like something unless you try. I wish I had found my true passion for cattle before going through the chickens and pigs.”
