Age: 14
Parents: Jeremy and Michelle Jackson
Hometown: Gentry, Ark.
4-H Club: Logan 4-H
Leader: Jackie Griffin
What is your 4-H project? “My project is in valuing agriculture which I like better because as I get to work with more than one species or type. Valuing agriculture ties all of agriculture together and I use chickens and cows as my combination.”
How did you get started with 4-H? “We heard about 4-H at church. Like with most kids, my parents pushed me into it the first year, but then I fell in love with it and couldn’t imagine not having that as part of my life and education.”
Favorite 4-H moment, awards? “My favorite part was being 9 or 10 years old and holding the position of devotion leader. My job was to choose and read a passage of scripture at the beginning of each meeting. Now, I am the president of the Logan 4-H Club. Last year, I won the livestock skills competition at the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair. Just like my project, the livestock skill competition tests across species and breeds, and includes diseases, treatments and tools.”
What do you like about showing, competing? “Competing in agriculture is very different than sports and, in my opinion, takes a lot more work because your teammate is an animal and you can’t talk with it.”
What do you do to help out on the farm? “When I’m not at school, I’m working at home and help with feeding, vaccinating, breeding and walking the chicken houses, where I check for dead chickens and make sure all the equipment is functioning properly.”
What do you like best about living in the country? “I just love the silence of the country.”
What is the most important thing you have learned in 4-H? “When I was little, I was timid and scared but 4-H has taught me leadership. Now I don’t hesitate to do anything, which includes leading groups and talking to people I don’t know.”
What are your future plans? “I want to work as a farm manager on a large ranch so I can focus on cattle only rather than doing both cattle and chickens. I am aiming for a livestock judging scholarship and plan to go two years to a junior college before, hopefully, transferring to Oklahoma State University to finish. I need to do that because OSU very rarely starts freshman or sophomores on the judging team.”
