4-H’ers say final goodbye
By MARLY KOSINSKI-Tribune ChronicleArticle Photos
BAZETTA - Many tears were shed Sunday evening at the Trumbull County Fair as 4-H members said their final goodbyes to the cows, pigs, goats and other animals they have cared for and loved for months.
The experience was especially hard on 13-year-old Abby Schoenfeld of Vienna, who just completed her first fair as a 4-H member. She has raised Buddy, a Holstein Dairy Feeder, since February.
Abby bought Buddy when he was just three days old and although her family has been constantly reminding her of the animal's ultimate fate, watching the 5-month-old be led away by Champion farmer Richard Rodgers was more than she could bear.
"She started crying as soon as the gavel hit and the auctioneer shouted 'sold!' during Saturday's auction," said Stacey Schoenfeld, Abby's mother.
She said Rodgers will raise Buddy to maturity because his farm is much larger than the Schoenfeld's 1.5-acre farm on Sodom Hutchings Road. Buddy will be slaughtered next April.
Abby received $1 per pound for 491-pound Buddy - more than four times the $110 they paid for him. Her father, Clifford, said they spent about $300 in feed and supplies, but next year's cow won't be quite so expensive since they have the supplies already and know a little more about raising the animal.
"I don't want another cow," Abby told her mother between sobs after Buddy was led away.
Stacey Schoenfeld said her daughter will feel differently come February. She also said the family has two dogs, several cats, hens and broiler chickens - a few of which Abby has named.
Holly Lynn, 18, of Southington, who was named Senior Dairy Princess earlier in the week, said she knows how Abby felt.
"I have been in 4-H for nine years. I cried my eyes out the first year, but it got easier each time. And the paycheck I receive in the fall helps, too," Lynn said.
She said she had seven cows at the Trumbull County Fair, including five dairy cows and two dairy feeders. Lynn said her two feeders fetched $2 per pound at auction, with one weighing in at 370 pounds and one at 460 pounds.
"This is my last year for 4-H. I get the same buyers every year, so they upped their bids for me since I won't be coming back. I love them for that," Lynn said.
She has been saving her money from the 4-H auctions to put toward her college education. Lynn will be attending Malone College in the fall as an English major with an ultimate goal of becoming a college professor.
Gary Watts of West Farmington was loading two cows into his trailer Sunday evening. Midnight, a black milking short horn, was heading to the home of auctioneer Mike Davis. Rusty, a red and white Holstein, was going home with Watts.
His son, Tyler, 14, has been in 4-H for three years. Watts said Tyler was sad the first year, but he has gotten used to his animals being sold and led away. In addition to the cows, Tyler also had three pigs auctioned off Saturday.
He said Tyler also won the "Farrow-to-Finish" award, which is given to a 4-H member who breeds their animal, delivers the babies, raises the animal, shows it at the fair and then sells it. One of Tyler's pigs also won fourth place overall.
"Prize winners or not, they're all going to the same fate," Watts said as he struggled to get Midnight and Rusty into the trailer.
Abby said she plans to get a goat next year, but didn't rule out raising another cow.
"They're so cute. I just love them. But it was so hard to say good-bye," she said.
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pahootaman
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07-15-08 11:43 AM
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Am I evil for wanting a bacon cheeseburger when I went and looked at the animals at the fair Sunday?
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