We’re just a week away from the Ashtabula County Fair and emotions are already running high. For many people, fair season is a fun time with lemonade, funnel cakes and friends. Those of us livestock families know it’s also the end of a year-long journey — a journey filled with early mornings, late nights, and deep bonds between kids and their animals.

My 11-year-old son is showing Scooter, a snow white Charolais market steer. Scooter earned his name the day he was born, when his mama cleaned him and “scooted” him down a hillside and straight into the creek. That little tumble earned him both a nickname and a permanent place in our hearts.

Scooter was born on my parents’ farm — bred from my first big cattle purchase, a registered Charolais bull from Trumbull County and one of my mom’s commercial cows. At just 4 months old, he took the trip north to our small farm, where my son began working with him as a 4-H feeder calf.

Even then, we knew he was special. He was calm — almost too calm. I worried something might be wrong because calves are usually only that quiet when they don’t feel well. But no, Scooter was just a 500-pound puppy dog. He followed the kids around in the pasture, led like a gentleman on a halter and quickly became the barn favorite.

Last year at the fair, Colter placed third in showmanship for his age group, third in Scooter’s weight class, and something we are so proud of — fourth overall beef feeder. He begged to bring Scooter back as a market steer. So, we had the hard conversations: market steers are expensive to feed, they require daily work — even in the dead of winter — and most importantly, they’re terminal. When the fair is over, they’re sold and harvested. He said he was in, and we knew Scooter would take care of our boy.

Scooter now weighs more than 1,300 pounds. My son barely breaks 100. Yet every single day, he’s been in the barn washing (so much white and so much manure!), brushing, walking, feeding and building trust. The two are inseparable. Scooter gives kisses, yawns with his tongue out during baths (a sign of relaxation and happiness) and pulls you in with his head for hugs. He’s spoiled — and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

This isn’t a seasonal hobby. Raising beef cattle is a year-round lifestyle. When other kids are heading home from practice to eat dinner and relax, mine are pulling on their barn clothes and heading out to rinse, walk and feed cattle. Around here, dinner is usually served at 9:30 p.m., maybe later — because that’s just the reality of life on a livestock farm.

And soon, the hardest part will come — sale day. The halter will hang empty, the stall will be stripped and Scooter will be loaded onto a trailer. Our barn won’t be the same. My son knows this. So does my daughter. My husband and I know it too. But I’ll be honest — I’ve already cried over it more than once. I get physically sick just thinking about the heartbreak our little family is about to walk through.

But that’s part of what this lifestyle teaches. Behind the ribbons, behind the show ring, behind all the long hours — there’s a deep, sometimes painful lesson in compassion, grit, responsibility and love. Kids who raise livestock grow up learning not only how to care for something bigger than themselves, but how to say goodbye when the time comes. It’s not easy — but it matters.

People often ask, “Why don’t you just keep him?” — and I get it. The bond is real and the love is deep. But livestock aren’t pets. They’re raised with purpose. Animals like Scooter are bred to be meat animals — meant to feed and nourish another family when their time comes. They grow fast, sometimes gaining two to three pounds a day, which means they require a lot of feed and pasture. And feed isn’t cheap, especially for an animal his size. As hard as it is, part of the responsibility we teach our kids through these projects is understanding the circle of agriculture: raising animals with love and respect, and knowing that their purpose is to provide for others. It’s never easy — but it’s important.

I hope you’ll come to support Colter and so many other amazing kids like him. The cattle shows are Thursday, Aug. 7, and the Junior Fair Market Animal Sale takes place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9.

Can’t afford to buy a whole animal? Team up with friends or family. Another great way to support the kiddos is by giving an “add-on” to any youth’s animal. Visit the sale office on Saturday at the sale and they will walk you through it. Every bit helps. We fill the stands for Friday night football. We brave the cold and heat for ball games. Let’s fill the barn and stand tall for these hard-working kids and their best buds.

And if you see our family at the fair with Scooter, don’t be surprised if our eyes are a little glassy. Just hand us some tissues and tell our sweet Scooter he’s the “best boy.” Because he is — the very best. He’s more than just a steer. He’s a teacher, a teammate, a friend and a reminder of all the good that comes from hard work, big hearts and a little white calf who stole ours from day one.

Orahood is the organization director for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation for Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties.