CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Chad Goldenstein wants his daughters, Grace (13) and Greta (10) to learn a couple of things about life.

And so, he is helping them raise cattle.

The Goldenstein’s day begins with responsibility, going to the barn where they feed, wash and train their four cows. The day ends the same way.

“There were a couple times when I got up early to do the chores, and let (Grace) rest, but then she sent me a message, ‘Why didn’t you wake me up?’ ” Chad Goldenstein said.

“Well it was 5:30, and I assumed you wanted to sleep.”

Greta doesn’t feel the same need to get up early in the morning, but she does enjoy being around the animals.

“They’re really nice,” she said. “It’s fun to lead them around.”

Chad, who also showed cattle as a child, said it’s more than just fun, though.

“It’s a lot of work to get prepared for the show,” he said.

The Goldensteins’ spring and summer months used to consist of 10 to 15 shows, but once the girls took up softball, that cut into the time they could travel.

The only fair the Goldensteins are competing in this year is the Champaign County Fair.

But just because they aren’t competing often doesn’t mean they get a break.

“You get done with this season’s work, you’re preparing for next season already,” Chad said. “It takes us months to get them to this point: getting halters on them, getting them broke.

“In all reality, they are a wild animal. You have to spend time with them. If you don’t spend time with them when they are small, it makes it really hard when they get bigger.

“The hard work you put into it gets you something in the end.”

The girls select which cattle will be sold for meat and which ones they will keep to breed.

The process of being in shows and traveling from place to place helps the girls not only learn responsibility but also helps them shed some of their shyness.

While there are about a dozen families showing cattle at the Champaign County Fair, Chad said that there will be about 1,200 to 1,800 head of cattle at the national shows the girls attend.

“It brings kids together that have the same interests,” he said. “ It helps kids who don’t like to open up to open up.”

Grace said she has enjoyed doing group projects while at the junior national tournaments.

But most of all, she loves her cattle and spending time with her dad and sister.

It’s not just the time they spend in the barn, but sitting together under a tent by their animals at the fair.

“I feel like showing the cows has brought me and my dad closer,” Grace said. “Showing the cows out here, just me, my dad and my sister.”

“I try to tell her to get out and do other stuff and meet people, but she just likes staying here,” Chad said.

This week, the Goldensteins have created more memories, too.

Greta’s cattle were spooked a few days ago and took off. Greta fell to the ground.

“We worked through it, didn’t we?” Chad said. “It didn’t stop us.”

Whether it’s cattle, cleaning Greta off or spending time together on the softball field, the Goldenstein sisters are learning a little more than hard work and responsibility from their dad.

They are learning what it means to be loved by him.

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His sister Kelsey Blackford won Jr. Showmanship with her heifer while Kaley Blackford did well with her showmanship class as well.

Oakwood’s Josey Clem won senior showmanship with her horse, goat and poultry.  She earned the opportunity to show in master showmanship and did well for it being her first time.

Clem also received Miss Congeniality and Best Speech at the Vermilion County Fair Pageant.

Oakwood’s Alli Huchel received first for her painting in the open show. Ethan Huchel received a third with his computer art in the open show.

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Potomac, Ill. – Whether or not children choose to stay on their family farms when they become adults, as they are growing, farming is a family affair.

For the Blackford family, it also means 4-H is a family affair.

Josh and Amber Blackford, owners of Blackford Show Cattle in Potomac, are raising their four children, twins Kaylee and Kelsey (14), Aiden (10) and Emerson (8), to understand the importance of hard work, dedication, and teamwork.

This week, during the Vermilion County Fair, some of their hard work will pay off.

All four of the Blackford children got involved in 4-H because they loved showing their parents’ cattle, which is bred and sold throughout the United States and Canada for that purpose.

Aiden and Emerson are just starting out.

Although Emerson can only show in the open arena, he said that having the opportunity is his favorite part of the week.

He works with his sisters who have taught him how to work with the cattle. A year ago, his sister showed a cow while Emerson showed the calf.

“We had Marshmallow and Hershey,” Kelsey said.

Aiden, who is learning to take on more responsibility as he gets older, said he doesn’t take after his sisters.

Kaylee teased, “Our way is more of go out and rinse every day. And his is more sit on the XBox.”

But as Emerson gets older, Josh is holding steady in helping him see cause and effect.

Emerson, who has won Reserve Champion and Grand Champion in years past, has caught the desire to want to win. Josh said his decision to be in the house or in the barn will likely determine the outcome.

“We want them to be successful in life; you’ve got to work hard and be dedicated to whatever you want to do,” Josh said. “With the livestock, if you don’t go feed them or you don’t take care of them, you’re not going to be successful.

“The world we live in now, they want to play on their technology all the time. I’m trying to teach them hard work and dedication will pay off.”

Kelsey and Kaylee have learned that lesson.

The twins have found success in livestock, winning Grand Champion a couple times, as well as in the arts, over the years.

Kelsey made 24 pieces of beaded jewelry, which took her to the Illinois State Fair while Kaylee has gone to state three years in a row with her cooking projects.

“It’s definitely taught me hard work because you have to work hard on your projects if you want to do well,” Kaylee said.

Kelsey replied, “You have to work hard even if you don’t do well.”

Amber said she has a picture of her children from two weeks ago, in the barn after 9:15 p.m.

“We’re out there after ball games and it’s getting dark, and then they are getting up early in the morning and doing their chores before volleyball practice,” she said.

Amber also said it’s important for the children to take on more responsibility as they get older, but remembering the size of the animal is important when the children are younger.

The steer Aiden will show at this year’s fair weighs more than 1,200 pounds.

Amber also said that she’s watched her children mature earlier because of the responsibility they have on the farm.

“Working on a family farm, there are a lot of times when I have to have help,” she said. “I’ll tell them, ‘I can’t do this by myself. Your dad is gone, the cattle are out, and we’ve got to do this together.’ ”

Kelsey said she has learned, “Many hands make light work.”

Josh, who spent his childhood showing cattle in 4-H and now spends his time fostering the growth of his children in the same environment, said his success on the 4-H stage helped him become more articulate.

Amber sees the same qualities in their children.

“They definitely learned teamwork, and they’ve learned to be leaders within their own classrooms and school itself,” she said.

“They aren’t afraid to talk to people. They communicate well and have conversations. I think all of that is important; it’s like skills.”

Josh hopes that other children participating in 4-H will learn the same life lessons. That’s why he makes himself available to field questions and offer advice.

“Every year we’ve got different families that have never done it before,” he said. “They’ve always got a thousand questions because they don’t know what to expect.”

Thursday morning, before the livestock competition started, Josh fielded questions about feed and the show ring.

“It’s just always nice to see the younger kids who have never come to the barn before; just to teach them, and help them understand better what they are doing, just teaching them what to do and how to finish their project,” Josh said.

It is that community spirit that the Blackfords believe makes 4-H and the county fair so great.

“Everybody is always really nice,” Kaylee said.

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Oakwood, Ill. – Oakwood’s Josey Clem is a 14-year old who carries herself much like an adult.

While there are many factors that go into her ability to be articulate, it cannot be overlooked that she has been presenting for much of her childhood.

Clem followed her older brother into 4-H.

Because she was the single Cloverbud, a 4-H member under the age of eight, she ended up participating with the older children before she was supposed to based on her age.

Growing up in 4-H, Clem has explored a variety of subjects.

Her family’s small farm, which raises horses and rodeo livestock, has allowed her to also train dogs, raise rabbits, chickens and goats; all of which she has shown on the 4-H stage.

She’s also entered many hands-on projects in the Vermilion County Fair through the years.

The list of entries is slim for the incoming Oakwood High School sophomore this year. Clem said she cut back to participate in other activities, but she did enter a cooking project, a scrapbook and a heritage arts projects where she worked with leather.

Watching 4-H members who were involved when she first started, continue to foster a safe learning environment for the younger generation as she’s grown and that has inspired Clem.

Clem believes because 4-H, particularly the fair environment, helps to foster friendship.

“I’ve met so many friends. The little kids look up to the older kids. They love us. Young people make friends, older kids make friends, the adults even make friends with each other.

“We help each other during fair week. Last year, there were two little girls who are in my club and show horses along with me. The oldest one is also doing cooking with me. We both showed our horses, hopped on the golf cart, flew to cooking, showed that real quick, then jumped on the golf cart again to finish showing horses.”

Whether a participant wins Grand Champion, a ribbon, a Pitchfork Award or is on a team for Ag Olympics, Clem said she likes that 4-H finds a way to include everyone.

Clem has her eyes set on the future of 4-H.

Currently, her mom, Holly, is the leader of their club. But, Josey knows she doesn’t want to do that forever.

Instead, the hope is that as she ages out of being able to spend her summer months presenting to judges, she will step into the leadership role and continue to nurture an environment where other children are able to learn the life skills she has during her time in 4-H.

“It’s a family,” she said.

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Oakwood, Ill. – A lot can happen in five years.

A fifth-grade student can introduce her teacher to her passion for 4-H. The teacher can make the choice to introduce her two children to ducklings and enroll them in 4-H. The student, now 14, can compete with the teacher’s children, now 9 and 11, at the 4-H fair.

This is the story of Oakwood’s Huchel family.

Allie and Ethan remember the ducklings, gifted by Josey Clem.

“We had ducks, and we wanted to learn more about agriculture, so we joined 4-H,” Allie said.

The ducks didn’t stay at the Huchel’s home long. There were two males and two females, and they didn’t want ducklings. So, the Huchels took them to their 8-acre property outside of town where they had their ducklings, and then their ducklings had ducklings.

Allie and Ethan remember feeding them bread before they sold their property.

But the siblings did not quit 4-H. In fact, they continued with their troop, learning how to crochet and paint, raise and show black giant chickens.

Their mom, Kim, said the time spent in 4-H is giving her children what they need to succeed in life.

“I knew (4-H) would be perfect for Allie,” she said. “She’s flourished. She’s done all this speaking; she’s so well-spoken. She can do all kinds of project and doesn’t get nervous anymore.”

While nine-year-old Ethan is slightly more soft-spoken, he carried himself well as he presented his birdfeeder made from recycled material at the Vermilion County Fair Tuesday.

Allie said participating in 4-H with her brother has brought them closer together as they work on projects together and work within the community with their team.

“We like to do things for our community,” Allie said. “We have a garden at the food pantry in Oakwood. We get fresh tomatoes and different things that we plant and bring them in. Then we load up different bags and give them to people.”

Allie is looking forward to showing her chicken’s eggs for the first time on Saturday morning.

She isn’t quite sure what to expect, but she knows that judges will look at the health of the egg.

Allie will also participate in the County Fair pageant this evening with Josie.

Three years ago she won the Little Miss Award, even with a broken toe.

A few days later as 4-H members participated in the annual Ag Olympics, the older girls had to carry her through the events as to not injure her more.

One of Allie’s favorite memories of Ag Olympics was making a chair out of duct tape with her team, and carrying a team member back and forth.

“We put our lightest person in there, and we took strips and did a weaving technique,” she said.

Ethan also enjoys playing the sponge passing game at the Ag Olympics and eating hamburgers from the 4-H booth where his sister works at times.

“I love helping out in the 4H food booth, taking people’s orders and taking care of them,” Allie said.

For the Huchel family, that’s what they’ve learned over the last five years: how to take care of their community.

4-H has given them the opportunity to connect with each other and their friends and fellow members of 4-H. But they’ve also been given the opportunity to reach outside of their group.

“We always take animals (to the Colonial Manor) and walk around with them and show people at the nursing home,” Allie said.

“(4-H has) helped them come out of their shell and it really opens the door as they grow,” Kim said.

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The group received silver honors in the Growing Leaders National Chapter Award, Building Communities National Chapter Award, Strengthening Agriculture National Chapter Award, and Premier Chapter Award.

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