When rancher Wilson Clifton established the 4-H beef club in Keremeos in the 1950s, he also began a family tradition of 4-H participation that has continued into the third generation.
Last month, Wilson’s four granddaughters—Marla, 18, and sisters Cassie, 19, Trisha, 17, and Megan, 15—won tops honours at Okanagan 4-H beef competitions. Trisha received the Grand Champion Steer award for Fireball, Megan the Reserve Champion Steer award for Bud and Cassie the Senior Showmanship award for J.D. at the South Okanagan 4-H Beef Club’s annual Achievement Day held in Keremeos.
At the Okanagan 4-H Stock show in Armstrong, Trisha took the Grand Champion Steer and Home Grown Steer awards and with Megan the Top Pair of Steers award.Marla, who showed Captain Mo, won the Okanagan Achievement award.
Marla’s brother, John Ross, 20, who now works fulltime on his family’s ranch, was involved in 4-H until last year.
“This year the girls had fun with a theme for naming their steers,” said Wade Clifton, father of Cassie, Trisha and Megan.
Bud is short for Budweiser beer, J.D. for Jack Daniels bourbon and Captain Mo for Captain Morgan rum.
“My biggest challenge was finding time to train my steer,” said Trisha.
Training which involves halter breaking and teaching the animals to stand correctly starts in January when the steers are 10 months old. For the next six to seven months, beef club participants have to keep detailed records about their animals, including their weight, health status, what they ate and how much it cost.
Upon completion of the summer competitions, the steers are sold at auction.
“The most fun for me was meeting all the new people,” Megan said.
Over the years Cassie has especially enjoyed the showing part of the competition. Before being shown the steers are washed and blown dry.
“We use products to volumize the hair and make it shiny. Also a glue to hold it in place,” Cassie explained.
The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership and life skills of youth through activities ranging from agriculture and science to citizenship and healthy living programs. This year Trisha and Marla presented a demonstration on wine tasting.In the past Cassie and Megan did a calving demonstration. Public speaking is also an important part of 4-H programs.
“I found the public speaking experience to be very worthwhile,” said Cassie, who will be starting studies in business management this fall at UBC Okanagan this fall.
Marla, who received a prestigious Miller Thomson Foundation national scholarship, will be attending UBC in Vancouver in September to study engineering.
Megan and Trisha plan to show steers again next year.
Wilson and his wife, June, continue to be active in 4-H. Currently, Wilson serves as president and June as treasurer of the Similkanogan 4-H Advisory Council.
The couple’s sons, Brad and Wade, were keen 4-H competitors and in turn encouraged their children to become involved. In 1967, Wilson and June, both natives of the Similkameen Valley, established the family ranch located two kilometres outside of Keremeos on Highway 3A.
Wilson’s parents, Ivan and Louise, began the family’s involvement in ranching at another location in Keremeos. The Cliftons’ current endeavours include haying and running a bull test station and a 400 head cow-calf operation.
Recently, they have been increasing their direct sales of grain-fed beef.
For information about meat sales call (250) 499-5180 or (250) 499-2871 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
