SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — Kids from all over the Salt Lake Valley are washing, sheering, walking and caring for their animals as they get ready for the 4-H Salt Lake County Junior Livestock Show.
"We’ve got roughly between 35 and 40 youth who this year are able to raise sheep and goats here at the Bastian Center and it’s been incredible," said Josh Dallin, Director of Utah State University's Bastian Agricultural Center.
Dallin said the mission of the center is to provide agricultural opportunities for youth and adults who are in an urban setting.
Twelve-year-old Ulysses Hartley from Bluffdale is taking party with his goat, Val.
"He’s like a pet, even though he’s like a meat goat. He likes to play around, he likes to walk with me. It’s super fun," he said.
Photos of Val taken just months ago and today show how much he's grown.
"He turned into this, a big fat blob!" laughed Ulysses. "I like being responsible because it just feels good, but a responsibility this big feels very good!"
Meanwhile, Laura Croft loves the time and dedication put into caring for her lamb, Bruno. Living with her mom in a Draper townhouse, Croft is grateful to be able to keep and care for her lamb at the facility.
"It’s a lot of work but it’s so rewarding," she explained. "You’re out here every day and every night and you see them grow from when they’re tiny to a 150-pound animal, and it’s so rewarding at the end when you get to go into the show ring and show them."
The show gives the kids who help raise the animals a really great opportunity that they may not otherwise have.
"My grandpa had animals and I’ve always wanted to, but here in the city we don’t really get that chance, so getting to have them here is a great opportunity," said Emilee Wardle.
Emilee and her sister, Kenzee, are from south jordan and say it’s been a lot of fun to raise their sheep in the program.
"I love animals and I love being with them and doing all the hard work for it," said Kenzee.
Although, knowing these animals will eventually make it to someone’s dinner table is tough to process at first.
"it’s what we’re raising them for, So you kind of have to expect it at the beginning, but it is hard to let them go," Emilee said.
In years past, the Bastian family and Salt Lake County have bought the majority of the livestock at auction with a specific purpose, with all of the meat being donated to the local food bank in salt lake county.
Dallin says the program teaches a number of life lessons.
"Hard work pays off, you’ve got to keep at it and sometimes there are things that are out of our control, but these youth have to learn absolute responsibility. They’re in charge of a living animal," he said.
The show is open to the public and starts Wednesday with the auction taking place Saturday.
