The Blue River Beef 4-H Club hasn’t been active since around 2014, but it’s BACK!
Here are the members of the revived club at the recent York County Fair- Back Row L to R: Sophie Schlautman, Easton Siebert, Madalyn Janzen, Everly Chrisman, and Emmie Schlautman. Front row – Rhett Chrisman, Marshal Chrisman, and Flynn Siebert – photo courtesy Wendy Janzen
The York County Fair has come and gone, but there was something new about it this year for the Henderson community. The Blue River Beef Club was revived as an official 4-H club!
All thanks to Kim Siebert, a Henderson farmer and cattle producer. Siebert is no stranger to the world of cattle and was one of the original members of the first Blue River Beef Club that began in about 1972. The late Eugene Bergen was the first leader of the club, and over the years, there have been many leaders and kids involved. Gary Buller was the last leader of the club in 2014, and after he finished, nobody stepped up to keep it going.
Siebert was a former leader of the club when his kids were showing, so he knows about the benefits of a 4-H club. “Last year, when I was out at the County Fair, I noticed a lot of kids showing as independent members from our area. Everybody was doing an okay job, but I knew they could all benefit from a little guidance. I thought, well, shoot, that’s up to me!”
Siebert then began making plans to revive the defunct Blue River Beef Club. After the fair, he talked to the kids and families who had been showing cattle on their own to gauge interest in joining a club, and he got a positive response. His granddaughter, Easton, was one of several kids who were eager to join a club.
In January, he began the process of getting up to speed with all the rules and regulations with the UNL Extension for leading a 4-H group. He completed all the required testing for leadership qualifications and a substantial amount of paperwork before Blue River Beef Club became an official 4-H club again.
There are seven kids in the club, with Madalyn Janzen, a Heartland junior, leading the group as president. “Maddie has provided some great leadership, and she always wanted to be in a club and has embraced it like crazy. She’s been phenomenal and a good role model for the younger girls,” said Siebert.
Other members are Everly and Marshal Chrisman (Cody & Nikki Chrisman), Rhett Chrisman (Chase & Taylor Chrisman), Sophie and Emmie Schlautman (Brandon & Malaina Schlautman), and Easton Siebert (Kendall & Meghan Siebert). Flynn Siebert who is pictured with the club was not old enough to participate this year but will be on board for next year.
The group began meeting on the first Sunday of the month in May at Siebert’s home. He knew he would need some outside help, so he invited his good friend, Kinleigh Ekhoff from Aurora, to do some special training on showmanship and fitting tips. She has aged out of 4-H but has shown at several national junior shows and is one of the best groomers in the area.
His daughter, Sam, is also experienced at showing cattle and assisted Siebert during the fair when he was busy with his other duties as Beef Superintendent and Show Announcer. She helped make sure the kids got to the right arena with the right animal on time.
It was evident that all of Siebert’s hard work and preparation with the club paid off at the York County Fair! “We had a really good fair and they worked hard to win the Herdmanship Award, coming in a close third place,” said Siebert. The award is based on the appearance of the animals, including stall cleanliness, watering, and feeding. He said they gave it a good run and have plans for winning it next year.
Another success at the fair was their first attempt in the livestock judging event. “I knew the younger ones didn’t even know how to fill out a judging card, so we did some quick practice before the event. They ended up winning five purples and two blues and had a really good first run,” said Siebert.
Siebert credits the example set by Eugene Bergen and hopes to be an influence on this new club, as Bergen was for him when he was showing cattle.
“I know I’m not that young anymore, and I didn’t know if I had it in me, but every time I’m with these kids, I have more energy when they leave than when I started.”
Like most volunteer positions, it’s not always easy, but for Siebert, the rewards have been huge!
Here are a few photos taken by the York County Extension of several of the Blue River Beef Club members receiving awards and showing their livestock at the York County Fair.
