ATHABASCA – There have been very few that remain untouched in some way by the coronavirus pandemic and 4-H is no different as clubs around the region have had to stop meeting in person and have made some changes to the annual beef sale and achievement day.
Robyn Jackson, president of the Athabasca 4-H district and a leader for the Boyle club said the Athabasca Beef Club is selling through Facebook and the Boyle and Colinton clubs are using the Direct Livestock Marketing Systems (DLMS) website.
And other than the sale, Jackson said the clubs are meeting like everyone else right now, over video conferencing.
“We’ve just been having Zoom meetings, which are obviously very different than our normal meeting, but they go well,” she explained. “We’re just keeping in touch through email and phone calls and stuff like that.”
That doesn’t soothe the disappointment the 4-H members are feeling however with summer camps and other events being shut down for the time being. Even the annual highway clean-up has been tentatively moved to September.
“I know some of the kids are struggling with it” Jackson said. “I know there’s a lot that were really excited about Achievement Day, especially our new members. We’re just trying to support them from a distance and helping as much as we can.”
The 4-H clubs in the area are the Athabasca Beef Club, the Boyle Beef Club, Colinton Multi Club and Thunderin’ Hooves equine club who also have canines and rabbits.
“Colinton, they have beef heifers and life skills projects like outdoor living,” explained Jackson. “Boyle, we have one cow-calf, life skills and we have Exploring 4-H and photography. Athabasca, they have mostly beef and a couple life skills projects.”
Jackson added they are always looking for instructors willing to show the members new projects like woodworking or leather work and encourages youth to join.
“There was one year where we just about didn't have a club and just showing the kids all the different projects that you can do it sparked interest and then we gained a couple members just for doing different things,” she said. “Out here a lot of people are like ‘Oh 4-H is just beef and just cattle and livestock and it's actually not.”
As for the safe of beef, the Athabasca club is doing well, although Jackson didn’t know how much the average sale was bringing in.
“Athabasca only have three or four left to sell, almost all of theirs are sold,” Jackson said. “And then for Boyle and Colinton we’ve actually had a few buyers approach us asking us what was happening because with this whole COVID-19 going on they figured things would be different.
The DLMS also shows many beef, sheep and ram listings, some for ranches and many more for 4-H clubs up, down and across Alberta with the local sale starting May 30 at 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on June 1.
According to the website it’s an “online timed racehorse-style sale with extended bidding at the close of the sale” and the steers will be sold based on estimated weight, not dollars per pound.
If you’re interested in bidding on steers in the Boyle and Colinton 4-H beef clubs sale it can be found at https://farmgatetimedauctions.ca/auction/8739 and you can contact Jackson at 780-213-4556 with any questions.
Heather Stocking, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @HLSox
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