By: Alli Harlan
The Woodruff Farm program, Learning Through Livestock, held its annual showmanship day on the farm in Urbana on Saturday, July 5th.
This program all started from an idea that Todd Woodruff had. His idea was to have a barn and support young kids who wanted to be a part of 4H but didn’t have the equipment, place, or mentorship to guide them through the livestock-raising process.
With that being said, Todd’s barn was filled with 37 kids in 2022, but that was just the beginning. This year, more than 50 children are participating in the program, showing lambs, goats, and dairy feeders. It is funded by support from the community and Champaign County Breeders.
Todd Woodruff talks about the passion behind their project:
Many people work behind the scenes to make this project a success. Lane Hollingsworth and Anika Stehlick are mentors who teach them how to properly feed their animals, showmanship, wash, and shear, as well as life lessons like being on time, respecting, and having fun.
In order to get them prepared for the fair, they held a showmanship practice on Saturday with Deb Hofman as the dairy judge and Kevin Neer as the lamb and goat judge.
Awards from the show are the following:
Dairy:
- Champion Showman, Rose Martin
- Reserve Champion Showman, Maverick Melvin
Goats:
- Champion Showman, Addie Loesch
- Reserve Champion Showman, Kaylor Patterson
Sheep:
- Champion Showman, Audrey Krieger
- Reserve Champion Showman, Hank Huffman
The following is a list of members of the group:
- Nora Martin
- Greta Martin
- Maverick Melvin
- Rose Martin
- Molly Machrich
- Lyla Smith
- Rheece McKee
- Jasmine Eubank
- Lincoln Eubank
- Michael LeValley
- Tucker Espich
- Mayci Melvin
- Ethan Snyder
- Zadi Thornhill
- Carly Birchfield
- Nolan Smith
- Harper Myers
- Wyatt Zachrich
- Audrey Krieger
- Hank Huffman
- Maicey Arnett
- Lilly Swank
- Levi Zachrich
- Alli Haynes
- Bridgette Fisher
- Maya Ingles
- Peyton Longstreath
- Lilly Burks
- Rebekah Risner
- Charlotte Anaya
- Landon Harless
- Sophie Hedrick
- Addy Wright
- Aliana Hofman
- Kelly Birchfield
- AJ Ingles
- Olivia Linsky
- Addie Liesch
- Evelyn Fields
- Kaylor Patterson
- Zoey Rousculp
- Hannah Longstreath
- Zach Hofman
- Declan Ingles
- Elizabeth Friis
- Kayleigh Ingles
- Chuckie Dale
- Anyslee Dale
You can watch these young 4H members show their projects at the Champaign County Fair held on August 1st through the 8th in Urbana.
If you would like to support this wonderful project, be sure to attend the Roundup Fundraiser Event and golf outing held at Woodland Golf Club on September 6th. To find more information, visit Todd Woodruff’s Facebook page or call The Woodruff Farm at (937) 508-2276.
