It’s the Butte-Silver Bow Youth Leaders' annual Spit and Shine where kids learn all about how to prepare their animals for a show and sale.
The youth program is comprised of children ages 6 to 18 years old who work on a variety of projects ranging from sewing to arts and crafts to raising livestock for market.
The whole process entails months of preparation with duties including protecting the animals from hot and cold weather to overseeing a proper diet.
"They need to make sure they are eating the right thing so that they have the quality of meat that we want them to produce and that someone will enjoy eating and it teaches them where their food comes from and how it gets there," says BSBYL program director Diana Widhalm.
Widhalm says another important lesson for the children is learning how to take their animals to market.
"They have to have buyers for these animals, so we’re out in the community talking to community members and families about buying these animals when they are finished and at our sale," says Windhalm.
And she says the program is not just for kids from the country, though many members of the youth group do live outside the city limits.
"We’re pretty fortunate that even our town kids get to try the market animals because we have families that are willing to share pins and stuff with the kids so all the kids can have an opportunity to try it," says Windhalm.
The program is not just about lessons in animal husbandry; Widhalm says that the bonds formed with the other children who are participating in the process of raising livestock and working on community service projects build a strong sense of community pride.
"They have a good time together whether they are young or old, so that’s important that they have those good friends," says Windhalm.
The annual livestock show and sale takes place July 22 and 23 in Butte. For more information contact Ida Reighard at 406-491-3296.
