FC youth excels with 4H, livestock

The pre-teen or tween years can be a challenging time for children and their parents. It’s a time when children start developing more of their own personalities and seeking freedom, and parents have to deal with their child quickly growing up. As they grow, children start to discover their passions and develop hobbies. For Colt Thomas’s parents, his passions and hobbies have turned out to be productive and educational while still being fun.

Colt is 13 years old and has already achieved multiple successes through his efforts in Franklin County 4H and other events like state fairs, where he shows animals like steers, pigs and sheep.

“I’ve never had to push him. He does the work, and he has fun,” his mother Vero said.

The first time Colt won a prize for his livestock showing was in 2014 with barred rock chickens. He received first place in showmanship and second place in breed classic.

“The chickens are my favorite,” he said. “They’re easy to raise, and they trust me because I feed them.”

Thomas started raising and showing pigs in 2016 and steers and sheep in 2017.

“I thought working with the steers would be cool and interesting, and it was,” Colt said. “With the sheep, I thought, how hard could it be? Well, it was like a new day every day with them.”

He said he plans to raise the steers and sheep again this year because he enjoyed it so much last year.

It takes a lot of work to raise and keep up the different livestock he shows, but his mother said they try not to get overwhelmed by it all.

“There’s always something going on. It keeps us all busy, but he enjoys it,” she said.

Colt said that he’s hardly ever nervous or scared going to the shows.

“Once I focus on that one breed, I’ve got it down pat. I’m not worried about it,” he said.

The only times he does get a little nervous – or mostly frustrated, as he put it – is when the pigs get testy because they’re liable to bite. He is also frustrated when a steer won’t cooperate and ends up dragging him.

He said he doesn’t find it too difficult, though, because he likes the animals.

“I like watching them grow. I’ve always wanted to own a big, successful farm with lots of different animals,” he said.

Aside from the animals he shows, the Thomas family also owns rabbits, horses and dogs.

Colt said that he has learned a lot from working with the livestock these past few years.

“It helps you learn the financial side with the receipts and the winnings from the prizes, and you learn the marketing side when you go to sell,” he explained.

Everything he has learned, he plans on taking with him into the future and continuing this kind of work.

“I already know it; I should put it to good use,” he said. “I might become an Extension agent and work with it that way.”

Whichever route he plans to take in the future, his mother said she and his father are proud of him.