Lincoln, Neb. — Nebraska 4-H held the 4th year of the 4-H Livestock Achievement Program. The Nebraska 4-H Livestock Achievement Program is designed to promote all educational aspects of 4-H livestock projects including selection, production, leadership, and exhibition by recognizing youth striving to improve in their livestock project knowledge and leadership. The program recognizes Members of Excellence, in three age divisions, across all 4-H livestock project areas, including: beef, sheep, meat goat, swine, dairy cattle, dairy goat, rabbit and poultry.
At the beginning of the 4-H year, youth must apply to participate in the program. Upon acceptance into the program, participants plan what to accomplish. At the end of the 4-H year, they report on their completed accomplishments. Additionally, participants must complete their annual 4-H Online enrollment process, YQCA requirements, and project record books in order to receive a Member of Excellence distinction.
The program has seen positive participant outcomes in its inaugural year, with 70 youth from 27 Nebraska counties receiving their member of excellence distinction. Youth chose to participate for a variety of reasons including wanting to learn more about their project and their specie’s industry, a desire to increase their own leadership in 4-H and in their particular project, and identifying this as a way to bring new people into the project, just to name a few.
“ Through the Livestock Achievement Program, she gained new knowledge and the program emphasizes the importance of everything that she knows needs to be done for her animals. It challenges her to think about ways to grow within her livestock project areas and set new goals to challenge herself to do more each year,” said a participant’s parent. Many participants learned the responsibilities that come with owning and showing livestock of all kinds, including budgeting, paperwork, and figuring profit and loss. One participant stated, “Through this program, I learned how to set and meet goals and how to make a profit off of my animals,” while others stated, “I learned how to manage my projects better with this program,” and “I loved talking to people about my lamb. I also just enjoyed my time in the barn with my lamb.”
The 2024 participants included:
Members of Excellence in Beef:
Blakely Katz (Gage), Charlie Wilke (Platte), Cooper Wilke (Platte), Dustyn Douglass (Merrick), Jaden Naber (Saline), Korbin Kunc (Saline), Landon Pesek (Jefferson), Luke Burnes (Dawes), Zane Anderson (Webster), Addison Darlymple (Custer), Ava Myers (Hamilton), Emma Hackbart (Seward), Jolie Kreifels (Otoe), Luke Katz (Gage), Trapper Wilcox (Antelope), Trevor Lindquist (Sarpy), AJ Pospichal (Holt), Justus Kreifels (Otoe), Kathryn Naber (Saline), Loganne Barta (Saunders), Tatum Wright (Sarpy), Tristain Wright (Sarpy), and Troy Lindquist (Sarpy)
Members of Excellence in Dairy Goat:
Tenley Bauman (Lancaster)
Members of Excellence in Meat Goat:
Graham Mueller (Dodge), Drew Luethje (Douglas), and Jackson Luethje (Douglas)
Members of Excellence in Poultry:
Andrew Ondracek (Saunders), Ella Ondracek (Saunders), Emerson Myers (Hamilton), George Nygren (Saunders), Lillian Polacek (Madison), Brooke Faltys (Platte), Carson Myers (Hamilton), Franklin Polacek (Madison), Grant Meister-Colborn (Douglas), John Ondracek (Saunders), Karis Kersting (Platte), Mallory Beethe (Sarpy), Anne Nygren (Saunders), Janae Oberg (Frontier), Joseph Ondracek (Saunders), and Tony Ondracek (Saunders)
Members of Excellence in Rabbit:
Claire Mueller (Dodge), Marshal Pospisil (Saline), Pierce Pospisil (Saline), Piper Bauman (Lancaster), Adelaide Metcalf (Lancaster), Collin Batterman (Clay), Haley Dorram (Sarpy), Lucy Faltys (Platte), Mallory Beethe (Sarpy), Natalie Faltys (Platte), Levi Dorram (Sarpy), May Frain (Lancaster), and Tenley Bauman (Lancaster)
Members of Excellence in Sheep:
Makamry Jones (Custer), Jillian Muntz (Cass), Lena Gropp (Saline), Maysa Jones (Custer),
Arabella Rolfsmeyer (Buffalo), Mahaya Jones (Custer), and Cora Roth (Boyd)
Members of Excellence in Swine:
Bryson Gaul (Scotts Bluff), Eli Beel (Brown), Kendal Goedeken (Platte), Ty Valdez (Custer),
Deven Dose (Hamilton), Kristen Knake (Otoe), Lena Gropp (Saline),Conner Oberg (Frontier), Linden Anderson (Burt), and Olivia Beel (Brown)
To learn more about the livestock achievement program, visit: https://4h.unl.edu/livestock-achievement-program