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“Everyone learns at a
Heading out to gather up the season’s bounty? Make your plans with the Headwaters Farm Fresh guide, as well as our in-depth look at some of the region’s most inspiring food operations.
different level,” Jessica Lasby said. “We have competitive 4 – H C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 71
PA N DEM IC JOU R NA L S We wanted to mark these unforgettable times the best way we know how – by diving into as many stories as we could. Delve into new journal entries from your neighbours in these hills.
Check in with nature expert Don Scallen’s “Notes from the Wild” to see the flora and fauna that are capturing his imagination this season, from the spicebush swallowtail caterpillar to nocturnal critters.
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CATERPILL AR BY DON SCALLEN . BEETS BY ROSEMARY HASNER
NATURE SPOTTING
and feeding. The idea is to control your animal confidently and pose it in the correct, aesthetically pleasing stance – in profile, front legs apart but parallel, one hind leg slightly ahead of the other, head raised showing a strong straight line from nose to tail, with good body mass showing no divots or flaws. In theory. In practice, Glam, recently weaned and missing her mom, was at her most obstreperous – slobbering, pulling, declining to hold pose, and prone to tread on toes or kick. In a circling queue of a half-dozen heifers led by the other beef club kids, Glam stood out as the diva. She did like to have her belly scratched with the blunted hook of Maggi’s show stick, but she largely ignored the stick’s proddings. “That’s it! They’ve had enough,” the club’s co-leader, Jessica Lasby, called out before the day, the animals and the kids got any hotter. Lasby, in her mid-20s, has 4-H in her DNA. Her parents were in 4-H, and Lasby’s mother, Shirley, and brother, Justin, share leadership of the Dufferin beef club. Former club members themselves, the siblings have an impressive list of competition successes both locally and at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, the Olympics for Ontario livestock. Earlier last summer, wearing a baggy sweatshirt and with a manure-smeared
kids and kids who are just here for fun. Try to adapt your teaching style to individual members so they get out of it what they want. We put in a lot of work to help them reach any goals they may have.”
boot resting on a split rail fence, Lasby leaned down to work with a little girl daunted by a big cow and complicated judging criteria. The girl was schoolaged, but couldn’t read. “So I adapt,” said Lasby. “We adapt so people don’t get singled out. It’s a challenge, but a good one. I’ll do it verbally. It’s easier for her, not as stressful.” Turning to the girl, she questioned, “That was good, but how do you say ‘bigger,’ ‘better’? How about ‘shows more growth for age’?” The little girl nodded and smiled. The cow pooped. Patience is Lasby’s greatest skill as a leader. “Everyone learns at a different level,” she said. “We have competitive kids and kids who are just here for fun. Try to adapt your teaching style to individual members so they get out of it what they want. We put in a lot