Heifer Project recipient to compete in today's beef show

WORTHINGTON — Eight months ago, Kennedy Cummings of Brewster was on her way back to Nobles County with a trailer filled with five bred heifers and a dream to start her own cattle herd.

Today, the 13-year-old (it’s her birthday today) will watch as one of the offspring from those five — a heifer calf — is exhibited by younger sister Madison at the Nobles County Fair in Worthington. Cummings will show three cattle — a market heifer, a market steer and a Prospect heifer — during this morning’s beef show, which begins at 9 a.m. in Olson Arena.

Cummings is the only 4-H’er from the region to be selected as a recipient in the Rolling Hills Heifer Project. The program, developed by Rolling Hills Bank and Trust CEO and beef producer Chuck Edwards, is designed to help 4-H youths get into the beef project, learn to care for animals, work on a budget and show commitment to the livestock industry.

Recipients receives five bred heifers, which they raise and breed, and when the recipient graduates from high school, they are obligated to gift five bred heifers back to the program or provide the cash equivalent to keep the program in motion for future Heifer Project recipients.

Because she lives in Brewster, Cummings keeps her cattle at the Lynn and Shelley Darling farm near Rushmore. The 25-minute drive means she only gets out to the farm about three days a week to work with her animals, but she just beams when she can talk about the gentle giants that are her market steer and heifer being shown at the fair today.

This is Cummings’ fifth year exhibiting in the beef project at the county fair. The Darlings, a long-time 4-H family, helped her get started in the project area, leasing her some of their stock and teaching her a lot over the years about raising cattle and getting them ready for the show ring.

Through the Heifer Project, Cummings has more at stake than just leasing animals from another 4-H family. The five heifers are hers to keep, and she’s had to take responsibility for the feed and vet bills associated with owning livestock. Said her dad, Chad, she had to take out an operating loan at the bank so that she could pay the bills.

“I’ve learned more about how to take care of (the cattle) and about money,” she said.

Within a month after bringing the heifers to Nobles County from Atlantic, Iowa, the heifers began calving. The first one was born Feb. 12 — a bull calf — and was followed by two more bull calves. There were troubles with the fourth heifer, and veterinarians had to perform a C-Section. The calf didn’t survive the ordeal, and the fifth heifer produced a stillborn.

Those problems are somewhat expected in first-time calving situations, and the Heifer Project guarantees the youths will have five cows and five calves. Replacements were brought in, and Cummings was fortunate to get one heifer calf out of the bunch.

The cattle were bred again in June via artificial insemination and will begin calving next March. Cummings chose a Simmental bull for breeding, which has characteristics of calving ease and high growth rates.

Since being selected for the Rolling Hills Heifer Project, Cummings has done what she can to promote the program to fellow 4-H members.

“I’ve been giving them advice and telling them what you can get (by taking part),” she said.

4-H’ers can apply for the program as seventh- or eighth-grade students and, in addition to building their own beef herd, one of the advantages is making money that can be used to help support their college education.

Cummings doesn’t know what the future holds for her beef project, but she — and her family — are hopeful they can soon find an acreage and be able to live just across the farm yard from their cattle, instead of halfway across the county.

Tags: nobles county fair, news, worthington