David Schultheis, Shirlann Harmon and Becca Frazier are among hundreds of Butler County youngsters hoping the countless days and weeks of brushing, walking and tending to their animals will pay off at the 67th annual Butler Farm Show.

David, 11, will be showing a steer, two lambs, three pigs and two dairy cows.

Shirlann, 15, will be showing 10 rabbits, including five from a doe with a litter, and she is also participating in several art, speech, and demonstration competitions.

Becca, 18, will be showing a breeding cow and four market sheep.

Work increases

As the farm show draws closer, the harder the work becomes for the animal tenders.

“The hours sort of build up,” Shirlann said.

The Seneca Valley sophomore will show two breeds of rabbits: Fleming Giants and Holland Lops. The word giant is in the Fleming breed for good reason.

“They’re normally around 20 pounds. They’re huge. They’re probably one of the biggest breeds of rabbits out there, but I love them because they’re so nice and docile and calm,” Shirlann said.

“They’re gentle giants, like small puppy dogs.”

The Holland Lops, on the other hand, are much smaller.

“They’re tiny little things with floppy ears,” she said.

She’ll also be presenting a demonstration on knots, displaying artwork and doing a speech about public speaking in various events at the farm show. Her brother Jonathan, 11, also will show two rabbits.

While she’s been busy taking care of her rabbits or working on other farm show projects, Shirlann is also balancing a variety of other summer activities.

She showed rabbits at the Big Butler Fair, receiving several first place ribbons and received the reserve grand champion award for a different doe and litter than she’ll be showing at farm show. She also attended a student council summer camp and is at a three-day 4-H event at Penn State University this week.

“I can’t go to a 4-H event without learning something new, or meeting someone new. That has totally just changed me and made me a better person,” Shirlann said.

“I’ve met lifelong friends that I will continue to talk to, but also the life lessons, such as organization and responsibility.”

She hopes to study biology or animal science when she goes to college.

College awaits

Meanwhile, Becca, who graduated from Butler High School in June, will be leaving for Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind., just a few days after the farm show wraps up.

She’s following in her older brother’s footsteps. Zach, 21, also attends Purdue, and had participated in 4-H competitions growing up.

She’s certainly been busy this summer, with packing for college, maintaining her animals for showtime and helping her 8-year-old brother, Luke, prepare for his first farm show experience. He will show two cattle.

“I’ve been working with my cattle, trying to get their hair ready. They require a lot of care,” she said. “And I’ve been working with my sheep a lot, just making sure that they’re well-behaved.”

Her college studies will definitely link to her nine years of 4-H experience. She plans to study agricultural communication at Purdue.

“It’s like a communications degree, but in agriculture,” Becca said. “And then I’m also interested in doing a double major with either agribusiness or sales and marketing, ideally what I want to get into is more the public relations side to that.”

Her upbringing in 4-H programs has molded a lot of what she does.

“I think it’s taught me a lot of responsibility, not only with me being in school and also taking care of animals,” Becca said.

“I’ve had to learn time management. It’s just taught me an appreciation for how to care for animals and apply that to the rest of my life.”

Doing what you love

And David, while only 11, is considering an agricultural career, too. He aspires to be a dairy farmer like his aunt and uncle.

“I’m not in it to win it,” he said of his farm show participation, “Although winning is fun.”

He’ll be entering an Angus Cross steer, two Suffolk Cross lambs, three Blue Butte Cross pigs and two Brown Swiss dairy cows in the farm show. His newest additions are his pigs, which he got in April, and one of his cows, which he’s had since May.

David estimates he has spent at least four hours each day maintaining his animals this summer, which are kept at a barn near his family’s home.

“You always want to make sure the pen is clean,” he said. “You want to make them as comfortable as they can be. It makes things go a lot smoother.”

Like Shirlann, he also participated in the Big Butler Fair. He earned several awards, including first place showmanship for his lamb and steer, placed second for market class steer, and placed second and third for his market class lambs.

“It’s about getting a chance to do what you love,” the Dassa McKinney sixth grader said.