Lamb and calf days: Winning the ribbon

Joe Fouhy, pictured in 2004, says he does the judging of lamb and calf days as a way of giving back to the community.

It’s that time of year again when local schools and agricultural clubs are holding pet days or lamb and calf days.

So the Bush Telegraph decided to ask someone with some expertise in this area what it takes to win.

Joe Fouhy, whose family has farmed Glanworth since 1892, says with lambs, for instance, the children are judged on not only their attributes but how the animals respond to them.

Harry Leggett from Kumeroa School, was Champion - Leading in the intermediate calf section. Photo / April Schroder

He says some of the criteria are around how the animal looks, such as if it has been well looked after.

“If it’s a calf that’s obviously brushed and hasn’t got lots of loose hair, moulting all the time.”

If the child has been the one feeding the animal, rather than the parents, it will come to them when called.

“Most kids, when they’ve done that, been involved with that, they really love their pet and that shows.

“It shows up in the way they treat it and the way it responds to them and they respond to the animal.”

Joe says it’s a good opportunity for children to learn about caring for an animal and learning how to feed it properly.

Lamb and calf days are an important part of rural life and something that needs to continue, he says.

“It’s not something that we want to see fade away, because it just gives a good basic grounding for children on looking after animals and what’s involved in the time that they had to put into them.”

Care of farm animals is something that children who live on farms grow up with.

“If they’re off a dairy farm, they’re out helping feed the calves, you know.

“Often, before they go to school, the parents will be out there, sometimes feeding calves, and so the kids tag along, and they get to learn that from a young age.

“And the same with sheep farmers - people bring orphaned lambs in and on a cold, wet day, and they warm them up and feed them and to learn all those things from a young age, it just becomes sort of natural to some extent.”

Joe has been judging pet days for a number of years, either at the local school ones or at the Bush Agricultural Club day.

“It’s just something I’m happy to do to put something back into the local community a little bit.”

While he does see some children get a little disappointed when they don’t win a ribbon, he says it’s just a matter of telling them to keep at it and try again next year.

“Over time they’ll get better at it.”

He says there are many children who would like to have a pet but don’t have the opportunity, however in most cases, if they’re not from a farming family, they can always go and ask the local farmer and see if they’d be happy to let them rear a lamb or calf.

“It’s good to see them happy and enjoying themselves and getting some satisfaction out of rearing a lamb or a calf and being able to show it in front of other people, and it’s just a good skill for them to have.”