Most teens spend the majority of their summers on sports, jobs, friends and social media, but some Yutan students spend their summers creating and showing off projects that vary from showing livestock to modeling handmade clothing to baking food and taking pictures.
These students are part of a program called 4-H, where they spend a lot of their time practicing their skills and then taking them to the county fair and even the state fair.
“The best part about 4-H is the thrill of putting all the work you do at home and taking it to the next level and competing there,” sophomore Holden DeGroff said.
One specific 4-H project DeGroff participates in is tractor driving, an event that 4-H offers for farm kids who want to take their driving skills to competition.
“I started driving tractors when I was seven years old, but I’ve been interested in tractors since I was a little kid,” DeGroff said.
For his efforts, DeGroff has earned champion Saunders County tractor driver for the past three years, and he credits this to his dad, who has taught him everything he has ever needed to know about driving tractors.
“I owe it all to my father,” DeGroff said. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the help and support of my father.”
4-H has provided many different things for DeGroff, but he says his favorite part is the memories he has made.
“I’ve made tons of memories from hanging out with my friends to just the thrill of cheering each other on,” DeGroff said.
Besides contests like tractor driving, 4-H members can also complete projects with animals ranging from chickens to cattle, but seventh-grader Clara Tasich competes with her horses.
“I like that I get to bond with my horses, meet new friends that I have in 4-H and not in school,” Tasich said.
While she enjoys her time, there are still many obstacles that come up when it comes to showing horses and finding time to ride them.
“Trying to get a lesson in without having different stuff going on has been very difficult,” Tasich said.
Tasich competes in many different 4-H events including showmanship, English riding, western riding and rodeo.
“One of my favorite events is horsemanship, and it has taught me all I needed to know about riding horses,” Tasich said.
4-H doesn’t just connect to farm skills, however. Freshman Audrey Dieckman competes in the modeling and sewing end of 4-H. Like the rest of the projects, this one still requires a lot of time.
“It takes a lot of time. Usually, you have to set aside a big chunk of time for just one outfit,” Dieckman said.
Dieckman credits her grandma for helping her get through the time it takes for her projects.
“I feel like I have learned a lot of patience and attention to detail from my grandma also because the process takes a long time and sometimes just a few stitches could change a lot,” Dieckman said.
After taking her project to the county fair, Dieckman was selected by judges to model the outfit she sewed at the state fair.
“My biggest accomplishment this year was getting to go to state and winning the best in the show. There’s only two who get awarded and a lot of people entered,” Dieckman said.
Even though this was a big accomplishment, Dieckman isn’t done with her 4-H adventures.
“I want to continue to improve my sewing skills and top off what I have accomplished this year,” Dieckman said.
