In Summit County, where agriculture weaves through the fabric of daily life, 12-year-old Kenzie West stands among the emerging young farmers. Her latest endeavor, raising a baby lamb for the Junior Livestock Show, held annually during the Summit County Fair, began when the lamb was a month old.
The Junior Livestock Auction serves as the grand finale of a year dedicated to livestock management by the young residents of Summit County who select, care for, and meticulously groom their steers, lambs, or hogs in preparation for the fair. Each participant invests significant time and effort into their animal. The animals are rigorously judged at the fair, and only those meeting the highest standards are sold at the auction.
Kenzie had third choice when picking her lamb from a group and dedicated the next four months to nurturing and preparing it for competition. Her family, who already kept 12 chickens, had given Kenzie a foundation in animal care that she eagerly built upon for this new challenge. Kenzie stayed with her aunt Cathy during the summer to raise the lamb.
“My cousin raised a lamb last year, so I decided to do it this year,” said Kenzie. “It is called an ewe, and I named it Lamborghini. It was difficult. She was a little brat.”
Kenzie’s daily routine involved feeding, grooming and exercising the lamb. Perhaps most notably, she took to shearing the lamb herself and carefully splinting its legs every other day to build muscle.
“They were on a really strict diet, so I would have to take food away after a few hours,” Kenzie explained. “I had to wrap and condition her legs so the shag wouldn’t wear off, and she would have muscly legs. The best lamb can sell for the most money.”
The young farmer also spent considerable time teaching the lamb to stand tall, with a flat back and straight posture from its neck to its feet — essential skills for any livestock competition.
Kenzie’s father, Ron West, expressed pride in her daughter’s dedication and growth through the experience.
“The confidence we have seen in Kenzie, each time we saw her during this process, she was a lot more confident,” said Ron. “This has really helped her develop her own personality instead of being the little sister.
Lamborghini weighed 118 pounds and sold for $17.50 a pound. Jim Rees of 4B Construction purchased Kenzie’s lamb, but gave it back to Kenzie. Kenzie is considering gifting it to her grandfather, who raised cattle in Upton.