Twelve-year-old Payton White is quite the helper on the farm at home.
That’s why he chose to do his Genius Hour project on beef cattle. It’s what he knows. He named his project Beef on a Bun.
“I always say to myself … learn now – do later,” says White as he explains about learning even more about beef cattle through researching for his project.
It took quite a while to put his elaborate project together. This year he went bigger than last year’s project.
“I plan on being a beef rancher when I’m older so then I decided to do my project on that,” explains White.
White grew up on the farm and has been helping out more and more every year. He’s gaining cattle knowledge with every year that passes. He says he gained so much knowledge from his parents and grandparents.
White explains the overall research that was involved in his project, including why farmers use a dog to herd the cattle, riding horses to roundup the cows, and he provided many samples of what they would feed cows. There were samples of sileage, oats and barley.
On hand were samples of ear tags and he explained the many different ways of tagging and why one way might be more efficient than the next. He went to describe and different ways of branding cows as well. And a farmer/rancher must protect his herd from wolves, bears and coyotes.
“There are so many different ways that you can raise your beef cattle,” said White. “It’s whatever works best for you. Depending on how you breed them, you can have tall cows or you can have short cows.”
“I like working the cows a lot,” explains White. “Except when you get one old one that doesn’t like you too much and it chases you up on the fence. I sometimes get nervous when I’m around one that I know doesn’t like me.
“I’ll go in with a machine but I’m not going in on foot!”
White explains about helping with chores at 7 a.m. before he goes to school (if time allows) and again after school.
The cattle that his family raises at the farm are three different breeds – feeding approximately 800 with at least 400 to calve this year. He thinks back to the time he tagged his first calf – at age four.
White says he enjoys the farm life. He gets to run the cultivator and swather.
He is also a member of the Whitewood 4H Beef Club.
“If I had the decision I’d stay on the farm,” states White. “I want to be in the cattle business when I get older.”
“It’s a risky business!”
“You gotta know what you’re doing…you have to be calm and patient,” said White for his final comments.
