MERIDIAN, Idaho — Meridian Dairy Days is just a few days away, and one of the most important events is the dairy goat and cattle shows that take place at the Meridian Speedway.
Event guide | 96th annual Meridian Dairy Days returns to Storey Park
Meridian Neighborhood Reporter, Allie Triepke, went out to a Middleton farm to learn more from two 4-H students about how they are preparing their cows and goats for the Dairy Shows.
Hear from the local 4-H students as they prepare for Meridian Dairy Days:
“It’s a little bit harder taking care of them than you think,” said Lilly Sharpe, a 5th grader in Middleton who is raising goats to show this summer.
10-year-old Lilly Sharpe of Middleton has raised show goats for half her life.
Each day, she feeds and cares for Kenzie and Sprinkles, the two goats she’ll show at Meridian Dairy Days.
“It’s really fun, it has a lot of responsibilities in it,” said Lilly.
But she won’t be the only one in her family showing at Dairy Days. Her older brother, Declan, is currently raising two cows, working to keep his family ties to Meridian’s dairy-based history.
“My great-grandpa was a dairy farmer. He has a dairy farm out in Meridian. I think it’s important that I keep it going,” said Declan Sharpe, who is going into his freshman year of high school.
For the last 3 years, his cows were part of the Treasure Valley Replacement Heifer program. After a summer of showing, his pregnant cow, named Tess, will go to a local dairy farm.
“I have to separate them because they have different diets from each other. She gets more hay and a little bit more grain than that one,” added Declan.
The support and encouragement from their parents, Jamie and Mike Sharpe, have helped their kids grow over the years.
“I just think it teaches them so much. I see these kids who grow up and go through the program and go on to do great things. And it’s not just about learning about animals, it’s how they present themselves, it’s talking in public,” said Jamie Sharpe, Lilly and Declan’s mother.
