Kami Rice will show her steer, Shadow at the Southwest Florida Ag Expo this year. PROVIDED

4-H runs deep for one North Fort Myers family whose passion for the program has passed from generation to generation.

Mandy Rice, a mom with kids now in the program, said she was in 4-H in Punta Gorda, as well as the Charlotte Senior FAA Club (Future Farmers of America) when she was younger. She had a great teacher and 4-H leader, who gave her a good experience when she was younger.

“My 4-H leader has remained very involved in the 4-H clubs and kids at the fair in the past. She was in charge of the steer barn,” she said.

Now the Rice family lives on 10 acres in North Fort Myers, which has given the kids a great opportunity to get involved in 4-H. 

“We lived in Cape Coral for a while and, as our children got older, we decided we would like to be out away from the city and let them have more of a rural experience. That is when they got involved in 4-H, when we moved to North Fort Myers,” she said.

John Rice will show his goat, Fluffy, at the Southwest Florida Ag Expo this year. PROVIDED

At one time, Mandy said she had four children in the program, before her oldest graduated out of the 4-H program with another one of her kids graduating this year.

“It has been a family event for quite some time. My little one gets a little confused because he has been in it since he was born,” she said.

John, 8, is involved in both Peewees of Southwest Florida and 4-H. He will be showing his goat, Fluffy, for the Peewees of Southwest Florida, as well as his chicken Brenda and rabbit Rex.

He said he enjoys working with his goats because of their horns and how they act. John has three goats – Fluffy, Cookie and Sheep.

“I give them food, water and hay and I sometimes help my sister clean my goat pen. I walk them around their pen. I have to practice a lot,” John said of getting them ready to show.

John Rice and his rabbit Rex. PROVIDED

As far as taking care of his rabbit and chickens, John spends time giving them water and hay. Extra time is spent with the chickens to ensure they have clean water.

“I do agility with my rabbit and do the costume contest at the fair,” he said.

Kami, her 15-year-old daughter, became involved in 4-H when she was 8. This year she is showing a steer, chicken and a goat during the Southwest Florida Ag Expo.

“When we first started, my mom told us we could do pigs. I really liked animals and I really like to talk a lot,” she said.

Kami enjoyed meeting the kids that enjoyed the same things, lived on farms, and grew up in an environment similar to hers.

“It was very welcoming,” she said.

One of the first animals Kami worked with was a pig, which unfortunately did not make weight for the fair. She was left without any backup animals to show.

“So, I was just at the fair,” she said. “It wasn’t fun.”

The following year the Rice family had a steer on the property, which Kami showed during the fair.

Shadow, the 400-pound steer she got in April, will be shown this year.  He needs to be at 1,000 pounds for the expo. Shadow has to gain at least 2 pounds a day.

Kami said she works with Shadow by feeding him, making sure he has water as steers drink a lot, and brushes him. In addition, she ties up Shadow, so he gets used to the tug on his breaking halter, so it is easier for her to walk him.

“I brush him every day. He really likes being brushed,” Kami said, which turns into Shadow liking her and enjoying their walks together.

As a backup, she will also show a chicken and goat.

“The goat I have is fat and happy, so he is OK,” Kami said of Cookie. “I have shown him for four years. He’s pretty good with me and is used to me. They are a little easier than market animals. Market animals you get at the beginning of the year and have to go through the whole process.”

She explained that goats can become sick extremely easily, so she has to watch for signs to prevent the sickness from becoming harmful. Some of those signs could be their eyelids turning light pink or white, or they stop eating and drinking.

Her chicken, Princess, takes a little more attention to get ready for the expo. Kami feeds her and cleans the pen on a regular basis as chickens produce a lot of waste. She also handles Princess so she becomes used to being held and practices putting her in a cage.

4-H for Kami has taught her a lot, especially since her club is outdoor based. One of the top takeaways from being involved is responsibility.

“When you have animals, you have to be responsible because your parents aren’t the ones taking care of the animals,” she said, adding that she has to feed the animals and make sure they have water and are not living in filth. “You have to make sure they have the best life.”

In addition to taking care of the animal, Kami is also in charge of keeping a records book, which is turned into 4-H.

She has also stretched her wings to encompass the Executive Board, where she has been on the planning committee to promote and get information out about events.

“They have to be selected and there is an application process,” Mandy said. “This year it was a very competitive year to be placed on an executive board.” 

In addition, Kami also participates in the Creative Living portion of the event, as well as horticulture.

Mandy said she is excited that the annual fair has rebranded to the Southwest Florida Ag Expo this year.

“My children have shown in other livestock shows throughout the year, including the state fair at one time. I personally hope to see some more state fair type of agriculture 4-H activities in the future being represented at the Ag Expo,” she said.

Mandy said it’s such a great opportunity for the kids who are involved in 4-H and FAA that participate in the expo, but also provides an opportunity for the community to see and learn.

Although there are many qualities the youths learn from being involved in 4-H, the top one for Mandy’s children has been confidence. She said 4-H requires public speaking in front of their peers, which provides a great learning opportunity.

Mandy encourages those who might be interested in 4-H to reach out and learn more, as there are many different avenues to get involved in – animals, horticulture and arts and crafts.