OSAGE COUNTY  — Easton Thomeczek, 8, son of Kevin and Jessica Thomeczek, showed his calf, Randy, at the Osage County Fair, continuing his family’s tradition as the fifth generation to show beef as a member of Happy Helpers in Linn.

Easton said he enjoyed raising the animal, which will be bred to create a new line of beef for the family, whose five-generation lineage comes down through his mother, Jessica, her father, Lynn Murry, his mom, Brenda McBride, and her mother, Mary Margaret Haggard. “I like it,” he said, adding he plans to breed the animal to create a line of cattle.

Easton’s great-grandmother, Brenda McBride, was a charter member of Concord 4-H in Bates City. Her son, Lynn, and daughter, Suzanne Murry, are charter members of Mighty Mo 4-H in Odessa, where she, her husband, and their father helped organize the group. She had no doubt her love of 4-H would continue with her children and beyond. Jessica likewise was a member of Mighty Mo 4-H for 19 years before moving to Osage County, where she has farmed with Kevin for six years.

McBride and her husband owned a 26-acre farm, raising Santa Gertrudis cattle, which her children showed at the local fair. “To me, 4-H is such a good foundation for the youth and gives them an introduction to things they might never be introduced to,” she said. “I think it’s a shame that the cities don’t have it. People think 4-H, and they think animals, and there’s a lot more to it than that. One thing I’ll say is if a kid is in 4-H or FFA, you won’t see their name in the paper under the police reports.”

Suzanne and Jessica showed Santa Gertrudis at the Missouri State Fair as they were growing up.

Now a resident of Raytown, McBride made the three-hour drive to watch Easton show as a way to support him and 4-H in general. “It’s wonderful to watch him out there in the ring,” said McBride.

Lynn Murry grew up showing animals and passed it along to his son, Lynn, Jr., and daughters, Dawn and Jessica. On his farm, Lynn Sr. raises sheep and believes 4-H is a worthwhile pursuit. “It’s important because the kids learn a lot,” he said. “I remember showing at the fair, and I always loved it.”

Lynn Jr. shows animals at fairs across the country in open categories. He won the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) Champion Ram in 2022 at the national championships in Louisville, Ky. “That’s one of the biggest shows in the country,” he said, adding he’s won several state fairs, including Missouri’s. “You don’t have to win a state fair to compete in nationals because it’s open to anyone.”

Kevin noted that his father showed at the fair, but he’s not sure beyond that. “I raised as a kid, but I wasn’t very good at it,” he quipped, adding that he began with hogs and then switched to beef. “As you mature, you’re able to handle bigger animals.”

However, Kevin raises cattle on the family farm, which adds an air of familiarity to the occasion. Still, he said 4-H offers a lot of opportunities for kids. “It’s great to have the opportunity to be able to do these things,” he said. “I think, more or less, they’re probably fading away. When you look at the big picture, it’s nice to still have this locally and be able to take advantage of it. It’s great for the kids, especially the opportunity to have people donating their time and showing their talents.”

“It allows us to give our love of agriculture to them and instill our foundation for what we believe in,” Jessica added. “It’s Kevin’s career, and it lets them experience it away from the home setting. A lot of their friends don’t know what others experience at home, so when they come to the fair, they get to show off what they’ve learned.”

All of the family is involved as group or project leaders with 4-H.

When not engaged at the barns, Easton enjoyed the “crazy rides” and competing in the kids’ tractor pull and greased pig-catching contest.

Easton’s sister, Everly, 4, competed in the Little Mr. & Miss Contest at the fair and plans to follow her brother’s footsteps in showing animals when she reaches the age of 8.

“We look forward to seeing her out there in the arena,” Jessica said.