Youth in Focus

By Richard A. Ross

4-H is tops on her list

	TRR photos by Richard A. Ross In her home in Kenoza Lake, Ashley Luckey’s bedroom is adorned with many of the ribbons she has won at dairy shows in two states. The black and white décor of her bedspread was chosen to reflect her love of cows. (Click for larger image)

KENOZA LAKE, NY — The front window of Ashley Luckey’s house is filled with ribbons and trophies won in New York and Pennsylvania dairy shows by the 14-year-old Sullivan West freshman.

Her father Craig signed her up to participate in dairy shows when she was seven and she agreed to give 4-H a try. Thus began an interest that grew into a full-blown passion.

“I presently have 13 cows, which I show in four shows including Broome, Wayne and Sullivan Counties and the state fair in Syracuse,” Ashley said.

She has four of the six breeds of cows, including Ayrshire, Guernsey, Holstein and Milking Short Horns. She does not have any Jersey or Brown Swiss cows.

She brought ten of her cows to the Sullivan County Fair at Grahamsville. At the fair, she typically rises at 4:00 a.m., milks and washes the animals, grooms them, cleans their straw beds, feeds and waters them. They are watched all day and constantly tended for cleanliness. A cow can drink 50 to 60 gallons of water per day and as much as five gallons a minute.

“You have to be quick with that bucket,” she said. Needless to say, what goes in comes out, so there’s plenty to do. At night, it’s more milking and feeding before a 10:00 p.m. bedtime.

	Ashley poses with Dandy, a Holstein. Being muddy this time of year goes with the territory. Dandy was anxious to get back to the pasture but stood patiently for a photo with her pal. (Click for larger image)

At dairy shows, judges evaluate Ashley’s animals’ general appearance, how they stand and react and her style of leading her cows. In 2001, her club-mates at the Sullivan County Fair awarded her the Golden Shovel Award for her enthusiasm, courtesy and efforts.

4-H has 6.8 million participants and nearly 611,000 youth and adult volunteers who work directly and indirectly with youth. According to Ashley, “4-H is the best organization in the world.”

She is a member of “The Moo Juicers,” one of Sullivan County’s 4-H clubs, led by Linda Kays of Callicoon, NY in conjunction with her husband Bob and daughter Amy Sykes. According to Kays, “Ashley is a very enthusiastic 4-H’er who is willing to help with whatever we’re doing.”

Parental support is key. Her father is vice chairman of Sullivan County’s 4-H program, sits on the board of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County and helps with woodworking projects for Ashely’s other 4-H club, The Working Together Club. That club does arts, crafts, cooking and sewing and is run by Jean Smith of Jeffersonville. Meetings of the two clubs are held on alternating Fridays.

Ashley’s mother, Robin, takes turns with Craigdriving her to meetings. She also takes her to the fairs and coaches the 4-H’ers for the Dairy Bowl, a competition in Ithaca, NY where kids have to answer questions about anything and everything related to dairy animals.

For the first time in many years, Sullivan County fielded a team in 2000. They went to the district meet versus Orange County, then on to the state competition and missed going to the National Dairy Bowl in Kentucky by three points.

“4-H is so much fun. You get to meet people from everywhere and learn all kinds of things,” Ashley said.

She also plays A.Y.S.O. soccer on weekends. It is the one sport she loves.

This coming weekend, Ashley will be a daylong subject of the Eddie Adams Photography Workshop in Jeffersonville. People will come to the cow barn and photograph Ashley’s entire daily routine with her cows for a spread in People Magazine.

When she recites the 4-H pledge, it is clear that Ashley Luckey is not just repeating words; she lives by them.

“I pledge my head to clear thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and the world.”

This week’s youth in focus is truly a blue ribbon kid.