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Cloudy. Low 58F. Winds light and variable..

Cloudy. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.

4-H’er Samantha Bergansky, 17, raised pigs, goats, and chickens this year in preparation for the Great Geauga County Fair Junior Livestock Sale. The Auburn Township teen has won Grand and Reserve Champion Turkey, Grand Champion Hen Turkey, Reserve Champion Chicken Pen, and Grand Champion Market Goat for her market animals in past years.

4-H’er Samantha Bergansky, 17, raised pigs, goats, and chickens this year in preparation for the Great Geauga County Fair Junior Livestock Sale. The Auburn Township teen has won Grand and Reserve Champion Turkey, Grand Champion Hen Turkey, Reserve Champion Chicken Pen, and Grand Champion Market Goat for her market animals in past years.

Auburn 4-H’er Samantha Bergansky takes the skills she has learned in 10 years of raising goats, pigs, sheep, ducks, chickens, and turkeys with her everywhere she goes. 

Over the years, she has earned numerous trophies and awards for her animals, including Grand and Reserve Champion Turkey, Grand Champion Hen Turkey, Reserve Champion Chicken Pen, and Grand Champion Market Goat. 

The Cloverbud program is for 4-H’ers in kindergarten through third grade. Sam, 17, has been a 4-H’er since she got a bunny for a Cloverbud project when she was seven. 

Sam’s older brother, Dennis, started raising livestock that same year. Their mother, Kathleen, showed horses for 4-H for nine years, and wanted her children to experience 4-H, too. 

“We got started because my mom wanted to show us a little more responsibility,” Sam explained. “We had other animals, like dogs and cats, but this was more of our own responsibility. It took off into bigger projects from there. I’m more independent in raising my animals now than when I was little.”

When she was younger, Sam remembers feeling impressed watching older 4-H’ers showing large animals at the Great Geauga County Fair in Burton.

“I was once that little kid that was scared to show, and now I’m one of those people showing large animals,” she said. “When I was little, I looked up to the people who could talk to anyone, did awesome at the fair, and helped anyone. I realized I could be that person for the little kids.”

Early on, Sam and her brother raised turkeys, chickens, and ducks on their farm in preparation for the Junior Fair Livestock Sale, a two-day auction in which 4-H’ers sell market rabbits, chickens, turkeys, ducks, dairy baskets, swine, goats, lambs, and beef to bidders who typically represent community businesses. 

This year, Sam is raising pigs, goats, and chickens. It will be her first year not raising turkeys. 

“I did four animals last year,” she said. “I was running from show to show at the fair, constantly busy.” She decided to take an animal out of her repertoire.

Considering the success she had with turkeys, she felt like she could leave that part of the barn. She once took home $3,600 from a grand champion turkey. 

Large animals required Sam to learn new techniques on how to raise them and educate herself on what to do throughout the year. The endeavor carried with it heightened responsibility, which Sam doesn’t shy away from.

Sam takes a holistic approach to raising her animals. She feeds all of them the brand of food that she has found produces the best results for her animals and spends time each day exercising and playing with them to build their muscles.

“For poultry, it’s making sure your chickens aren’t just eating and sleeping,” she said. “They need to be getting exercise and up and moving throughout the day.”

She likes taking all of her animals for walks around the pond. Playing with her goats, Jimmy and Albert, is excellent exercise for them, and has built up their muscles. 

“I’ve been getting busier and busier as I’ve aged, but I’m still out there taking care of these animals and making sure I treat them the best I can,” she said.

The most profound lessons 4-H has taught Sam are responsibility and learning how to let go of something after raising it, she said.

“It’s hard on everyone,” she said. “It’s my animal that I treat like a pet, but it’s obviously not. You love this animal so much and then you have to let it go, but that’s what you raised it for. You know from the start what’s going to happen.”

After the animals are bought, they go to a butcher and two days later, the 4-H’ers pick up the meat and hand-deliver it to the bidders.

Sam has had many repeat bidders who have taken to bidding on her animals over the years. She treats it like a business.

“You have to be presentable and market yourself,” Sam said. “You have to go out of your way to show people that they should buy your animals because they’re top quality. To do that, I have to step out of my comfort zone a little bit more. When I was little, I was cute, so no matter what I said, people would love it. As I got older, I took more of a role in talking to my bidders and reaching more businesses.”

She also hand-delivers handwritten letters to her bidders to invite them to the fair. Many of her buyers donate what they buy.

Since she was young, Sam has always donated 10 percent of her earnings from the auctions back to the 4-H Scholarship fund, which funds a scholarship toward a graduating 4-H’er. 

“People used to tell us, ‘You’re giving too much,’” Mrs. Bergansky said. “It’s a blessing that these kids are making what they’re making selling animals. I’m teaching them at a young age to always give back. We’ve done it for years.”

Sam’s success at raising market animals has been a rewarding, fulfilling experience for her, in which she has taken home hard-earned money and accolades from bidders.

“It’s nice to hear buyers say that was one of the best chickens, turkeys, pigs, or goats they’ve ever had,” Sam said. “Knowing that you raised the animal right helps cover the tears.”

Last year was more emotional because of the amount of time and effort that went into raising her large animals, she said. 

“The last day is fun until it’s 4 o’clock,” when the bidding begins, she said. “Trucks start rolling in. You start seeing the animals put in crates and trailers. You find your friends, say goodbye to your animals, and hug your friends and cry. The friends I’ve met through 4-H help me get through it. We all are going through the same thing and know that we all love our animals as much as we possibly can.”

4-H isn’t just about the animals. It’s about guiding other 4-H’ers, helping out at the fair and in the community, and growing as an individual. 

“Little kids look up to her as a role model,” said Mrs. Bergansky. “Parents come up to us and tell us how Sam taught their child how to hold their chicken or how to walk their goat.”

4-H has given Sam the opportunity to build public speaking and speech-writing skills as she spreads the word of what 4-H is all about. She recently went to a meeting of the Geauga County Commissioners to let them know how helpful their support of 4-H has been.

Sam applies the responsibility and work ethic she has built in 4-H to all parts of her life. 

She is entering her fourth year of varsity basketball, lacrosse, and golf at Kenston High School, where she is an incoming senior. Her other hobbies include fishing, kayaking, hunting, and shooting clays. 

She also coaches youth basketball and referees youth soccer, softball, and basketball. She is a lead crew member of the Kenston Bomber Bash Program, a leadership program that fundraises and plans school events that support the Northeast Ohio chapter of A Kid Again, a charity for children with life-threatening conditions. 

She is also passionate about Geauga Hunger Task Force, a nonprofit organization that partners with and funds five food pantries in the county. Its Junior Board will hold their first fundraiser 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10 at Orchard Hills Center in Chesterland. 

Sam fills her summers with waking up at 6 a.m. to take care of her animals as well as volunteering at Safety Town and summer camp for younger athletes. 

Because of all this, her summers are different from most of her friends’, but she said it’s worth it.

Sam, like her brother, will use money she’s made from 4-H to help pay for college. 

Sam is yet unsure of her plans, but she wants to study physical therapy at Ohio State University or University of Cincinnati. She has had many sports injuries over the years. Her positive experience with a physical therapist who helped her along in her recovery inspired her to want to help others in the same way.

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