Creating future industry leaders

CARRINGTON, N.D. — Two months before the Foster County Fair, VanBedaf Dairy is bustling with local 4-H members — all determined to select the best calf.

The annual practice began nearly 15 years ago, when Piet van Bedaf was approached by community 4-H leaders about creating a leasing program for youth to show cattle at county fairs. Today, the program is stronger than ever, with several participants recently winning big with their heifers at the North Dakota State Fair.

“We thought this would be a great way for kids to learn about dairy and cows while also allowing us to give back to the community,” van Bedaf said.

That commitment is a shared family mission. Van Bedaf manages 1,700 cows and farms 1,400 acres near Carrington alongside his wife, Taryn; his parents, Corne and Conny; and 24 full-time employees. His brother, Dries, helps whenever possible, while his sister, Maartje, and her husband operate Cows & Co Creamery.

Once selections are made, the calves are moved to separate pens where the youth visit regularly to develop skills, work with their animals and build bonds — sometimes visiting seven nights a week. The Cabler siblings — Kaydri, Brexyn and Rhyatt — have been involved with the van Bedafs and their lease program for the past several years.

“My boss at work is actually one of the local 4-H leaders, and he does a sheep lease program, so the kids were starting that,” Kristin Cabler, the siblings’ mother, said. “At the same time, I was like, ‘Hey, cows would be fun too,’ so we just jumped in and did both of them.”

Three or four times a week, the siblings make their way to the farm to walk their calves, practice showmanship and get them used to noises and sudden movements. Kaydri has been showing animals for five years, with this being Rhyatt’s first.

“As it gets closer to the fair time, they do some wild stuff to get them nice and calm; they play basketball next to the calves and have our little guy just kind of run around and be crazy and loud,” Kristin said.

This year, nine children showed 12 of van Bedaf’s animals at the Foster County Fair. In a previous year, nearly 25 cattle were involved. While the van Bedafs assist with transportation to the county fair, those wishing to attend the state fair must arrange their own travel.

Most participants show heifers ranging from 4 to 18 months old, including some that are pregnant. Van Bedaf noted that while several children have expressed interest in showing lactating cows, most decide against it due to the extra labor required.

“It obviously takes more work to take a milking cow to the fair; you have to milk her at least twice a day while you’re there,” he said.

In 2024, and again this year, Brexyn won grand champion in the junior supreme champion class at the state fair. Kaydri’s heifer was reserve grand champion at the Foster County Fair. Additionally, the two have either earned grand or reserve champion every year they’ve competed.

“It’s definitely stressful the first year, because you don’t know what to expect,” Kaydri said. “After you learn the ropes and meet some of the other families, it’s really fun and a great opportunity to work with livestock that you might otherwise not have the chance to be around.”

However, for van Bedaf, the program is less about winning ribbons and more about equipping the next generation to be informed voices for the industry.

“It’s a good thing for the industry,” he said. “The idea is that when they go to college or enter the workforce, they’ll be advocates for agriculture and dairy farming. If they encounter negative perceptions, they can say, ‘I’ve been on a dairy farm, I’ve worked with the cattle and I know how well they’re taken care of.’”

For the Cabler siblings, they find purpose and joy in showing and spending time with the animals — especially Rhyatt, who showed a heifer calf that he named Baby Booster.

“We work hard to make the Van Bedafs proud of us,” Kaydri said. “We love having the opportunity to represent such a clean, efficient and well-managed dairy.”

Even after fair season wraps, some kids return to visit their heifer later that year — or even a couple years later.

“You can tell the kids build a relationship with those heifers over the two or three months they work together, and it’s tough for them to let go when the animals return to their pens,” van Bedaf said. “When they want to come back to visit, I’m more than happy to show them where the heifer is so they can check in and scratch their ears.”

As kids continue to pick out and work with their calves, van Bedaf hopes the experience inspires several, if not most, to continue forward in agriculture.

“Kaydri is interested in becoming a veterinarian or studying animal science, and she asked to shadow our herdsmen and work a day on the farm for experience,” van Bedaf said. “I’m not sure she would have considered that if she hadn’t had this opportunity to work with the heifers.”

Kaydri agreed.

“Before we really started showing, I wouldn’t have considered being a vet, but now I’m confident in that decision,” she said. “I really enjoy working around large animals and have learned so much by following their vets and watching the way they do things at the dairy.”