Kids Corner: The Oyster Family

Ruger Oyster

17 years old

Eleventh grade

When do you do chores? I am scheduled to feed milk cows, heifers and dry cows every Saturday. Sometimes, I feed cows during the week if my uncle needs to do other things. I also do field work in the spring, summer and fall.

What is your favorite chore and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is feeding cows, and my least favorite is washing animals.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? Walking around, doing miscellaneous things with my family.

What is your favorite part about farm life during the summer? Finding random fun things to do around the farm.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? My favorite animal on the farm is my heifer, Fein. I purchased her dam at a sale with my cousin; she was my first animal purchase.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I am working toward construction management or something similar.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. It would be a 1,200-cow milking herd with robots for all, a 60-cow small show herd and a million acres of farmland.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? We like playing kickball in the pasture that we mowed to make a kickball field.

What is your favorite dairy treat? Chocolate cherry ice cream or just ice cream in general.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? Go to the lake and jet ski and pull my tubing cousins.

Are you involved in any activities? What’s your favorite, and what do you enjoy about it? I am involved in football, wrestling, FFA, 4-H, Minnesota Honor Society and student council. I enjoy all of them and love playing sports. I like meeting new people and making new connections.

Rekker Oyster

15 years old

Tenth grade

When do you do chores? Mostly on weekends and evenings.

What is your favorite chore and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is feeding grain to show heifers, and my least favorite is bedding animals.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? Moving animals when they get weaned.

What is your favorite part about farm life during the summer? Leading show heifers with my cousins.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? My show heifer, CP.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A construction manager.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. A small hobby farm with cows and a lot of acreage.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? When I was young, it was probably hide-and-seek.

What is your favorite dairy treat? Ice cream.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? I love deer hunting season in the fall. Everyone in our family hunts.

Are you involved in any activities? What’s your favorite? What do you enjoy about it? I wrestle and play baseball and football. I am also in FFA and 4-H. I enjoy wrestling the most because I feel like that’s where I succeed the most and because of the people I do the sport with.

Royal Oyster

13 years old

Eighth grade

When do you do chores? I do chores on the weekend.

What is your favorite chore and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is feeding calves, and my least favorite is bedding the pens.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? I like helping them catch cows and bringing them up to the maternity pen.

What is your favorite part about farm life during the summer? When my cousins are there, and we can play and work with our show heifers together.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? My show heifer, Geranimo. I showed her last year at the state fair for my first time and won my class.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I am not sure yet, but maybe a plumber or an electrician.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. It would look the same as the one we have now.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? Hide and seek.

What is your favorite dairy treat? Chocolate brownie ice cream.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? Go to my aunt and uncle’s lake cabin.

Are you involved in any activities? What’s your favorite, and what do you enjoy about it? I am involved in wrestling, football, FFA, 4-H and trap shooting. My favorite is wrestling because it is mentally challenging and can be both a team and a single sport.

Wren Oyster

7 years old

First grade

When do you do chores? I help with chores at night. I help feed the calves and show heifers.

What is your favorite chore and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is washing heifers. I don’t have a least favorite.

What project do you enjoy helping your parents with on the farm? I like riding in the side-by-side with my grandpa, helping him do things on the farm.

What is your favorite part about farm life during the summer? My favorite thing is when my cousins come to the farm to play and work with heifers.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? My favorite animal is Layne. I showed her at the county fair all by myself this year.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be an ag teacher like my mom.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. My farm would have horses, calves and rabbits. I would milk cows if they don’t kick.

What is your favorite game to play on the farm? I like to play cops and robbers with my cousins and brothers.

What is your favorite dairy treat? I like bunny tracks and cookies and cream ice cream.

What is your favorite thing to do off the farm with your family? I like to go swimming in a pool.

Are you involved in any activities? What’s your favorite, and what do you enjoy about it? I am in 4-H. I like the activities we do in our club, and I love showing at the fair by myself.