The name of Junior Alicia Marzolf was incorrectly spelled in the print version of “Nurturing Nature”.
The smell of manure lingers in the air as the sounds of goats, cows and horses cut through the dull din of car engines that surrounds McClellan Ranch. The smell and sounds are what volunteers of the 4-H organization experience each time they set foot onto the ranch’s farm.Rakhay Burtzliaff, a junior at Lynbrook High School volunteers at the farm through 4-H, a youth organization that focuses on four main areas: hands, heart, head and health. The club is also involved in a diverse number of projects, ranging from activities like sewing to beekeeping.
“[You can] be hands on with animals, crafting projects like bird housing,” Burtzliaff said. “Basically it’s just a way to introduce the youth to the older [aspects] of livestock.”
Because these types of projects revolve around youth, volunteers usually range between the ages of 5 – 18. However, if one is still interested they can still continue the project as an adult.
For the past seven years, Burtzliaff has been taking care of the pigs that live on the farm. This year however, she has transitioned to raising the market cows, which are sold at the Santa Clara County Fair after being nurtured for eight months.
“Taking care of animals such as these, particularly the cattle, take[s] two times a day,” Burtzliaff said. “You just develop a kind of bond that you wouldn’t get elsewhere.
But not all activities revolve around farming and animals. Junior Alicia Marzolf, who also volunteers for 4-H, feels that even when she leaves the farm, what she has learned from the organization stays with her.
“They have pubic speaking classes, they have sewing and cooking and things like that,” Marzolf said. “It definitely helps you…be a better citizen. [When I buy] meat at the store…I know the work that goes into it and it really makes me appreciate things more.”
Marzolf’s mother wanted her to get involved with community service and gave her a choice – either join 4-H or volunteer with Girl Scouts. She picked 4-H on the pretense that she would be able to work with animals.
Along with leading projects, Marzolf teaches younger children how to care for horses, chickens and cows. These animals are usually sold for meat at the fair.
“It’s sort of like how typical farming would work,” Marzolf said.
