By Matt Browning
Payton Thompson has been around agriculture and livestock her entire life, with it all starting on a tractor with her dad.
“As a little girl, I loved riding in the tractor with my dad, feeding the cattle, and bottle feeding bucket calves,” Thompson said. “My interest in agriculture started at a very young age, and from the moment my parents told me about 4H, I couldn’t wait to join.”
More than being just a club, Thompson views 4H as a job. She has a multitude of responsibilities and jobs.
“In the winter, we have the cattle at home, and feed them hay bales,” Thompson said. “In the spring, the cows give birth to their calves, so we must closely monitor them to ensure healthy births. In the late spring or early summer, we take the commercial cattle out to grass. In the summer, I work particularly hard with my show calves, washing them, blowing out their hair, and walking them so that they will be ready for the upcoming shows.”
Thompson has a long list of accolades and accomplishments from her time in 4H. She is also heavily involved in leadership and public speaking.
“I have won our Reno County Leadership Challenge for the last three years, and my goal is to win again this year for my final year competing,” Thompson said. “I have also participated in public speaking within our 4H club, as well as on the county level. I received top purple rankings for my public speaking at County 4H Days, and I was the Reserve Grand Champion for the county fair public speaking contest. I qualified for the State Public Speaking contest, where I received the top purple ranking. I have also qualified my 4H record book for regionals.”
Because she has been in 4H for many years, the list of memories Thompson has made is long. From making lifelong friends to going to camp, Thompson considers herself to be blessed by 4H.
“4H has taught me skills like leadership, public speaking, responsibility, ambition, and so much more, all of which are incredibly important traits that kids need to develop,” Thompson said. “I will always advocate for joining 4H, because it teaches vital skills that people need to be successful.”
