Learning life lessons
New Plymouth brothers take livestock skills seriously
By Scott Ford
Argus Observer
Thursday, April 2, 2009 11:02 AM PDT
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| New Plymouth’s Clancy Johnston takes a minute to visit with his three lambs before heading off to school. Johnston and his family are sheep breeders and sell many of their young lambs to 4-H members. The mother of these three baby lambs, Fern (left), has been a very successful mother, dropping three lambs this year and twins last year. |
New Plymouth — For Caleb and Clancy Johnston, experience counts.
Especially when its comes to livestock.
The two New Plymouth brothers secured an opportunity to learn some life lessons when they decided to breed sheep.
Each morning, Caleb Johnston, 10, and Clancy Johnston, 12, are out before the sun rises to do chores and maintain the health of their flock.
It’s an important job with a ton of fine details to accomplish every day.
Things like feeding and watering the animals along with the clean up and care for the sheep to help them maintain a healthy life.
The Johnston duo do it in the morning and in the afternoon and still have time to do other things that young boys like to do, such as sports, music, free-time and church activities.
The lamb raising began for Clancy Johnston a few years ago when he received his first lamb, which later died. That did not deter the young man from moving on, thanks to the kind heart of a family friend, Marilyn Wilson, who gave Clancy another lamb so he could continue.
That lamb is called Dolly, and she has become a legend on the Johnston farm. The ewe started a multi-birth trend of her own at the Johnston farm, birthing triplets.
The Johnstons then bought two ewes, Charlotte and Fern, Clancy’s and Caleb’s lambs, who in turn, have delivered triplets and quadruplets, leaving the boys with their hands full caring for a huge nursery of lambs.
“These two ewes have been the most productive of the group,” Katrina Johnston, the boys’ mother, said. “Last year, Charlotte had three lambs, and now this year, she has had four more, and Fern had twins last year and three this year. They are both very good mothers.”
Currently, the brothers are raising six lambs, but Katrina Johnston said lambing season is not over yet, and the entire operation currently consists of 22 lambs.
The Johnstons raise the lambs for 4-H members, and the boys play a big role in the selling and raising of the lambs.
“They are hard working, well-rounded boys,” Katrina Johnston said. “These animals depend on the boys for their health and well being.” The elder of the boys, Clancy, has been in 4-H for four years. He also runs track at New Plymouth Middle School, sings, plays the guitar and enjoys science. Caleb plays soccer and has been in 4-H for three years, and it was when he started 4-H that the Johnstons started breeding lambs.
Clancy Johnston said raising the lambs is a learning experience.
“You have do a chore each morning, be consistent and watch them closely,” he said. “It’s a learning experience. It helps me learn consistency and to never to give up.”
Despite the early morning and late afternoon chores, Clancy Johnston said going to school is still tougher. But he does get a sense of satisfaction raising these lambs.
“We sell our lambs for less, so we can help other 4-Hers in this time of financial downfall,” Clancy Johnston said. “There is a sense of satisficaton that we have a product that other people in our community can use.”
Clancy said being able to help his family raising and selling lambs is great, and he said, he is even able to put some money away for a college fund.
“Working together as a family with the sheep has made our family close. We have a lot of funny memories together working with these sheep,” Clancy Johnston said. Caleb Johnston said raising the lambs is a full-time job, and when his ewe, Charlotte, dropped four lambs, he said he was very surprised. Caleb Johnston said he might take one of his lambs into the 4-H competition, but he said it is more important to raise healthy lambs so they can sell them to other 4-H members.
“I think it is really worth it,” Caleb Johnston said about raising lambs. “To see their little lambs grow up, it is really fun to watch.”
Katrina Johnston said her boys have learned the meaning of paying it forward because of the kindness of Marilyn Wilson.
“She gave Clancy a lamb after his died, and now Clancy has been able to do the same for other kids who have had some hardships in raising their own lambs,” Katrina Johnston said. “They (Clancy and Caleb) have had a lot of people encourage them and give them advice, and that restores your hope in humanity. A lot of folks do care about the kids of today.”
