Molino 4-H Member Falls In Love With An Animal. And A Way Of Life. – NorthEscambia.com

submitted by Scott Angle, UF/IFAS

An 1,100-pound heifer can be a little intimidating even if youre not a 60-pound fourth-grader. Fear was no match for Tucker Padgetts fascination, though, when the middle-schooler tending to the animal invited her to jump into the pen to help.

Tucker was at a Santa Rosa County Fair 4-H prep meeting with her goats. UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County 4-H agent Aly Schortinghouse had a hunch that Tucker would find interest in cows, so she had arranged for Tuckers visit to the pen.

It went way beyond interest. Tucker, whos now a seventh-grader who lives in Molino, says she fell in love that day, with an animal and a way of life. The Black Angus named Blake Shelton kissed her. Tucker reciprocated with a fistful of Jolly Ranchers. That night she went home and told her parents she wanted a calf.

The next test was faith. Tucker sold 40 goats and many of her chicks to raise the money to buy a calf from Barnes Feed Store. For a 10-year-old, thats betting the farm.

She named the heifer Baby and worked for months to grow her. She brushed, cleaned, halter-trained and arranged for veterinary checkups. Tucker and Baby went to 14 competitions in Florida and Alabamacounty fairs and jackpot shows. Baby herself turned out to be a jackpot, as she and Tucker earned nearly $5,000 in premiums

Tucker is now a 13-year-old with eight cows and intends to breed them to grow the herd. While shes still fond of Baby, shes not sentimental. Babys not a pet, shes a producer. Tucker is learning about artificial insemination, selecting the bulls to breed her heifers, and arranging for professional techs to impregnate the animals.

The growing herd got the attention of neighbors who moved into Tuckers neighborhood in Molino a year ago. Hunter, 14, started asking questions and developing an interest in beef cattle. His sister Morgan, 12, wants to know more about dairy cows.

Hunter and Morgan havent committed to an animal yet, but theyre learning from a young master, showing up at the barn at 6 p.m. every night where Tucker is teaching them to wash, brush, treat for hair growth, clip, tie and walk the animals.

Tucker is a member of the JFCA and the Northwest Florida Cattlemens Association. She has addressed meetings of both associations to share her story.

Its a classic UF/IFAS Extension 4-H story. Its how a 4-H agent put opportunity in front of a kid, changed her life, and set her on a course to become a leader. The early signs are there in the hours Tucker now spends daily not only tending to her animals but extending that opportunity to others of her generation.

Pictured top: Tucker Padgett with J. Scott Angle, the University of Floridas vice president for agriculture and natural resources, during the UF/IFAS leaders visit to the area in December 2020. Pictured inset: Tucker Padgett with her calf, Baby. The pair has gone to 14 competitions in Florida and Alabama, earning nearly $5,000 in premiums. Photos UF?IFAS for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Scott Angle is the University of Floridas Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and leader of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

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Molino 4-H Member Falls In Love With An Animal. And A Way Of Life. - NorthEscambia.com