Ученица школы Чандлера выиграла главный приз на ярмарке штата Аризона за выращивание ягнят

Michelle Chavez took a moment, thought about it, and then decided she didn’t know the answer to the question about how many awards she has won during her Future Farmers of America tenure. “Thirty?” the Chandler High senior said. “And that’s the belt buckles from the past three, four years.” It did not include the banners, nor the ribbons, nor the plaques. Michelle has earned a place in Arizona history with all the success she has had raising lambs. Her favorite award is the Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb at the 2025 Arizona State Fair. She said her most memorable victory was the Reserve Grand Champion Overall Market Lamb at the 2025 Maricopa County Fair. “I was just ecstatic because it was something that I thought I would never achieve,” Michelle said. What are judges looking for? “First and foremost, judge him from feet up,” Michelle said. “He would look for the correct structure, … his legs are square and nice and straight, and he doesn’t have any bone deformities. “Then he’s going to look into muscle and meat yield, that’s really what ‘market’ is about. He’s (the judge) going to make sure he doesn’t have too much fat cover on him, and he’s nice and muscular. He’s overall a good market sheep that will make good eating.” Michelle said for the most part, she understands that the animals that she spends so much time caring for will eventually end up slaughtered for food. However, she admitted there was one time knowing that gave her pause. “It is pretty hard, I remember that it really wasn’t my first lamb,” she said. “I was a lot more upset with my second lamb than I was the first, because I knew what was going to happen. That was the lamb that got me Reserver Overall at the Maricopa County Fair. “But I think it’s important to keep in mind that you are feeding people, and the vast majority of these animals do end up in food banks.” Michelle said she grew up around livestock; her parents owned a cattle corporation for a few years. “I grew up on a ranch, I don’t know why I didn’t go into raising steers instead of sheep, but one day I was in middle school and I saw these kids show up because they do the run-through of all [agriculture] classes. “They showed up with a sheep, and I was like, I want one of those. So, I just knew I had to get into it.” It is not a cheap hobby to pursue.  “Very expensive, and a lot of people say you can make money off of it, and I think this might stir up some controversy, but unfortunately, I think that is a huge lie. It’s more of a sport than it is a money-making experience. “You’re going to spend thousands of dollars buying these animals, caring for them, specifically feeding them. You should see the price of these supplements.” Michelle said she wants to stay in farming. “I do plan on breeding club lambs when I’m older,” she said. Until then, Michelle said she may stay involved in FFA after graduating, helping coach other students who will be trying to win some of the awards she has earned.