By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
The Chatham-Kent 4-H Dairy Club enjoyed a tremendous showing at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto recently.
Mitchell Anderson, of Ridgetown, was a double champion at the TD 4-H Calf Classic.
His 4-H calf, Karnview Lemagic Revolve, earned first place in the Spring Yearling class as well as overall Grand Champion 4-H Calf of the TD Calf Classic.
Nearly 350 4-H members were competing at the TD Calf Classic at the Royal Winter Fair.
The four-member Chatham-Kent 4-H Dairy Club finished eighth overall in the TD 4-H Calf Classic Premier County team standings for the 47 counties entered.
Meredith Anderson placed ninth in the Intermediate Showmanship class with Charbend Master Desiree out of 120 in her class.
Emily O’Connor finished 11th in the Jersey Yearling Class with Beslea Strathburn VIP Ephiphany ET. Kallie Rourke was awarded a 12th-place finish in the Winter Heifer Conformation Class with Elm Bend Miranda Lambert.
“What an incredible couple of days for these 4-H members,” said Janice Anderson, who, along with Rob Reid, has been the 4-H Dairy Club leader for 15 years. “We only have a few dairy farms in Chatham-Kent, so we’re super proud of the kids.”
“To finish eighth against 47 other counties that have much larger dairy populations, this is quite an accomplishment.. said Anderson. “They all did very, very well.”
Mitchell’s 4-H championships are just the latest awards for the Anderson siblings. Morgan, Mitchell and Meredith were all named ‘Youth Agriculturists of the Year’ in 2021, ‘22 and ‘24, respectively, at the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce Rural Urban Banquet.
Morgan was also awarded a $1,000 bursary from the Kent Federation of Agriculture in 2021. Mackenzie Anderson, another sibling, won a $6,000 Dairy Farmers of Ontario Bursary from the Ontario Hockey Association this summer.
Anderson’s winning calf comes from Karnview Farms in Woodstock
He drives from Guelph, where he works and attends the University of Guelph, to train Karnview Lemagic Revolve for the summer and fall show circuit and prepare for the TD Calf Classic at the Royal Winter Fair.
Anderson works as a dairy fitter, clipping heifers and dairy cows across Canada, the United States and Australia.
He met the Karn family through 4-H and helps prepare their animals for fairs.
Anderson added a third title at the Royal Winter Fair with Maple Ain Blondes Have More Fun in the 2025 Red & White Holstein Competition, a calf he owns in partnership with Mary-Inn, Maple-Ain, Josh Karn and Alex Chabot.
Since there are so few dairy farms in Chatham-Kent, members of the local Dairy Club borrow 4-H calves from outside the area and train them for the fair circuit.
Meredith Anderson’s Charbend Master Desiree comes from her cousin Jenn Charlton, while Rourke’s Elm Bend Miranda Lambert came from Janice’s brother Terry Charlton, both from Brantford.
The calves were transported to Janice and Glenn Anderson’s grain farm on Spence Line in Howard Twp. in the spring, where pens were set up for the girls to feed, care for and train them for the 4-H shows.
“You don’t have to be from a farm to show livestock, and you don’t have to go out and buy an animal,” Janice Anderson explained. “Farmers are very generous in lending their animals, whether they are beef steers, heifers or sheep.”
“If a kid wants to do 4-H and needs an animal, most farmers are very accommodating,” she continued. “You can borrow one, lead it and be successful.”
4-H members show their animals at various fairs throughout the late summer and fall to prepare for the Royal Winter Fair.
There are two components to judging animals on the fair circuit and at the Royal Winter Fair.
The first is showmanship: the animals must walk fluidly in sync with their 4-H member and stop in the show position, initiated by a slight touch on the point of the shoulder or the halter.
“Animals teach perseverance to the members because you can’t always control what an animal does,” Janice Anderson explained. “An animal has a personality, and you can’t necessarily talk to it and say, ‘I need you to behave today’ like you do a person.”
“You develop a trust relationship with this animal, and it’s amazing how these animals respond to how they’re trained, it’s pretty amazing,” she said.
The other component the animals are judged on is conformation, or appearance.
Training calves, or any animals, is all a part of the 4-H Motto of ‘Learn To Do By Doing,’ learning through experience and teamwork.
The Chatham-Kent 4-H Dairy Club meets monthly from March to September. The first meeting is typically at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus dairy barn before visiting other 4-H clubs on farms in Essex, Lambton and Middlesex counties to learn about different dairy operations. The members learn basic tips on caring for and nurturing calves, and receive information from veterinarians on health issues.
“The joint meetings give them the chance to meet kids outside of school and outside of Chatham-Kent and help develop friendships that last beyond their 4-H days,” Janice Anderson said.
The Dairy Club is one of over 20 offered by Chatham-Kent 4-H Association. The club offers programs for two age groups: Cloverbuds (ages 6-8) and the 4-H Program (ages 9-21).
The Chatham-Kent 4-H Association also offers cash bursary awards annually in several categories for 4-H members.
You can find out more about the Chatham-Kent club by attending 4-H Rally Night on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at the Blenheim Memorial Arena from 7:30-9 p.m., where members are encouraged to bring friends for a skate.
The various clubs of the Chatham-Kent 4-H Association will have displays set up in the Blue Line Room on the second floor to promote their groups.
More information about Chatham-Kent 4-H is available on its website (Google ‘Chatham-Kent 4-H’) and on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
