Fort Cherry sophomore serving as Washington County Beef Representative
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
As part of her Beef Representative responsibilities, Mackenzie Mitchell passes out ribbons at both the Washington County and West Alexander fairs, attends Washington County Cattlemen’s Association events and appears at community parades. Mitchell’s tenure began last August and concludes at the end of July 2023.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Mackenzie Mitchell is a sophomore at Fort Cherry, a lifelong member of the local 4-H, a Nigerian goat breeder and seller and, this year, the Washington County Beef Representative. Mitchell, of Burgettstown, is preparing a lecture on the industry and animal nutrition, to be delivered this spring at area senior centers and schools.
Courtesy of Sarah Mitchell
Mackenzie Mitchell and her steer Bentley enjoy the serenity and sunshine at Five M Farm in Burgettstown. The steer is now nearly 1,000 pounds and will be shown at this year’s Washington County Fair.
Raising livestock is second nature to Mackenzie Mitchell, a sophomore at Fort Cherry Junior-Senior High School who grew up raising farm animals with her parents and two older siblings on their Five M Farm in Burgettstown.
Representing the industry that makes possible hamburgers sizzlin’ on the grill at summertime cookouts is, however, new to the lifelong 4-H member.
“Every year at the fair, she would say, ‘When do I get to be a beef rep?’ The Cattlemen’s Association knew her name,” laughed Mitchell’s mother, Sarah Mitchell, during an interview with the pair at the Washington County Fairgrounds on a recent weekday. “When she was, like, 6 years old, she saw the beef rep up here showing and she told me that one day, she was going to be the rep.”
Mitchell’s day has arrived. In August she was selected Washington County Beef Representative by the Washington County Cattlemen’s Association, a position she will hold through July.
“(I) represent and teach about the beef industry to people that don’t really understand it, or see it in a negative light,” said Mitchell, a gregarious young woman with a passion for animal nutrition and care.
The representative selection process is competitive, and includes a written essay, an interview to gauge the applicant’s knowledge of both the Cattlemen’s Association and beef industry, and a commitment to the position.
As beef representative, Mitchell is responsible for handing out ribbons at both the Washington County and West Alexander fairs, making public appearances at WCCA events, including Ag Days in April, and engaging with the community during parades and festivals.
Though rigorous, there is no blueprint for how to be beef representative, no public appearance quota to meet.
“You just branch your own way. You know what you’re doing. You make your own footprints,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell is paving the way for the greater Washington community to better understand how beef cattle are raised. As someone who has grown up raising farm animals and considers them part of the family, Mitchell aims to negate the notion that farm-raised beef cattle are treated poorly.
“I was taught at a young age that I don’t eat until my animals eat. The animals have to be fed before I even think about dinner. You also learn as being a farmer … the first five minutes you go in the barn are very critical. You should check on the animals, see if there’s anything wrong, assess the situation. After everybody’s good, then you should (feed). But you have to know if everybody’s OK first,” she said.
Mitchell began showing rabbits at the Washington County Fair before she was tall enough to place the bunny on the table without a lift assist from her dad, Ian Mitchell, and has alongside her mother raised meat goats and other show animals.
Mitchell breeds and sells Nigerian dwarf goats, miniature dairy goats that make great pets, and last year purchased her first steer, which she showed at the fair.
“Steers are a lot harder to handle than other animals because they’re just, in general, bigger. You have to feed it twice a day and it’s supposed to be on a 12-hour regulation system. You have to wake up and you have to get it done and you have to make sure his pen’s clean and he has to have water. He has to be brushed,” Mitchell said.
Steers require daily walks. Because their coloring factors into showmanship, they cannot be exposed to sunlight, so Mitchell bonds with Bentley before sunrise or after nightfall.
Her dedication to her steer extends to his diet; Mitchell worked with a local farmer to curate nutrient-rich feed that will keep Bentley healthy and his coat thick.
Mitchell is currently writing a lecture on beef cattle and animal nutrition and care, to be presented this spring at area senior centers and schools as part of her Beef Representative campaign.
“It’s really hard teaching about beef, especially to younger kids. How do you tell them, like, you raise a steer until it becomes about 1,500 to 2,000 pounds and then it’s slaughtered. You eat it,” Mitchell said, noting her lecture will focus on animal nutrition – “You have to look at the label,” she said – and beef nutrition facts.
She will also include in her speech information about beef cattle’s environmental impact, and their medications’ impact on human health.
“It’s not like you’re giving antibiotics or probiotics or anything and then taking them to slaughter the next day,” said Mitchell, noting there is a waiting period between the animal’s last antibiotic and slaughter. “It’s completely out of their system.”
Mitchell, who will show a steer at this year’s county fair, plans to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine and serve as a large animal vet. She’s considering applying for a second term as Beef Representative, but right now, her focus is on sharing her knowledge of the industry and passion for animals, their nutrition and care with Washington County.
“A lot of people don’t know what’s happening on a farm, and you don’t know how much it’s impacting the community or even the world. But there’s so many things you couldn’t do without farming,” Mitchell said. “And … there’s a certain community for beef. Everybody is connected in the barn. Everybody’s really competitive, but behind all that, you have a little family.”