A family tradition

MANCHESTER, Iowa — Jennifer Zumbach has a long history of 4-H involvement. Her dad was the Delaware County dairy superintendent and 4-H club leader for nearly 50 years before his passing. Jennifer took over the dairy responsibility about eight years ago. 

“Mom and Dad were volunteers for a long time,” Jennifer said. “They were co-chairs to the committee that started the 4-H food stand.”

Jennifer milks 185 cows with her family on their farm near Manchester. She and her husband, David, have four children — Karl, Will, Anna and Neal — who are carrying on the 4-H tradition with their involvement in their local club, Milo Livestock 4-H Club.

The kids are involved in the club throughout the year with various volunteer and fundraising activities. Every year the club plants pumpkin seedlings in the spring and then, in the fall, take the pumpkins to a care facility where they decorate them with the residents. They also carol in the winter and provide games during the summer festivals in local towns.

The biggest event for the club is the county fair. The Zumbach family is taking a string of animals to show themselves. The Zumbachs are also providing eight or nine kids with animals from their farm to show. This year, there will be about 40 animals from the Zumbach farm at the dairy show.

“There’s a lot of kids in our county that don’t live on a farm anymore so there’s a few places like ours that have an opportunity for kids to show animals,” Jennifer said.

Will has one cow and four heifers this year. One of his heifers is out of a cow that his grandpa had gifted him. Will said he is excited to show her.

“I have a cow who was born in 2019 and this is her first heifer,” Will said. “She’s had three bull calves, and I was like, ‘Please give me a heifer already.’ So, I finally got a heifer.”

The cow is due in July and Will is hoping for another heifer.

This is also Will’s first year showing a cow and he will be competing against his brother Karl in the same class.

Anna is competing in the dairy shows for the first time with three heifers and Neal is participating in the kiddie calf show for a sixth year.

Karl and Will are also competing in the agronomy division. The judges already came to the farm to look at the hay, rye, corn and soybeans in the fields. Both play a part in getting the hay crop raked and chopped and will also be judged on the rest of the crops at the fair.

Both Karl and Will are returning to the food and nutrition competition as well. Karl makes pies while Will is entering dill pickles, salsa and a cookie pizza. His recipes come from various sources, with the cookie pizza recipe coming from the 4-H cookbook.

Karl said his favorite thing to do at the fair is help at the 4-H food stand. Delaware County has a program where all the 4-H clubs have shifts throughout the week. The money that is raised during the week goes back to the clubs for expenses. It helps fund scholarships, cover registrations for 4-H contests, partial reimbursment for camps and even membership dues. Jennifer said it is an effective program.

“It is set up really well in that the kids are working and putting their time in and then they’re getting something in return for it,” Jennifer said. “That committee does an excellent job continuing to run that food stand and take care of that.”

Each family is asked to furnish a fruit pie — some of which are brought in after they are judged in the food and nutrition project area — then are sold by the slice in the food stand throughout the week.

Jennifer remembers her 4-H years as a kid fondly and said she is glad to be providing the experience to her kids and the other kids in the club.

“We grew up at the fair and hung out with all the other kids whose parents were also working (at the fair),” Jennifer said. “Now I like seeing people that are still friends of mine and spending the week together cheering one another on and competing.”