By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

LEBANON, Ohio — Ricky Dixon, Luke Miller and Michael Gustin could have played baseball, basketball or run track this past school year in Springboro. But when you work with farm animals in 4-H there just isn’t enough time in a day.

Dixon and Gustin are members of the Warren County Bandits 4-H Club. Miller participates with the Ridgeville Sunny Shamrocks 4-H Club.

Dixon, 14, will be a freshman at Springboro High this fall. He has been raising hogs and cattle the past four years. At this year’s Warren County Fair he tended to two hogs and six head of cattle.
“I’m too involved with 4-H to play sports in school,” Dixon said.
In addition to the fair, Dixon shows at open shows year-round.
Dixon’s grades in school are superb, despite all the time required to tend to the animals.

“I just make the time for it and stay up late a lot,” Dixon said.
Dixon plans on raising sheep for next year’s fair.

Miller has his hands full dealing with pigs. Most 4-H participants shy away from pigs. Not Miller. “I plan on sticking with them next season,” he said. “There were times I thought about putting this project aside, especially when I have to get up so early to take care of them.”

Gustin raises feeder calves.

“That’s the animal my friends were showing so I decided to show these,” he said. “I used to show rabbits, but these animals are a lot more fun.”