Extension Matters

Volume 11 Number 2

Leveling Up

Show ring brings life successes to Emmy

Story by Bonnie Coblentz  |  Photos by Kevin Hudson and Premier Livestock Imaging

Emmy Tolar, 18, is a 4-H’er and recent high school graduate who shows dairy goats, raises chickens for fun and competition at the Mississippi State Fair, competes at 4-H Club Congress, and works part-time at the local grocery store in Columbia, Mississippi.

Emmy also has autism, a diagnosis she and those around her refuse to let define her.

“I credit 4-H with her being willing to try the next thing,” says her mom, Melissa Tolar. “I believe in the program. I feel like 4-H is one of the most inclusive programs I’ve ever been around. I don’t feel like the kids are there to tear each other down.

“Everything else we tried, I felt like Emmy stood out like a sore thumb. In 4-H, she was just another kid,” she emphasizes.

Amanda Woods, formerly a Marion County agent who now works in Covington County with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, says Emmy’s family is responsible for much of her success.

“Her family saw no restrictions on what they wanted her to do,” Woods explains. “We tried everything, and some things were successful, and some things were not as successful. Her mother and father never saw limitations. They would ask, ‘Can she do it? Help us find a way to do this and be successful.’”

Emmy started showing beef cows when she was 8, a logical choice since her family has a cattle farm. While she was able to do this, it wasn’t the best fit.

“The people were great, but I was always nervous with cows because they are so large,” Melissa says.

Then the family discovered goats, and Emmy began showing meat and then dairy goats.

Cattle shows are noisy affairs, and a lot of noise is too much for Emmy. But showing goats is quieter, and Emmy quickly became successful there, making it to the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions with a meat goat.

“She went from being a kid who it was very obvious as a spectator to tell that there was a problem to, by the end of her show career, if you didn’t know Emmy had a problem, you wouldn’t know,” Melissa shares. “It gave her the skills to blend in. It gave her confidence.”

Along the way, Emmy discovered her love for chickens. She participated in the 4-H Poultry Chain Project, which Alex Shook, her current Extension agent in Marion County, described as a process of raising chickens from a few days old until the State Fair and keeping detailed records of all the steps along the way.

“There are two categories, and Emmy competed in both,” Shook says. “In showmanship, 4-H’ers pick their favorite bird and present it to a judge. The young person’s ability to show the bird and their knowledge of it are being judged. The other category evaluates the birds they raise against every other bird in the show.”

Emmy has two younger sisters, Abby and Maddy Rose, and lives in Marion County with Melissa and her dad, Trent. Emmy’s language ability is delayed, but she expressed herself in an essay she wrote for a Dixie National Booster Club academic scholarship she won.

“How do you measure the impact that animal projects have had on one’s life?” Emmy wrote, asking if it could be measured by trophies, photos, or show ring wins. “My show career has been as successful as any other kid in that barn. However, the impact that 4-H and this project have had on my life is deeper and more meaningful than anything I have listed. My animal projects have literally changed my life.”

Emmy’s essay reflected on her progress in gaining skills and confidence as she showed animals through the years. She said she has big future opportunities based on the growth she has already experienced.

“I can do the things I dream of. Showing animals has shown me that I am not limited or defined by autism. Is there any greater impact that this program could hope to achieve?” she wrote. “I hope that other families with children that have weaknesses or disabilities can look at me and see that they too can be successful. My life is a testament to the impact of this program and its benefits when done right.”