MONROE — It was a cow named May-Berrie that helped her turn her life around.
Eryn Byrd-Peterson, 17, is a senior in the FFA program at Monroe High School. She earned three blue ribbons this year for her work with cows at the Evergreen State Fair, which closed Monday.
She also received multiple honors at the state FFA competition this year.
But Eryn’s successes didn’t come easily.
She had a rocky childhood with a father who was not around and a mother who had trouble making ends meet. Eryn was placed into foster care at age 11 and was shuffled among three different homes.
At 14, she was adopted by Jessica and Russ Peterson, of Monroe.
When Eryn started at Monroe High as a freshman, she said, she was a “D” and “F”student. That’s when she met teacher and FFA leader Anne Lowe.
“She kept ranting about this program with cows,” Eryn said. So she decided to give it a shot.
Eryn started working in an FFA program at the Groeneveld Dairy near Sultan. Owners Chris and Anna Groeneveld allow students to adopt animals and work with them at the farm.
They learn animal husbandry and have opportunities to help the Groenevelds manage the dairy.
“The experience is more than just the animals,” Lowe said.
Beyond agricultural abilities, students pick up skills and qualities that can be used in any career, such as communication, responsibility, time management and integrity.
Eryn first chose to care for a black-and-white Holstein calf named May-Berrie. The girl and her cow became quite close.
“Going to the farm, I could be myself instead of thinking of all the things that were going on around me,” Eryn said. “I could just worry about me and my cow and what we were doing right there.”
May-Berrie, now 2, is milking but she still comes when Eryn calls her name. The Holstein is pregnant and Eryn is hoping to show her heifer at the fair next year.
After raising May-Berrie, Eryn turned her attention to 2per, another Holstein.
“It’s short for two percent because that’s my favorite kind of milk,” Eryn said.
She worked with 2per, now 1½ , on showing techniques and helped get the animal used to being handled so she can transition into a working dairy cow more easily.
“I’m close to my animals. They’ll let me pet and love on them,” Eryn said. “Cows are cool.”
Eryn showed 2per at the fair this year. They were awarded two blue ribbons.
She also showed a red Holstein called Lollipop, earning a third blue ribbon.
The partnership between Monroe High’s FFA program and the Groeneveld Dairy allows students like Eryn, who wouldn’t otherwise have access to farm animals, to learn about them. There are about 90 members in FFA at Monroe High.
Eryn credits her time with the cows on the farm with improving her self-esteem and her ability to approach people and talk about her work.
“Now, I can express myself,” she said. “Instead of, ‘I don’t know, I don’t care about school,’ I tell people I want to be a bovine veterinarian.”
Eryn now maintains a 3.5 grade point average. She wants to study in the veterinary program at Washington State University next year.
She also has also taken on commitments beyond FFA to help reach her goal of becoming an animal professional. She joined the Junior Holstein Association and has worked with animals from other farms.
“FFA has made me a better person,” Eryn said. “The ag program gave me direction for where I was going in life.”
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports
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