Chasing the Why: Backstrom’s 4-H Past Helping Write Veterinary Future
Kaleigh Backstrom has always wanted to know the why behind everything. This curiosity made one moment as a teenager especially difficult. Waiting on the veterinarian to come treat a sick calf, Backstrom stood there, unsure about what was wrong or how to help. From the goats she loved as a child to the cattle and pigs she showed through 4-H, animals were a big part of her life. So, not having the answers in that instance did not sit right with her. That moment of frustration set the wheels in motion for Backstrom — ones that would steer her to pursuing a career in veterinary medicine.
While her love for animals has always been there, production agriculture was unfamiliar to Backstrom until 2013. That is when her family moved from Georgia and bought a commercial poultry farm in north Alabama. This was also when Backstrom first encountered 4-H through a local club for homeschooled students. It did not take long for Backstrom to dive headfirst into 4-H — attending club meetings, competing in baking and birdhouse-building contests and participating in her first animal-related project: Pig Squeal.