If you remember, a couple weekends ago our family attended a livestock show in Grand Island, Nebraska. I thought I would take some time to expand on that for those of you that are not familiar with showing livestock.
Our family breeds meat goats specifically for youth to show at county fairs, state fairs and national shows across the country. We sell goats from coast to coast and attend as many state fairs as is physically possible to assist the families that buy animals from us.
On the flip side our kids show some of the goats that we raise and this year they are also showing cattle, sheep and pigs. The cattle are purchased in the fall, while the other species are purchased in the early spring for the summer show season. 
Practicing before show day
There are what we call jackpot shows that are generally a one day show that anyone can attend. You pay an entry fee to participate and the show pays out premiums within a class with a large ‘jackpot’ purse if your animal is selected as the best animal at the show, know as the Grand Champion. The person deciding that is the judge, a person known to be an expert in evaluating that particular species.
The protocol varies quite a bit from one county fair to another. In some areas once you show at the county fair you cannot show that animal anywhere else. In other places, like here in Illinois, you can place a ‘reserve’ on the animal for an allotted period of time, allowing you to continue to show that animal for several more months. The county fair scenario general requires the animals to be in place for the duration of the fair so that they are on display for fair goers.
Junior American Boer Goat Association National Wether Show
Showing at a state fair carries more clout than showing at a county fair. Generally the more competitive families will place more emphasis on showing at their state fair so the quality of animals is higher. Winning at a state fair usually entails selling in the Governor’s Sale of Champions and possibly receiving scholarship money. In Illinois CME gives a $5,000 scholarship to each species champion and AT&T gives a $1,000 scholarship.
Washing legs in preparation for the show
Beyond the state fairs are the national shows. To show at a county fair you have to be from that county or possibly a neighboring county and to show at a state fair you have to be from that state. But the national shows are open to youth exhibitors from across the country. In October is the American Royal livestock show in Kansas City, MO and in November is the North American International Livestock Show in Louisville, KY. There is also the Arizona National in Phoenix, AZ that takes place in early January and the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO in mid-January. There are also a few smaller national shows, such as Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA and Aksarben in Grand Island, NE. Our family attends the American Royal, NAILE and the National Western yearly. This year we are also planning to attend the Arizona National and Aksarben as well.
JABGA Commercial Doe Show, Class Winner
We put in countless hours in the barn working with our livestock, a great deal of capital buying the animals and feeding them and many hours on the road traveling to shows. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The quality family time that is spent working together in the barn and at the shows is not something that can be replicated. Kids participating in sports (ours do that as well) are spending time with their teammates and coaches. I am all for kids learning to work together with their peers and taking orders from their coaches. There is a great deal of character building that comes from participating in sports. But there is also a great deal of character building in raising and showing livestock and as a parent I am able to play a more active role in shaping their experience.
JABGA Commerical Doe Show, 3rd Overall
My three kids at home still are 16, 13 and 11. The oldest has two steers that have to be moved into a cooler room by 6:30 am every day to promote hair growth. This has to happen every single day or it is all for not. She does not get a day off. She does not get to sleep in. The younger two are out the door by 7:30 and spend at least two hours and usually more like four hours in the barn working with their animals every day. Midday they dump, wash and refill twenty water buckets to ensure the animals have fresh, clean, cool water at all times. Evening chores usually take another hour or so.
We put in these long hours in the barn in our pursuit for excellence, chasing the banners and being selected the Grand Champion animal at the shows. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to capture the banner and sometimes we are not. I say ‘we’ because it is a family affair. We win together and we lose together. We put in the hours in the barn together, travel to the shows together and work as a cohesive team to help each other get into the showring. Our kids have been taught that a win for one is a win for all. They are not in competition with each other.
Our kids are quite fortunate and have won in the showring more than most kids could ever dream of winning. I showed livestock when I was a kid and never ‘won.’ I never hung a banner, earned a belt buckle or was crowned Grand Champion. But the reality is that I won so much more than one of those symbols. The skills, knowledge and work ethic that I gained from raising and showing livestock shaped the person that I am today. I undoubtedly owe all of my successes to being involved in raising and showing livestock.
One of the most importing lesson that we strive to teach our kids is to be gracious losers, but also gracious winners. Livestock judging is not black and white, right or wrong. There are personal preferences that play into a judge’s decisions when sorting livestock and choosing the grand champion animal. Our kids have been taught that even if we do not agree with the judge’s opinion we are to be respectful of his opinion and remember that it was our choice to attend that show and show under that judge. When we do win we do it with humility and appreciation and when we lose we always congratulate the victor.
I’m afraid that if you are not familiar with showing livestock you still may be bit in the dark on all that it entails. If you have any questions or think you or your child may be interested in showing livestock I would be more than happy to answer any questions or visit with you about it further. I’m sure you were able to glean that I am a strong proponent of the activity!
