AgriLife specialist: More to the show ring than meets the eye
Writer: Robert Burns, 903-834-6191, rd-burns@tamu.edu
NACOGDOCHES – Nearly 250 aspiring show ring stars and their parents attended the recent 2014 Show Star Series training in Nacogdoches.
As in previous years, the event was held at the Nacogdoches County Expo Center and teaches youth the basics as well as the finer points of livestock exhibiting, said Aaron Low, AgriLife Extension agent for Cherokee County and program planner.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTbLoBV5NpQ&feature=share&list=UUinY8T54MdMTuFXJk63JOFw[/youtube]
Learning to show livestock by trial and error can be an expensive venture, Low said.
“We want to get them started off on the right foot without it costing them an arm and a leg,” he said.
The best measure of an event’s success is the praise it has received from attendees, he said.
“My son did not know much about showing until we attended our first Show Star Series three years ago,” said Jennifer Reynolds, Angelina County 4-H parent. “In the two days that we were there, he gained a lot of knowledge about showmanship, bathing, feeding and anatomy. And so did we!
“The one-on-one interaction between the people teaching and the kids is just what the kids need. My son learned quite a lot about showmanship and has won several buckles due to the series. We look forward to attending the clinic each year. And we have met several good people who are now our friends. Thanks to all the county extension agents who take time out to do this. You are great mentors to our kids.”
“We voted as a committee to pay for any 4-H member wishing to attend this worthwhile clinic,” said Jan Windham, Shelby County Ag Livestock Coalition member.
“The East Texas Show Series is a great opportunity for Bayer Animal Health, a Global provider of Livestock Animal Health Care solutions, to assist in the agricultural education of students at a local community level,” said Jay Quade, regional sales/business manager with Bayer and one of the program sponsors. “Today’s youth are the future of our agricultural industry, and Bayer Animal Health is excited to assist the ETSSS team in further educating prospective leaders of the food animal production industry at such a great event.”
Dr. Billy Zanolini, AgriLife Extension youth livestock and agriculture specialist, traveled from College Station to participate in the training. He noted that a casual observer of the event – someone not involved in agriculture – might think it was just about young people learning to lead animals around. But there’s much more to it than that, he said.
“They aren’t necessarily aware of what goes on at home and what’s involved in taking care of the needs of the animal and everything that goes into producing this food product,” he said.
And along the way to becoming successful in the show ring, 4-H and FFA youth learn many aspects of the industry, a process that is vitally important to the future of the nation’s and the world’s food supply, Zanolini said.
“Eventually, these animals are going to go into the food chain. In agriculture, this generation of young people is going to be presented with a pretty daunting challenge,” he said. “By 2050, we’re going to have roughly nine billion people on the face of the planet. We’re going to have to find a way to feed those people. These folks here are learning animal science and animal production principles; they are the ones who are going to help meet future global food demands.”
But it’s also about having fun, said Tara Jenkins, Smith County 4-H club president, now in her fifth year with 4-H.
“I got involved in 4-H years ago after I saw some goats in a pasture,” Jenkins said. “I talked to my dad, and we got a goat and I had an awesome time. I didn’t win that first year; I lost a lot, but I gained a lot of experience. In 4-H I’m learning leadership; I’m learning public speaking, how to bake and draw — I’m learning how to do all sorts of things, and I’m having a great time.”
The 2014 Show Star Series is scheduled for Oct. 18-19.
For more information about this year’s program or for contacts for next year’s program go to http://etsss.blogspot.com/ .
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