Livestock show champions named, church buys Grand Steer

When the Rev. Rene F. Brown attended the Southern University Ag Center Livestock and Poultry Show last year, he returned to the Mt. Zion First Baptist in Baton Rouge with a renewed connection to agriculture and a desire to help the youth during the junior auction.

“I saw our children’s animals being sold for little to no money,” Brown said "I told the congregation we have to do something to help our children.”

The peak of the livestock show is usually the live auction, where buyers pay premium price for livestock. This year, Brown and his congregation were present to bid on and ultimately purchase the 1,200-pound Grand Champion Steer. The church also proposed for, and won more than $7,000 of meat—two steers, three hogs, and one lamb—to feed the community, senior citizens, and members through the church’s various ministries.

Now in its sixty-sixth year, the Ag Center’s livestock show remains the premiere event for youth to display showmanship and quality animals. Year round, youth prepare to compete in this culminating event by attending educational activities and programs. They learn leadership, character development, and entrepreneurship skills.

Three hundred young farmers gathered at the M.A. Edmond Livestock Arena, February 26-28 for the competition and fun. More than 500 animals were exhibited, and more than 1,200 pre-schoolers attended the show and participated in the barnyard tours, said livestock show programs director Renita Marshall.

Youth traveled from all over Louisiana to participate in the 2009 competition, ultimately vying for the top title of Grand Champion, and hoping to be awarded prize ribbons in the show ring. The livestock entrants individually groom and raise their animals in preparation for the show. “This is the first time I had to talk to a cow this much!” said Ashley Jackson, 17, Tensas parish, who’s been showing ever since she can remember.

“Sometimes you get attached to them because they have different personalities. But you still have to sell them.” Jackson, whose family is constant at livestock shows, said she enjoys participating in this show even though it is a lot of work.

“We had to be here for six o’clock (in the morning) to walk them and wash them…I walked him and talked to him and he was listening!”

Two of her cattle sold during the junior auction: one for nearly $1.30 a pound and the other $2 a pound. Even if she were to travel back home with the animals, she would “still have to sell them to not lose money because at a certain age they are going to die anyway,” said Jackson who wants to attend Southern.

“A lot of kids are interested in animals but they don’t know the right thing to do.” So she said she will open a large farm to the public after earning degrees in agriculture and law.

The time-honored, family tradition of Southern’s show carries a strong legacy of providing an excellent opportunity for the youth of Louisiana to exhibit their prized livestock.

“This exhibition has also become an important means of providing youth with valuable life skills that will prepare them for whatever career path they may choose to pursue,” said livestock show programs director Renita Marshall. “It enables them to be competitive, and develop responsibility and leadership skills.” The show featured animals that have been showcased or have won in parish competitions.

During the two-day event, judges named the state champions in various breeds of beef and dairy cattle, hogs, sheep, lamb, and goats.

Thirty-three youth were named state champions. Winners received premiums, rosettes, ribbons, and silver platters. The all-time favorite mini-farm, featuring a variety of small farm animals opened on Friday.
Tour guides explained different animals, their food sources, farming and how agriculture affects everyone’s lives.

The show also brought a livestock and poultry quiz bowl, face painting, food, craft booths, and the Hall of Louisiana Agriculture for local school groups. For these youth to have their animals purchased at premium prices is a much-needed motivation for them to continue raising livestock and pursuing careers in agriculture, said Marshall.

But to see a church auction to purchase their livestock is something special. “Our hope is that (the church’s purchase) will build self-esteem and it will help them” financially, said Brown, who studied plant and soil science at Southern. “We want to encourage them to keep doing this.

The grand champion and reserve champion winners and their parishes are:

• Henri Carrol, Tensas, Grand Champion Market Steer
• Hunter Millician, EBR, Reserve Champion/
• Grand Champion LA Bred
• Ashley Jackson, Madison, Reserve Champion LA Bred
• Malkayla Conner, Calcasieu, Grand Champion Market Hog
• Hayden Moffett, Caddo, Reserve Champion Market Hog
• Morgan Dunn, Union, Grand Champion Market Lamb
• Paige Quebedeaux, Lafourche, Reserve Champion Market Lamb
• Adriana Wohletz, Nachitoches, Grand Champion Market Goat
• Mercedes Jordan, Winn, Reserve Champion Market Goat