Leslie and Chloe Creager, daughters of Brian and Jill Creager, have 13 years of animal showing experience between them and they, along with 18 other Lyon County youths, will participate in the annual Kansas Junior Livestock Show in Wichita this weekend.
About 1,616 animals will be at the 75th annual show, according to a press release from the Kansas Junior Livestock Show. It’s the largest number of livestock entered in the show in 20 years.
A total of 767 exhibitors plan to bring 146 steers, 310 heifers, 468 hogs, 304 lambs, 39 ewes, 198 weather dams and 151 meat goats to the show. The event runs until Monday at the Kansas Coliseum near Wichita.
“The responsibility of preparing for and showing at this event provides a great learning experience for Kansas youth...” said KJLS President Todd Johnson, a past exhibitor who now lives in Topeka.
Leslie Creager, 15, has been showing animals in 4-H for eight years. Her younger sister, Chloe, 11, has been in 4-H for five years. They will show pigs and goats at this weekend’s show. They both also have shown cattle in the past.
To get the animals ready, Chloe and Leslie have been busy washing and clipping their animals. They left for the show Thursday night but started preparation for the event in March, they said.
The sisters were eager to talk about their animals and why they enjoy participating in 4-H. As they walked to their meat goat pen, the goats, Elmo and Fabio, called out to them, eager to be taken out of their pens.
Leslie Creager said the judges are looking for the overall best quality animal. In the showmanship division, the judges look at how the animal shows and how the handler shows the animal. Leslie Creager said she placed fifth in showmanship last year and her goat won its class. Chloe placed seventh in her class.
Showing animals is a family affair for the Creagers. Waiting in the wings is 6-year-old Jack Creager, who turns 7 in May. Jack is looking forward to his turn.
“Next year I will be able to show,” Jack said, as he trotted over to see the goats.
The top five steers, hogs and lambs and the top two goats at this weekend’s competition will be sold during the KJLS Auction of Champions at 7 p.m. Monday.
Before the premium sale, show organizers will present a minimum of $12,000 in scholarships to exhibitors who have excelled academically, in community service and in 4-H and Future Farmers of America. The scholarship program is funded primarily through private contributions and income generated by the Beefeaters Barbecue before the auction.
Tickets to the barbecue, which will be held in the Sam Fulco Pavilion at the Kansas Coliseum, can be purchased at the door Monday night.
In conjunction with the livestock shows, a showmanship contest will be held. Belt buckles will be awarded to champions in the showmanship contest. Prizes will be awarded for second through fifth place in each division.
Persons interested in contributing directly to the KLJS scholarship fund can call (316) 683-2611.
“We invite individuals and businesses to help reward these young people for their hard work by attending the Beefeaters Barbecue, participating in the sale or contributing to the scholarship fund,” the press release stated.
Who’s going
F Olpe: Chloe Creager and Leslie Creager.
F Emporia: Lane Fuller, Logan Fuller, Chandry Kraft, Lukas Lahr, Taylor Lee, Tucker Lee, Arissa Moyer, Allison Smith and Elliott Smith.
F Americus: Brittney Houck and Kaitlin Houck.
F Allen: Kiley Stinson and Nathan Stinson
F Council Grove: Samantha Leeds
F Madison: Jacob Miller, Jessica Miller and Joel Miller.
F Burdick: Lacey Miser
esu_student (anonymous) says...
FYI,
The "Future Farmers of America" is no longer called that...the name changed years ago to the National FFA Organization. Please do not refer to it as the "Future Farmers of America". FFA Members are more than farmers.
September 21, 2007 at 4:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Wasp (anonymous) says...
So, What does "FFA" stand for then?
September 21, 2007 at 10:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
esu_student (anonymous) says...
that is what it stood for from 1928 when the organization was founded until the name changed during the 1988 National FFA Convention when delegates voted to change the name from "Future Farmers of America" to "National FFA Organization" to recognize the growth of agriculture and agriculture education and more than 300 careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture. Most people, if they even know what FFA is, associate the acronym with Future Farmers of America. However, for the past 20 years, we have not been known as that!!!
The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by devloping their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.
September 22, 2007 at 10:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
anyone else think it's a bit odd to have an acronym that doesn't mean anything?
September 22, 2007 at 1:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Then why don't they call it NFFAO? Just wondering.
September 22, 2007 at 4:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Turner (anonymous) says...
The acronym may seem a bit odd to you, but there's half a million current members, millions of alumni, and several thousand staff and volunteers who become very upset when it's spelled out as "Future Farmer's of America."
The acronym "FFA" reminds us our farming heritage but embraces today's agriculture...an agriculture of technology, an agriculture of business, an agriculture of leadership.
The FFA has the third largest national convention in America, dwarved only by the Republicans and the Democrats...agriculture and FFA are far from being a dying breed.
1.6% of American are involved in agriculture but 20% of American jobs are agriculturally-related. Think you're not connect with agriculture? Don't need it? I bet you like to eat, wear clothes, drive your car, and have a house to live in...none of this would be possible without agriculture.
It's also worth noting in the third paragraph that it's not a "weather" ewe, it's a wether, ...no "a."
I've attended the KJLS show and sale in previous years and it's incredible to see the work students take in caring for and learning about their animals. Many of them are very involved in every other aspect of their schools, clubs, and sports; some even carry a full load of college classes, but still find time to show.
September 26, 2007 at 7:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Turner (anonymous) says...
The acronym hasn't changed because it's meaning hasn't changed...it's just been updated to embrace modern agriculture and not just the stereotypical "sows/cows/plows" of farming.
Where does your car come into play with agriculture? Ethanol (from corn) makes up 10% or more of the regular fuel you pump into your car. Biodiesel from soybeans is right around the corner. If you have leather seats they're from a cow or a sheep, and scientists are working towards using ag products for plastics, polymers, and many other materials used to build cars, computers, lots of things we use on an everyday basis. Some types of rubber (i.e.-your car tires) also depend on some agricultural products.
I don't dispute at all that Ag depends on a number of different industries. Do we need the roads to get to our fields? No, we've been driving on dirt and mud for years, and our tractors can be used to build our own roads. Yes, we need fuel (and from that, can generate electricity) but EVERYBODY uses those products...just like everybody needs to eat, wear clothes, and have a place to live.
CRP grounds...I don't have any, and probably won't, because they're as much a burden as they are a benefit for the landowner, yes they have some financial benefits as far as tax breaks, but they lock down that piece of land...you can't cut hay or do anything with the land while it's under CRP contract. The wildlife that lives there, undisturbed, is who gets the "sweet deal."
I have no intention of turning this into a city vs. country debate...just wanted to comment on a great article and to do my part in an attempt to shed light on agriculture since we live in a society that more often than not will tell you that their milk comes from the grocery store, and they don't have a clue beyond that. I've had third graders ask me if the can feed a cow and Hershey bar to make the cow give chocolate milk...we're in desperate need of agricultural education across the spectrum of schools and the public.
September 27, 2007 at 9:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )