Stock show set this weekend
By Sam Waller
Approximately 150 Shackelford County youth will exhibit around 250 animals this weekend at the Shackelford Youth and Livestock Show.
This year’s show runs Thursday, Jan. 19 (today), through Saturday, Jan. 21. The show is the largest extracurricular activity for Shackelford County youth with more than 100 students from Albany FFA, another 20 from Moran FFA and more than 30 members of Shackelford County 4-H entered.
Shackelford Youth and Livestock Association president Bronco Askew said preparations for the annual show ramped up in the final day before the event.
“Rather than having a workday with both adults and students, we let the kids do all the cleanup before the show this year,” he said. “Albany FFA adviser Chris Beard and Shackelford County extension agent Kelsey Bell felt that the participants should handle more of that responsibility.”
One new feature this year is the awarding of championship belt buckles for owners of the grand champion animals in 13 categories. Askew said those buckles will be presented as the show progresses.
“A couple of directors wanted to add those awards,” Askew said. “The board voted unanimously to accept that proposal.”
The show already awards buckles to the junior and senior showmanship winners for each species after judging has concluded on Saturday.
“The Top Hand and acknowledgment of the senior showmen – our seniors who are going out this year – will be done Saturday, too,” Askew said.
Askew said all buckles have been sponsored.
“In years past, we’ve had more folks wanting to sponsor than we have buckles to give out,” he said. “This year, we’ve run the other way with all we added, but we’ve got it covered.”
Weigh-ins for goats, sheep and swine are scheduled for 4:00-6:00 p.m. Thursday. Rabbits and poultry will weigh in starting at 3:00 p.m. Friday. Cattle weigh-in, except for commercial steer pens, starts at 7:00 a.m. Saturday.
Animals will be exhibited and judged starting at 8:00 a.m. Friday, beginning with 24 classes of swine, followed by sheep, goats, and commercial steers.
The commercial steers are the lone class not to be exhibited at the county show barn. Askew said those entries will be judged at the railroad pens on Cook Field Road.
“That will be at approximately 3:00 p.m. after everything else is shown,” he said.
Other cattle, rabbits, and poultry will be judged beginning at 8:00 a.m. Saturday.
Junior and senior showmanship awards will follow each species. Pee-wee showmanship will be held Saturday. The start of the premium sale is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday.
Fundraising
Askew said the association will continue to accept contributions to help fund the show, with about $35,000 raised as of Tuesday.
Donations may be mailed to Shackelford Youth and Livestock Association, Attn: Molly Cauble, PO Box 2439, Albany TX 76430. Checks should be made payable to Shackelford Youth and Livestock Association.
Exhibitors are also helping with the fundraising effort by selling raffle tickets. Tickets for a chance to win a shotgun are $5 for one or $20 for five. Tickets for a processed hog are $1 for one or $5 for six.
Raffle drawings will be held before the start of the sale.
Auction Facts
Now that the annual show is almost underway, the main focus for stock show organizers is gathering a large number of bidders for Saturday’s auction.
The bidders pool monies are divided among the projects entered in the sale, using a formula based on weight.
After the floor price, or market price per pound, is established, various packers arrange for actual purchase of the animals. Any bids received at the sale are added on top of the floor price.
Association rules state that flat $3, $5 and $10 increments will be used in the “add-on” bidding, rather than amounts per pound.
Rabbits and poultry projects will be raised at $3 for each bid, while sheep, swine and goats will be bid at $5 increments. Steers and heifers are raised $10 with each bid.
Anyone planning to bid during the sale should register for a bidder’s card prior to the auction.
Packers purchase many of the projects, but a few pigs are usually available for purchase by individuals.
Those interested in buying a hog should contact Chris Beard, or stop by the office at the show barn before 9:00 a.m. on Friday.
Photo Schedule
Professional color photographs will once again be taken of exhibitors with their animals.
The photographs will be taken by Donnie Lucas, with the stock show association benefitting from the proceeds.
Lucas, with help from association volunteer Dena Denton, will set up on Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for pigs, lambs, and goats, and on Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. for cattle, rabbits, poultry, and all other photos.
The newspaper will need pictures of all overall champions, reserve champions, and showmanship winners for next week’s special section.
An association volunteer will man a table next to the photography area, and exhibitors or their parents should sign up if they want a photo taken.
The pictures must be paid in advance.
Photos should be available for pickup in the county agent’s office in the Courthouse or from ag advisers by the end of February.
