EDITORIAL: Hats off to local businesses for sponsoring youth at livestock fair
The mooing of calves and the organic smell that permeated the air at the Heart O’ Texas Fairgrounds at this week’s McLennan County Junior Livestock Show was topped only by smiles of pride on the faces of many youths happy to have the opportunity to parade their walking projects before a grateful and attentive audience.
What’s more, the community expressed its approval of these hard-working youths by supporting and putting bids on the 1,000 head of cattle, goats, lamb, sheep, rabbits, hogs, chickens and turkeys on show.
“It’s a big rally for these kids,” livestock board vice president Clayton Hall told us. “We like to brag on these kids, saying they may go out on Saturday night to a movie but they’re not out roaming the streets because they’ve got to be up early to feed their projects and they have an investment and it teaches them a lot of responsibility.”
Indeed, lamb owner Brady Dokupil, 15, a sophomore at West High School, has had to get up early to feed and groom his lamb, Crush, for the past year. He has spent afternoons running and exercising Crush. But it all seemed to pay off. His lamb placed second in his class division and was in the running to sell for upwards of $2,000.
That’s a lot of mutton. And with “add-on” donations from business and local sponsors, Crush was expected to draw much more.
Some businesses, like Allen Samuels Chevrolet and Dodge, Mattson Brothers Financial and RedMan Bingo, were giving $50 to participants for projects, so the 205 livestock that qualified for the audible auction all started off with at least $200.
Last year’s grand champion steer sold for $25,000, Hall said. That’s a big haul for a teen and a hefty start for a college fund.
We wish them all well; they’re deserving of both earnings and honors. A teen manipulating a 1,000-pound steer with just a cattle prod and sheer will can be quite a sight, believe us. Not to mention the delicate art of having to sidestep matters when cattle produce more organic matter, so to speak.
Hats off to Central Texas for supporting our youths this year and for many to come.
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