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| Champion market lamb showed by my son, Daniel, and judge Corey Childs. |
Now
that spring is finally here, several livestock shows are taking place across
the state, and county Farm Bureaus are very supportive of the youth livestock
exhibitors.
How,
you may ask? County Farm Bureaus support
the livestock shows and county fairs mostly in a financial manner, but many
individual Farm Bureau members volunteer with the logistics. County Farm Bureaus buy animals at the sale
after the show, sponsor a buyers’ dinner, or make a contribution to the 4-H
livestock club. The contributions are
often significant reaching several thousand dollars per year.
On
May 3rd, the Central Virginia Livestock Show and Sale was held at the Lynchburg
Livestock Market. It was a regional show
with the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, and Nelson
represented.
The
buyers’ dinner was sponsored by Campbell County Farm Bureau. Campbell County Farm Bureau was also a
significant buyer in the sale by purchasing several animals. Bedford County Farm Bureau and Bedford Young
Farmers were buyers as well. Both of
these county Farm Bureaus helped support the sale and offered a better price
for the kids. These two county Farm
Bureau names were called by the auctioneer several times throughout the
sale. Their financial support was spread
over many kids.
At
most sales like these, the county Farm Bureau purchases are as “support,” which
means that they pay the difference between the final purchase price and the
established floor price. The animals
purchased as “support” are then resold to a buyer or packer at market price. There are other buyers at the sale too which
include businesses and families. A large
portion of these purchases at the Central Virginia Livestock Show and Sale went
for processing for people that wanted to fill their freezers with some high
quality meat.
Animals
that are shown in breeding classes such as heifers, ewe lambs, gilts, and does
are not sold and usually return back to the herd or flock back home at the
family farm. The Amherst and Nelson
County Farm Bureaus make donations to the 4-H livestock club, and Appomattox
donates to the FFA chapter which has its own small farm and a large number of
exhibitors. This kind of support is not
isolated to central Virginia. In fact,
many county Farm Bureaus all over the state are supportive in similar fashion.
The
county Farm Bureaus recognize the importance of supporting the next generation
of agriculturalists and realize how vital they are to the future of the agriculture
industry. These livestock exhibitors are
members of 4-H, FFA, or both. They put
in a lot of time and effort into preparing their animals for the shows which
begins months prior. Their livestock
project teaches them about animal husbandry, nutrition, and business
management.
All
of the exhibitors have to complete a record book, which is very detailed
listing such things as cost of feed/head/day, feed labels, calculated average
daily gain, and management activities.
The cost of inputs and price of the animal all add up, and getting a
good price at the sale is essential in having a profitable project. The kids are strongly encouraged to get buyer
interest for their animals prior to the sale, and this helps with communication
skills and builds confidence.
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| Champion market goat shown by Phillip Saunders of Nelson County with buyer W.P. Johnson of Bedford County Farm Bureau |
The
Amherst/Nelson 4-H livestock club swept up by having grand champion steer,
market lamb, market goat and market hog all from Nelson and Amherst counties. These
lessons of animal care, business management, and leadership and communication
skills learned by the youth livestock exhibitors are strong reasons that county
Farm Bureaus are more than willing to support the livestock shows and sales. Some shows taking place this month that I
know about are in Blackstone and Fredericksburg. Check with your county extension office to
find out when the closest show is to you.
It is an enjoyable time to watch the next generation of agriculturalists
and a good opportunity to support the youth.
Until
next time,
Mark
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