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County fair

Livestock contest a big responsibility for students

From raising the animals to earning high marks at competition to ensure a good sale, FFA members are not kidding around.

By LOGAN NEILL
Published April 15, 2005

The week leading up to the Hernando County Fair and Youth Livestock Show are an unbelievably busy time for Rick Ahrens' agriculture science students.

With time running short, members of the Hernando High School chapter of FFA are rushing to make final preparations for the biggest local event of the year.

Outside, students don heavy rubber boots and aprons for the daily ritual of feeding and grooming the pigs they will enter in the fair's livestock competition.

Inside the school workshop, a group of teens is putting the finishing touches on the chapter exhibit booth, while others are finishing up last-minute art projects they hope to sell at the fair.

Other than offering an occasional tip or two, Ahrens leaves his students to themselves.

"A big part of FFA is learning how to handle responsibility," Ahrens says. "I don't have to get too involved because these are smart, dedicated kids who work hard. That's why our chapter has always done well at the fair."

The chapter's 16-year-old president, Rachel Batten, knows the fair ritual well.

Last year, she earned grand champion marks for showmanship in the swine competition.

"Your life ends up revolving around the fair from the moment it opens," said the Hernando High junior.

"You're there early in the morning and late into the night cleaning pens and grooming your animal. It's a lot of work, but in the end it's worth it, especially if you do well."

Rachel bought her pig back in December.

Since that time, the sow has grown to full size, tipping the scale at 240 pounds.

In addition to daily feeding, exercising and grooming, Rachel must see to the animal's every need, all of which must be thoroughly documented. She gives deworming shots, clips and shapes its hooves, and tends to any cuts and abrasions that could potentially become infected.

However, having an animal in tiptop physical condition is only half the battle in livestock competition. According to Ahrens, farm animals, no matter how pampered, can be unpredictable when it comes to showing them before the judges.

"They might get spooked by something or just be inattentive when you want them to be," Ahrens said. "It can be a real challenge for these kids."

Hernando High freshman Danielle Timm knows this well. While showing a steer she raised for her 4-H chapter last year, the animal suddenly became aloof to one of the judges.

"He just kind of froze up as if he was afraid of something," Danielle recalled. "I ended up losing some points because of it."

This year, Danielle will show a pig as well as a steer at the fair. With about $600 invested in the animals, it's her hope that both will rank high enough to earn top dollar at the open livestock sale on April 23.

Ahrens says it's too bad that visitors walking through the livestock barn will not see everything that goes into raising the animals.

Said Ahrens: "If hard work, dedication and self-confidence is what it takes to make a winner, then trust me, this is where you'll find a lot of winners."

[Last modified April 15, 2005, 00:49:17]