Local youth ready to show, sell livestock

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  • The Burnet County youth livestock show will start on Thursday, Jan. 7 and finalize with sale on Saturday, Jan. 9. File photo
    The Burnet County youth livestock show will start on Thursday, Jan. 7 and finalize with sale on Saturday, Jan. 9. File photo
  • The Burnet County livestock show will have shows on Thursday and Friday, including Ag Mechanics, rabbits, poultry, swine and cattle. On Saturday, winners will receive their awards, and the annual sale begins at 1 p.m. File photo
    The Burnet County livestock show will have shows on Thursday and Friday, including Ag Mechanics, rabbits, poultry, swine and cattle. On Saturday, winners will receive their awards, and the annual sale begins at 1 p.m. File photo
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Burnet and Llano County youth will compete this week in their annual county youth livestock shows as they hope to see a return to normalcy for 2021.

The 54th annual Burnet County Livestock Show will be held from Jan. 7-9 at the Burnet County Fairgrounds, 1301 Houston Clinton Drive, Burnet. Last year, the show set new records by raising more than $410,000 in scholarships while 201 exhibitors took part in the three-day event.

Shows on Thursday, Jan. 7, include the Ag Mechanics Show at 2 p.m.; the Rabbit Show at 3 p.m. in Ring B; and the Dairy Goat, Angora, Boer and Breeding Sheep Shows starting at 3 p.m. in Ring A.

The Market Goat Show and Market Lamb Show will kick things off in Ring A on Friday, Jan. 8, at 8 a.m., followed by the Market Swine and Breeding Swine Show. The Future Feeders Show will take place at 5 p.m., followed by the Steer and Heifer Show in Ring A at 5:30 p.m.

The annual Buyers’ Lunch will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, followed by the awards presentation for Outstanding Senior, Scholarship, Top Hand and Top Breeder at 12:30 p.m. Then, the annual premium sale brings things to a close, beginning at 1 p.m.

The Llano County Jr. Livestock Show will be held at the John L. Kuykendall Event Center in Llano from Jan. 6-9. The event begins with the Art, Craft and Food Show on Jan. 6, which will include both viewing, which is open to the public, as well as items being up for sale.

The annual 4-H Barbecue Lunch will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, with plates being served for $10 per person. There will be a to-go line as well as drive-thru service.

Show times are noon for Rabbits; 9 a.m. for Turkeys, followed immediately by Cockerels and Pullets; noon for Lambs, followed immediately by Meat Goats.

On Friday, Jan. 8, there will be judging for Market Hogs at 8 a.m., followed immediately by Market Hogs. Cattle judging will be at 1 p.m.

The premium sale will be held Saturday, Jan. 9, at 6 p.m. at the event center.

Livestock shows are as Texas as they come: the first livestock show ever held was the Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show in Fort Worth, which began in 1896 as a way to attract a large meatpacking firm to town to bolster the marketplace.

These events are what students have been working for ever since they first selected their animal or began working on their Ag Mechanics project. Much like the UIL fall or spring championships which occur for academics and athletics, this is their Super Bowl, their big stage on which to compete and succeed.

It’s why they have put in countless hours washing, feeding and nuturing their animals or welded metal well into the twilight hours of the evening. The initial rewards are easy to see: purple ribbons to the winners, championship plaques and belt buckles and sale proceeds which help generate scholarship money.

These students also gain confidence, character, poise, discipline, management skills, work ethic, persistence, social relationships and responsibility. Exhibiting livestock or showing mechanical projects makes them better people overall and better prepared for life after school.