July 17, 2008 05:17 pm
—
By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer
More than 250 young people
gathered at Iroquois
Farm on River Road in Cooperstown
this week to show
their goats, sheep, pigs and
cattle at The Farmers’ Museum
Junior Livestock Show.
The show has been bringing
exhibitors together from all
over the area for 61 years.
Organizers said the Junior
Livestock Show, which
celebrates youth and agriculture
from a nine-county region,
has become a rural tradition
in central New York,
and is the second-largest
youth competition in the
state, with the largest being
the New York State Fair.
The livestock show was
established by Stephen C.
Clark Jr. in 1946, to encourage
farm youths and to foster agricultural
education and excellence.
The event tests the skills of participants
ages 8 to 18 who present
animals that they own, care
for and have prepared for competition.
This was 10-year-old Molly
Watson’s second year showing at
the Junior Livestock Show. As
the Cooperstown youngster sat
on a hay bale under a striped tent
Monday afternoon, she said she
had a couple of cows and a pig at
the show. She was sitting next to
her Jersey and a milking shorthorn.
Her pig, Twinkletoes, was
in a pen in a barn nearby. She
said she had shown cows before,
but it was her first attempt at exhibiting
a pig. Watson said she is
going to try another first at the
Otsego County Fair — showing
goats.
By Monday afternoon, Watson
had already placed third in a
showmanship class with her Jersey
Loveydove, which was born
Dec. 23. Watson said she could
not wait to get back into the ring
to show her other animals.
``I like to earn money so I can
spend it at the Morris Fair (Otsego
County Fair held in Morris)
on things like rides,’’ Watson
said.
Watson said she typically
shows her animals at the Otsego
County Fair and the Junior Livestock
Show. However, last year
one of her cows received a reserve
grand champion ribbon, which
qualified it to go to the State Fair.
Watson said she believes the
State Fair is the most competitive.
Mollie Goodwin of Morris is no
stranger when it comes to competing
at the Junior Livestock
Show. The 17-year-old has been
doing it for 10 years. It has become
a tradition in the family,
said Goodwin, who has eight siblings.
Goodwin said she has always
lived on a farm, but not
always in Morris. She said
her family used to have a
farm in Canajoharie when
they lived in Cherry Valley.
``We used to go to a lot of
fairs and show,’’ said Goodwin
``We don’t go to as many
anymore.’’
Goodwin said she likes
showing at the Junior Livestock
Show because everyone
is friends with everyone else.
She said, ``It is like a social
event.’’
It is fun to display the
animals, said Goodwin, who
had four cows at the Junior
Livestock Show. She said her
family had eight cows at the
show all together.
Goodwin said she and her
siblings put in quite a bit of
work when preparing their
cows for a show. She said the
hardest task is making the
cows ``halter worthy,’’ meaning
teaching the cows to lead.
“We try to get as much done
as possible, such as the clipping,
before we actually get
to each show,” Goodwin
said.
Peter Gartung of Hartwick
has been showing at the
Junior Livestock Show for
three years. This year he
showed one Angus beef cow.
His family has been raising
beef cattle to sell as calves
and for meat for five years.
Peter’s father and mother,
Pete and Kerrie, said the
livestock show provides a
great environment for kids.
Pete said the facilities are
great and it is obvious that a
lot of work goes into putting
on the event.
The 13-year-old said
showing in Cooperstown is a
fun experience. Peter, who
also plans to take four beef
cows to the Otsego County
Fair, said showing has taught
him a lot about responsibility
and competition.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.