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Local Youth Make Final Preparations For Livestock Show

	By Kylea McMurray Moapa Valley Progress Submitted Apr. 9, 2008 Many youth throughout Moapa Valley and beyond have been preparing steadily for the Clark County Junior Livestock Show and Auction. This annual event is held at the Clark County Fair, and is an opportunity for youth ages nine to 18 to raise, exhibit and sell a market animal. Each youth can show one or two of four types of animals: a goat, a lamb, a hog or a steer. Each of these animals requires different kinds of care, feed and exercise, and each requires different showmanship techniques when they get to the ring at the Fair.	Volunteer and livestock guru Cindy Shakespeare helps young exhibitor Sydney Widdison prepare for the Showmanship Competition at the Fair this week.
	These youth start early in the year. Some families actually breed their own animals for the show, while others purchase the animals in the fall or winter of the previous year. They need time to train the animal for the show, and time to help the animal grow. Over the course of 4-11 months these young exhibitors spend many hours with their animal. The exhibitors prepare for two parts of the competition. The first is market, where the judge evaluates the animal itself on market quality, or the quality of the meat on the animal. All of the animals go to a slaughterhouse right after the fair, so the market part of the competition is an important indicator for those who buy the meat. The exhibitors can improve the market quality of their animal by feeding it quality feed and exercising it regularly. The second part of the Show is the Showmanship competition. The exhibitors are divided into age groups and they are judged on the way that they present their animal to the judge. Each animal requires different skills, using a collar, a cane a halter or simply hands-on. In order to be successful in the Showmanship Competition, the exhibitors have to work with their animal for months before they ever get to the ring.
	Hog exhibitor Casia LaCroix listens as volunteer Cindy Shakespeare explains what the judge will be looking for in the Showmanship Competition at the fair.	On Saturday of the Fair each animal is auctioned off at a live auction in the Animal Barn. The exhibitors get to keep the funds they earn with their animal, and many youth use their funds to save for further education. For many in Moapa Valley, the Livestock show is a college savings program. Throughout the fair the Animal Barn will be alive with loose animals and exhibitors alike. The youth will be showing their animals throughout the day, beginning at opening time each day. Those interested in the Livestock show are encouraged to visit the Barn and talk to the youth about their projects and their experiences as part of the show.