2010 Jack Cross Livestock and Dairy Show

by
Maryann Miller

This annual event closes out Autumn Trails every year, and it is always great to go out and see what local kids have done with various animals to bring them to this competition. Young people from 4-H and FFA bring the animals they have been nurturing and grooming and training and compete in a number of events from "showmanship" to "market." This year the show was held on Saturday, October 30 at the Pavilion at City Park in Winnsboro on an absolutely glorious fall day.

Winnsboro High School Ag teacher, Richard Lovorn, pictured here talking to Jeffery Boone, said that kids were here "by the dozen" from Winnsboro, and he was pulling for them all.

Jeffery, is a senior at WHS and President of the FFA club. He was showing shorthorn and longhorn steers, and won Reserve Champion Longhorn Bull.

Other Winnsboro winners were: Grand Champion Longhorn Heifer – Tud Krier – Winnsboro FFA. - Reserve Champion Longhorn Heifer – Josh Boone – Winnsboro FFA – Grand Champion Longhorn Bull – Tud Krier – Winnsboro FFA – Reserve Champion Jersey – Zack Asbill – Winnsboro FFA - Beef Showmanship: Reserve Sr. – Raney Lovorn – Winnsboro FFA

Christa Wood, a sophomore at WHS and officer in FFA, was showing three animals that day, including her market steer, Ba Donka Donk, and before the competition was hopeful she would win. "This is what I love," she said. "I quit basketball so I could devote more time to caring for my animals and preparing them for show."

Christa explained all that she does to prepare an animal for the ring, from washing, to clipping, to brushing. But even before the day of a competition, there is a lot of daily work involved in feeding, walking, and grooming the animals. She also shared a little trick all kids who show market steers use. "We bring them to be weighed in without feeding them," she said. "That way they won't be put in a higher weight class. Then we feed them just before judging and it is amazing how they will fill out. That is one of the things a judge is looking for."

All of her preparations paid off and her steer was the Prospect Class 3 winner. Reserve Champion Prospect Steer was won by Reigann Barnhart, also from the Winnsboro FFA.

For her future plans, Christa intends to stay with ag and FFA, and eventually would like to be an ag teacher and coach basketball. She's got her sights set on Texas A&M for college.

Gage Baughman from the Winnsboro 4-H club showed Susie, a baby just 25 days old. He explained that all the kids who show in the various Dairy classes all wear white. "It's so we look like a milkman," he said.

This is his second year to show and he comes from a long line of dairy men. His grandfather was in the business, and Gage says he got his love of dairy cows from him. "Dairy cows are beautiful," he said. "They have such wonderful coloring. And just think of all the things we wouldn't have if we didn't have dairy cows and milk."

The annual show always starts with the Suck Bucket Competition, and that is such fun for the little kids as well as parents and spectators. Who couldn't love these little girls in pink. Emmarose (L) and Elliekate Laake, came from Fort Worth with their mother, Haley (King) Laake. Haley, daughter of Donna and Bill King grew up in Winnsboro and she participated in the Jr. Livestock show when she was little. "I just thought it would be great fun for my girls to come and do it," she said.

Elliekate really got into the spirit of things and continued to feed her calf even after the trophies were given out. She was so sure he was still hungry.

At two years of age, Ayden Koon may have been one of the youngest participating in Suck Bucket, and he is pictured here with his dad, Kody, and mom, Breanna. The family lives in Brashear, west of Sulphur Springs, and Ayden makes the fourth generation of the family to be in the dairy business. "Well, he's not really in the business," Kody acknowledged. "But he really likes to help with the cows as much as he can, and I'm sure he will carry on the business."

There were plenty of goats at the show, too, and the cutest ones of course were matched with the cutest little girls. Gabby Poe was walking her brother's goat, Ludicrous, but she wasn't in the competition. "She just likes to walk the goat," said brother, Chandler, pictured with her. (The goat was being shown by another brother, River.)

Emma Claire Noll from Winnsboro brought her pygmy goat, and they both sported matching pink ribbons. Mom, Anita, said Emma had great fun showing the goat in the Suck Bucket competition.

No Autumn Trails event is complete without the Queen and her court, but they weren't just there to pretty up the place. They assisted the judges and contestants in a number of ways, including helping to move reluctant animals in and out of the ring. (L-R: CJ Satterwhite, Jalen Safford, and Holly Stone.)

Click HERE for the full results of the competition. There were over 200 kids from a wide area of East Texas participating in the show, and each county was well-represented with winners.