If you visited the Clarke-Oconee Cattlemen’s Youth Livestock Exposition at Heritage Park last Saturday, you had a chance to put all of your senses to use.

You could hear the calls of the cows, chickens, swine and sheep being judged. You could pet the freshly groomed animals, and the familiar farm smell permeated the air.

You could also sit back, enjoy some of the concessions being sold, and watch the hustle and bustle of children, parents and animals getting ready for their competitions.

What wasn’t detectable by any of the senses, however, was the hard work and preparation that the participants, who range in age from about 8 to 17, put into the competition.

The exposition was organized by the Clarke-Oconee Cattlemen’s Association and included youth from 10 surrounding counties competing against each other. 

“We have done a lot of things to educate our cattlemen, but this is an activity for our youth and can help to educate other youth who don’t have the opportunity to do this,” said Cattlemen’s Association member Russ Page. 

For Oconee County High School 17-year-old Cara Butler, who prepared to show her Holstein – which she calls by no name other than “moo-cow” – preparing for the exposition is simply a matter of continuing a daily routine.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Butler, who is a member of 4H and FFA.

Butler feeds her cows twice each day, once at night, and once requiring her to wake up early in the morning.

Preparation for Cara also involves “breaking” her cow, and getting it to walk and follow her commands. 

While it needs about 45 minutes of breaking each day, Cara says it often takes longer.

“They need at least 45 minutes a day. Sometimes that doesn’t work, and you have to spend an hour and a half each day,” she said.

Preparing her cow for judging takes additional preparation, as well.

On Saturday, Cara shaved and clipped her cow, took extra care in bathing it, and put a special black halter around its chin.

“I know a lot of the people who are here,” said Cara, who also showed hogs in the past.  “It’s a big competition and you want to do the best out of everyone.”

Cows fall into two categories – dairy or beef – and each category is judged differently. 

Beef cows are expected to be meaty and muscular, while dairy cows are expected to be lean and free of excess meat, so their feed is put into the milk they produce, according to Page. 

For 13-year-old Anna Kelley, a student at Westminster Christian Academy, preparing for the Exposition isn’t something that takes a day or two, but rather, is something she works at every day.

Anna, who showed a Barred Rock – a very uncommon type of chicken – also showed and won her first Blue Ribbon for her lamb in the Market competition, in which animals are judged for their suitability to be sold as food. 

Anna, who lives on a farm near the Oconee County Civic Center with her mother, Linda, a local veterinarian, raises her own animals to show and has learned to expect the unexpected.

After raising her own lamb for the first year, Anna’s lamb was hurt by a coyote, and she couldn’t show it. She bred a ewe with one of Oconee County Agricultural Extension agent Henry Hibb’s rams, and used it to compete.

Anna brushed and sprayed her lamb before leading it around the ring with her hand under its chin, showing off its leg muscles, and accepting her first place ribbon.

Linda, who works for the Department of Agriculture, believes the exposition speaks volumes about the county’s commitment to agriculture.

 “You want to encourage the youth of today to be in agriculture tomorrow,” she said, adding that while it is a competition, participants are always willing to help and learn from one another. 

“When it was Anna’s first year, everyone helped her,” she said. “Now, she’s helping other kids. That’s what makes it fun.”

Jared Daniel, 11, and his brother, Josh, 17, students at Oconee County Middle School and Oconee County High School, showed market hogs, which are judged on muscularity, structure, frame and leanness. 

Jared and Josh make sure their hogs are well-fed, giving them plenty of water and feeding them ground corn that contains 15-18 percent protein.

Keeping their pens clean and checking their bodies every few days for injuries or illness is also imperative, said Josh.

 “The best thing you can do is breed in good genetics and get them exercising,” said Josh.

Jared agree. “You need to get them out and walking around a bit.”

FFA students at OCMS showed chickens, which are judged on criteria such as size and healthiness. 

Kate Lee, an 11-year-old student at OCMS who won a ribbon for her rooster, put it simply: “We’re in FFA so we learn about agriculture and we raise our chickens,” she said. 

The Cattlemen’s Association has held events since 1994, but only in the last six years has the event been organized exclusively as a local youth show. 

“What we’re looking at in all of these events is a very educational thing for everybody in the county,” said Page. 

The Cattlemen, who Page says were impressed with the turnout of spectators, despite the rainy day, hope to organize a county fair in Oconee County in the future.

Anna Dolianitis is a reporter for The Oconee Leader. She can be reached at 706-310-1104 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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