68th Annual Lovelady Calf Show Set for Saturday
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
LOVELADY – The 68th Annual Lovelady High School Ag Department Calf Show will be held this Saturday, Feb. 25 at the newly remodeled ag department in the back of the Lovelady High School. The show will begin at 11 a.m. with a barbecue lunch to follow. The sale itself will begin at 1 p.m.
Lovelady Ag Teacher Dustin Perry said they will have nine calves showing after one had to drop out after cutting its leg. Perry said the traditional calf show is unique in that the kids do most of the work and get to keep most of the profits.
“So the chapter itself only keeps 1% of the show and that’s just to cover show expenses.” Perry said. “We lose money with everything we do, but the kids get to keep 99% of the money which is unheard of in the show world.”
Perry told The Messenger in September the weight of the work to put on the show were already taking its toll as he knows the community expects nothing but the best.
““Every year it hits me – this show has been going on longer than the Super Bowl!” Perry exclaimed. “It’s a big deal in this community. It’s become kind of a scholarship show for these kids.”
The show is unique in that the schools source the calves over the summer, with the teachers picking the animals to make sure it’s a fair competition and no one can go on their own and pay big money for a stellar calf.
“In the summer, the ag teachers will find a producer and make an arrangement to buy the steers so all the kids start on the same level playing field – all start with pretty much the same genetics all around the same weight.”
Deer and hogs nibbled through some of the corn the high school was growing for the calves but Perry said while they work on that the animals have all been well fed.
“We’ve been buying corn and cottonseed cake and other products and making our own feed. So the cattle show participants and the kids in our program make feed. So not only are the steers coming from the same bloodline, the feed everybody’s getting is the same so it keeps things even and also keeps our costs down,” Perry said.
Perry noted it can be a big sacrifice to participate in the show.
“The kids have done a ton of work. That’s what some people may not understand about this unique show,” Perry explained. “The reason for that is these are cattle truly bred for commercial use. Their main function in life is to grow up and turn into meat for consumers and that’s one thing that sets us apart. We’re not chasing any fancy genetics or anything. We’re getting true pasture cattle.”
Perry said the only secret to raising these calves is hard work and consistency. He was proud of the kids’ work this year and looked forward to another successful sale.
“These kids that have made it to this point have had to show that hard work and consistency – waking up early in the morning, bathing, feeding – and they’ve had to sacrifice their personal life and other activities to make sure their animals are well taken care of. I think that will be evident for anybody that comes to see the animals and see the quality and the amount of hard work,” Perry concluded.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
