Gilmer County Livestock Show

EAST, ELLIJAY-  Gilmer County FFA (Future Farmers of America) hosted the 36 annual  livestock show in the new  Agricultural Complex.

On September 29 and 30, the Gilmer FFA Alumni and Young Farmers hosted a livestock show that included a pig show on Friday evening, and a dairy and beef heifer show and market goat show on Saturday.

We talked with Young Farmer teacher Mike Bushey about he felt the show went, he said “I am very pleased with how the show went. We have a lot of support from our community, the students present and past and their parents. Without them this wouldn’t be possible.” He also stated, “We are planning to have two more livestock shows in January and would like to invite everyone out to see the hard work these students put into their projects.”

With each type of animal, kids are judged in a showmanship class, which is how well the animal performs with its showman.

In goat showmanship the exhibitor leads the goat around the ring and places there front and back legs to where it looks like the goat is standing in a rectangle.

Cattle are also led around the ring with front legs shoulder width apart but the back legs are set with one farther up than the other.

In weight class beef cattle, market hogs and goats are judged on how they would look as a dressed out carcass. The judge looks for how much meat they would get from each animal and how much muscle the animal has.

Pigs used for breeding ,breeding gilts, are judged on trimness, large body capacity, and superior mammary systems. Dairy heifers are judged on how feminine they are, how their frame is put together, how well they will be able to reproduce, and produce milk.

These kids will be traveling to the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Ga over the next two weeks to compete against exhibitors from all over the state.