Toby Lunsford showcasing his champion wether in 2022.
Photo courtesy of Catherine Shelley
ROCKINGHAM — 4-H youth in our region are busy preparing for the 2023 4-H Farm Credit Showmanship Circuit season.
They have been caring for and training their animals for the past few months. Some youth raise their own show animals and some acquire or purchase animals in late winter or spring and begin working with the animals for the show. Both the showman and the animal need to be conditioned to walk around in the ring and stand in position for several minutes at a time. This takes a lot of practice and dedication.
Before showmen can participate in the Showmanship Circuit, their goats must be tagged and verified by the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. To help with the verification process, the Richmond County Extension office holds an annual tagging day and goat clinic for showmen.
This year, all 4-H youth were invited to the goat clinic held on Saturday, April 1. While 4-H livestock showmen had their goats evaluated and verified, several attendees were able to watch the whole process and learn more about raising goats, especially all the hard work that’s involved. Youth learned about goat nutrition, how to trim their goats’ hooves, check for parasites, and administer medications like de-wormers and vaccines. Youth washed several goats and practiced grooming them, a skill they will need in order to prepare for a show.
We are always looking for more youth to participate in the 4-H livestock club and even the Showmanship Circuit so this enabled interested 4-H youth to get some hands-on experience without actually purchasing a goat. If you missed this clinic, it’s still not too late to learn.
The entire Showmanship Circuit is proudly sponsored by Carolina Farm Credit and Cape Fear Farm Credit. This funding is used to operate the Circuit on a regional scale. Youth ages 5-19 have the opportunity to compete against other youth from across the region at each of the 12 county shows between August and the State Fair in October. Youth can show goats, heifers or lambs as part of the Show Circuit. The showmen will finish the season at the Farm Credit Showmanship Circuit Banquet held in November.
Youth compete in showmanship and confirmation classes at each show. The showmanship classes are designed to gauge the 4-Hers’ knowledge and skill with the animal while confirmation classes are all about the animal itself. Females will be bred and will continue production on the farm. They are judged on their frame and structure based on how they would carry the extra weight of being pregnant and the stress of milking. Castrated market animals are judged on the total meat marketability of the animal.
For the circuit, there are three age divisions for all species. First place in each division will win a belt buckle and a banner ribbon. Each youth participant receives a Circuit tee shirt. 4-H Showmen will also win ribbons, trophies, and premium money at each individual show. Some youth put their winnings into the bank to save for college while others may use it to invest in next year’s show animal(s).
Registration for this showmanship circuit will begin next week and end on July 14. If you have questions about how to get started with show animals or how to register for the circuit, please call Catherine Shelley or Anthony Growe at the NC Cooperative Extension, Richmond County Center, 910-997-8255.
Registration will be through Eventbrite and can be found on the Randolph County website at randolph.ces.ncsu.edu. When the link becomes active next week, the information will also be shared on the NC Cooperative Extension, Richmond County Center webpage at richmond.ces.ncsu.edu.
Our 4-Hers are currently gathering sponsorship money to pay for our Richmond County 4-H Livestock Show which is part of the Farm Credit Showmanship Circuit. The show will be held on September 9 and will be the first year that our county youth will be showing heifers!
Youth participants learn leadership skills, animal husbandry, record keeping, build self-esteem, and responsibility, to name a few of the valuable life skills gained through participating. This is why we want to send a huge thank you to our sponsors and to all the parents, friends and family of the showmen who support them throughout the show season!
If you have questions about the Circuit, and 4-H Livestock Club or would like to donate to the Richmond County 4-H Goat and Heifer Show, please call the NC Cooperative Extension, Richmond County Center office at 910-997-8255.