Many exhibitors have at least one favorite show they attend each year. For me, my favorite show isn’t even one in which my family has ever exhibited. My favorite week of the entire year is the McDonough County 4-H Fair in Macomb, Illinois. From the general projects and the 4-H staff to the livestock shows and parents, this show seems to blow my socks off every year! The general project division is huge! Almost every livestock kid has at least one general project. When I was in 4-H, I signed up for project after project after project, but it wasn’t until I was nearing the end of my career that…
Posted on September 13, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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The wash rack. It can be dirty, slippery and most of the time crowded. Have you ever thought of it as a place to learn? The things you learn in the wash rack can help you in the ring and maybe even in life. Overspray Happens – We all have made that mistake or had it made to us. Yes it can be annoying, but it’s just water so deal with it. Let the Kids do it – It is easy for me to just grab the brush and take charge of the situation. I think it is better to let the kid look for the areas that need attention…
Posted on September 06, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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Recently, I attended the sheep show at California State Fair. Being a true sheep girl at heart, I had no problem sitting in the sweltering heat from 8 AM when the show started, to 3 PM when the last animals were picked for the FFA Final Drive. Since I am no longer an exhibitor, I see everything in a much different perspective now. And one thing I couldn’t help but notice was the alarming amount of kids who weren’t focused on themselves. As soon as they would hit the ring, their eyes weren’t on the judge or on their own animals. Their eyes wandered to every other sheep, scoping out…
Posted on August 30, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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A few weeks ago, I was judging a small, local jackpot show. I had just finished sorting a pretty large class and my brain was a little on the fried side. I had finished giving my reasons and the two exhibitors that had first and second came up and shook my hand. Not really a surprise, since multiple exhibitors earlier in the day came up and shook my hand. That seemed to have started a wave of handshakes. Kids throughout the class (mainly those who were in the top end) came and shook my hand. Then I got a little surprise, the young man whose goat I placed last came…
Posted on August 23, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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Stock show kids are some of the most intelligent, hardest working kids around. This comes through in everything they do: in the show ring, sports, in the classroom. Sometimes, though, they need to miss school to go to the show. If you’ve ever struggled with explaining to teachers or principals the importance of showing livestock, if you couldn’t find the words to tell them how much the stock show kid learns from their livestock projects, here is the answer: The Stock Show Kid School Excuse Letter. Dear Teacher/Principal/School Administrator, Please excuse (insert child’s name) from school tomorrow. He/She will be participating in the (insert livestock show). We are fortunate…
Posted on August 16, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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Recently, I helped with a Master Showmanship clinic for cattle, sheep, and hogs. As I prepared for this event, I came up with 4 principles across the board to step up your game. Showmanship is more than how you brace or how you hold a halter, it’s about your ability to present an animal in the most effective way possible. These 4 principles, once mastered, will help you step up your showmanship to the next level. Intensity. This is one of the more difficult principles to master. Intensity is about being focused on the actions you’re taking and making sure there is purpose in each of them. Being in the…
Posted on August 09, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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Growing up, my 4-H livestock were a once a year deal. I would have the animals for three to four months, take them to my tiny fair and repeat the process the next year. The older I got, the more competitive my sister and I became. This lead to having anywhere between six to ten animals in the barn from January to October. Though this may not seem like much, for us this was an extreme shift from what we were used to. It took a toll not only on our wallets (sorry mom and dad), but also on our desire to keep going. We would start off the year…
Posted on August 02, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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Showing livestock is not for the faint of heart. It takes hard work, a sliver of talent, and a whole lot of dedication. Those fortunate enough to win banners know just how much time, energy, and heart go in to getting that animal to the backdrop. They know that what usually determines the outcome are the little things behind the scenes at home. Little things like keeping everything clean and fresh, maintaining a schedule, and simply believing in yourself will give you a solid foundation to help you reach the next level. Keep everything clean: Some might say this is a no-brainer. You need to keep everything clean, duh! You…
Posted on July 26, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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The time has come. The time when you take your last steps in the show ring. The time that seemed like it would never come, but it also came far too quickly. You might wonder, what now? Below, is a list of things you could take advantage of to remain involved with junior show ring activities. Help younger family members. If you happen to be lucky like me to have younger family members that are showing, you’ll have the opportunity to help them. You can offer encouraging words as they enter the show ring, showmanship tips, and generally help around the stall or pen. It can be pretty rewarding to…
Posted on July 19, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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Push, nudge, encourage maybe even bribe. If you have kids that show livestock, you have had to do one of these at some point. Let’s be honest, a very small percentage of youth in America show livestock. That notion to step in the ring had to come from somewhere and it was most likely you. A parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or even a neighbor suggested a livestock project to you or your kids. A push is all they needed. But the same family and friends can be pushy too. I speak from experience. When I aged out of 4-H, I thought I knew a whole lot about showing and I…
Posted on July 12, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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When I began raising market lambs, I knew absolutely nothing. I would have them for three months, sell them at our small town fair, and gawk at the sight of my paycheck by the end of my project. When I started developing a greater passion for showing livestock, I decided to take lambs to our county fair as well. I ended up winning my showmanship division and I was over the moon! I couldn’t believe that my first time ever showing alongside big time competitors, I was the one that rose to the top. Because this was my first big win, my parents pumped me up. A LOT. And so…
Posted on June 28, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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As I was working on heifers last night, a thought crossed my mind about the journey that took me from a young, 4-H kid with little show stock experience to spending endless hours in the barn. My first show heifer lived in an old, pull-together hog shed and we had to catch her halter using a pitchfork. Today, our heifers lay under fans in the barn and get rinsed in an inside wash rack. It’s been a wild ride with highs and lows but one thing has been consistent, hard work. It doesn’t matter where you come from because what really matters is how much heart you have to make…
Posted on June 21, 2018
Valerie LeMonte
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