- January 15, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Showing animals at the Manatee County Fair is just the end game of a grueling effort for the participants.
The fair, which opens Jan. 16 in Palmetto, will feature several animals — heifers, steers, pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, rabbits and horses — that will be shown for breeding or meat purposes, depending on the animal.
What judges won't see is the effort that went into preparing the animals.
When many kids are opening presents on Christmas morning, students who show animals at the Manatee County Fair are busy feeding their animals and cleaning their pens or cages
“Their animal has to eat twice a day, so they’re here feeding in the morning ... they’re feeding at night. They’re feeding on Christmas break and Christmas morning,” said Carolyn Gilbert, a Nolan Middle School agriscience teacher and Future Farmers of America advisor.
“It’s one of the hardest things for parents to understand because people always go on vacation for Christmas. Livestock families don’t have the chance to do that. Two weeks before the fair is not the time to do that.”
Similar to many adults’ 9-to-5 jobs, if a student misses a day, they have to arrange for another student to cover for them, or pay for someone to manage the workload.
Along with feeding and cleaning pens, students must clean and cut hair, attend to first-aid needs, keep records of feed and medicine used, and build trust with the animal.
“Once they’re fully trained, they’re easy, but before they’re broken, they’re a piece of work,” said Nolan Middle student Caylee Cassab, who is showing her pigs at the fair. “The first thing you need to do is find their spot that gets them to lay down.”
Cassab has been showing pigs for two years and has learned that each pig has a different sweet spot to get it to roll over and submit.
That can be on the belly, armpit or behind the ear, depending on the pig, Cassab said.
Pigs are led with whips that students use to steer the animal by tapping it in the direction they want them to walk.
“I had never walked a pig before in my life, and there was definitely a lot of frustration because my pig wouldn’t cooperate at first,” Nolan Middle School student Tiffany Grainville said. “He was stressed out, especially after the two hurricanes, but I got the hang of it and it got easier and easier every time I did it.”
Grainville, who moved before the school year to the area from Long Island, New York, had never taken care of livestock before and had to spend extra time on her technique to get caught up to speed.
While watching TV at night, Grainville said she would use the remote to practice flicking her wrist without moving her arm to become accustomed to the motion.
Though some students purchase animals for themselves, many are provided with animals by the school’s FFA chapter. In many cases, the student has the opportunity to name their animal — or at least select one from a list of pre-approved options.
“One kid, for all of his animals, does cheese names,” said Megan Krueger, a Braden River High agriscience teacher and advisor. Krueger said naming the animals gives students a deeper sense of ownership. “So that little red heifer, her name is Feta. And the other red heifer that’s ours is named Ruby. The little black heifer is named Millie.
“When I first got here, (the teachers) were naming them and it just became too much to keep track of.”
At Nolan Middle, the two most popular names belong to a pair of pigs, Trump and Vance, named after the president-elect and his vice president.
Though students don’t receive monetary compensation for placing at the fair — and sometimes have to shell out some of their own money for animal feed, hotels and travel — their work does pay off.
The experiences FFA students get from caring for their animals can’t be replicated in a classroom. That can prove to be monumental in their future careers.
Many of these students have aspirations to be veterinarians, farmers, agriculture teachers or professional showmen.
And some of the animals might bring a nice price at auction.
Many of the animals that are raised by FFA programs won’t be around in a couple of weeks.
Heifers and some steers are sold for breeding purposes while other steers, chickens and pigs are sold to market for meat.
That makes the county fair a bittersweet time for many students.
After caring for an animal for several months and creating a bond, students will have to bid their animals farewell.
“I was crying for like a whole month straight,” Nolan Middle School student Bailey Amerson said of last year's fair. “My old pig last year was named Pumba. I named him after a Disney character because he had a Mickey shape on his butt. He was sweet, but stubborn, too.
“It’s easier now because it’s not as hard once you’ve had one. You get used to it.”
Though losing an animal can be heart-wrenching, the process serves as a hands-on reminder of the food chain and can provide the students with a newfound appreciation of their next meal.
“It’s kind of cool getting to raise these guys because they’ll be on someone’s plate one day, and I think it’s cool to learn about that,” Braden River High student Dallace Ryan said.
“I think it’s hard, but at the end of the day, they get a way better life than they could have had.”
Each animal requires a different method of presentation before the judges.
The showmanship portion is up to the student to lead the animal.
Pigs are guided by whips that a student walking behind them uses to guide them in the right direction. Steers are guided by a student who leads them from the front using a halter. Heifers are also guided with a halter, but the student must walk backward at a slowed pace.
Judges look for eye contact from the student and good posture from the animal, including straightness from the withers to the hooves and hips to hooves, good hoof positioning and a level back.
Genetic qualities also come into play.
The size of the hoof, a solid fat cover on the animal, and the overall size of the animal are all key factors in determining how much a particular animal will bring at auction.
Gilbert said the pigs at Nolan Middle are typically around 260 pounds and sell for anywhere from $4 to $34 per pound. Steers range anywhere from 950-1,500 pounds and sell for roughly $3.50 per pound, she said.
“Do they get their money back? No,” Gilbert said. “Some of them are chasing those purple grand-champion ribbons. It’s just like if you put your kid in cheerleading, baseball or basketball. You spend money and what do you get out of it? You know where your kid’s at, you know what they’re doing, you know what kids they’re hanging out with.
“It’s a lot of responsibility, and if they’re willing to work hard, it can be worth it.”
