Fair dawns with animal showmanship

Published 4:06 pm Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Show pens were lively Tuesday morning at the Umatilla County Fair as local 4-H and FFA members scrambled to prepare their animals for exhibition. The young trainers helped kick off fair week with a lineup of healthy, handsome animals.

New faces had success in the morning animal competition.

Hermiston High School student Jordon Smith, 17, took home a blue ribbon and purple reserve champion ribbon for her four-year-old goat, Honey. The nanny was Smiths first FFA entry, but it impressed the judge with its elegance and good behavior in the ring.

I was nervous at first … but everybody encourages you. And my ag teachers are the best, said Smith, who hopes to raise more goats in the future.

Another first-timer in the small animals division was Alexandra Cox of Echo.

Cox started raising her male lamb, Prancer, in February as a new challenge in showmanship. Though Prancer was her first foray into sheep raising, Cox said she wasnt especially nervous to show him off.

Im pretty confident here, said Cox, who also plans to showcase her two chickens at the fair.

Caring for chickens, pigs, goats and sheep means long hours feeding and grooming them. Youth manage the animals messy coats with brushes, combs and clippers. If the animal needs a quick ear shave, they use razors. To keep them clean, they keep an array of hoses on hand.

Young veterans of 4-H and FFA are comfortable working behind the scenes. Macy LeGore, 14, of Pendleton, has raised pigs for three years, and her experience shows in her relaxed style. She exuded calm as she brushed her and her sister Annas hogs, Rudy and Miss Piggy, early Tuesday afternoon.

Jayda and Keyla Hostin of Hermiston are also veterans. They were taught by their grandmother, who raised goats for 25 years. Jayda, 12, raised a spotted Nubian dairy goat named Candy this year. Teaming up with her sister and another 12-year-old goat raiser, Courtney Qualls, she spent all morning prepping the droopy-eared Candy for victory.