Last week, the Williamson County Expo Center came alive with moos, clucks and bleats.
At the 77th Annual Williamson County Livestock Association Show and Sale was held at the Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor. At the show, which runs Dec 4 -10, about 800 Williamson County youth, ages 8 to 18 years old, exhibited their livestock and youth fair projects through FFA and 4-H, and competing for top honors.
WCLA President Brad Noack said this event is a volunteer-based effort, which has been going on since 1946, to promote agriculture in the county and individual responsibility.
“What we are here for is to give those kids that are in 4-H and FFA a place to showcase their animals and their hard work,” Noack said. “This is a county-level (opportunity) for them to come out here and basically put everything they have put into it out there and the line, and place and do they best they can with their project.”
The event, which has included a poultry and breeding rabbit show on day one, a market lamb and goats show on day two, a two, a breeding swine show day three, a market swine show day four, and a heifer and steer show day five, a tear-down day on day six, and will include an auction today, has given exhibitors a chance to show off their projects and earn ribbons, as well the chance at a place in the auction— and ultimately some money.
Noack said for the past few years, the auction has been a premium sale, with kids getting to keep their animals.
In fact, some of the projects will move on to a major livestock show, organizers said.
“It’s a premium sale, so we do not sell the animal,” Noack said. “We sell the placing for these kids, so they get to take their animals home to some major shows … they get to take them home or sell them to somebody else outside here. But we sell their placing, and that will go to the live auction, and our buyers’ groups, our booster clubs, members of the public — anybody that wants to add on we put it on our web site.”
Some exhibitors said they enjoyed the challenge of the competition.
Ellie Hert, 15, from Liberty Hill, came with her heifer and was busy hosing her off before the show the next day.
“I have to get her hair growing,” Hert said. “Whenever their body temperature is lower, their hair grows. Also, brushing them stimulates the hair follicles and helps them open up.”
Hert said she had been participating in these kinds of shows for years and had once made auction at the Houston Livestock Show.
“It was like all my hard work had finally paid off,” Hert said.
Other youth emphasized the bonds created.
“I like doing the animals,” said Lauren Jirasek, 12, a resident of Thrall, while walking her Boer goat. “I think it’s fun to create a relationship with the animals.”
McKenzie Nunez, 9, from Hutto, said this was her second year participating in the WCLA show.
“He is hard to handle, but we get along a lot,” Nunez said. “He kind of follows me. He is sweet. He can be a little feisty sometimes. But most of the time, he is good.”
Long-time volunteer Mo Hamann said participating in these 4-H and FFA events is a great opportunity for young people to learn responsibility.
“They don’t get to lay on the couch and play video games,” Hamann said. “You have to get out and actually go feed your animal and work with your animal and clean the pens. There is a lot of responsibility that goes with every one of these projects. From a rabbit to a steer, it’s a lot of responsibility, and hopefully, people learn that trait from being involved in 4-H and FFA.”
