KLEBERG, Tx. — The Kleberg- Kenedy Junior Livestock Show has rounded up some winners and brought quite the crowd for the past two weeks.
Some may only see the final product of months of work put in by contestants, but some champions spilled the inside scoop of what it takes to earn a title.
"Within the first month or so it's all about training her, teaching her how to walk, getting her head up..." Senior Queen and Swine Grand Champion Cambell Radford said.
Radford worked since the summer with her dad to train her pig Skylar for the livestock show. She said doing well in the competition took more than just taking care of the animal; it took building a bond.
"Really just working with her and bonding with them so in the long run they’re able to show with you and be able to walk good in that ring," Radford said.
Some contestants like Junior Queen Amara Reyna, who also showed her pig, said that forming a bond starts with something as simple as picking a name tailored to the animal.
"My pig's name is Floppy. The reason why I named her Floppy is because you can see her ears go down and when she walks they go up and down," Reyna said.
The work isn't easy. The work requires contestants to get down and dirty and it takes up time and effort every day leading up to the competition.
"It’s a year-round thing. You have to have your rabbits all year round, for thirty minutes a day feeding for sure. And then having to clean pens, cages, your rabbit's hair. It’s a lot," Intermediate Queen Gabriela Hare said.
But what all these queens have in common is that they all started when they were young after they found a love and passion for it through personal experience.
"The importance of the livestock show to me is really about the community. This organization that’s built on volunteers means a lot to the youth. I switched to cattle cause my brothers did it. I've just been around it my whole life. They’re like little puppy dogs so it's just always been a passion for me since such a young age so it's just my thing," former Queen and steer exhibitor Sarah Dupont said.
Each of the queens thanked the community for their support throughout the past few months and said they were excited to either participate or volunteer again next year.
For those who weren't able to catch the contests, they can still attend the Parade of Champions Saturday at noon followed by the Live Show at 1 p.m. Events will take place in the show ring and there will be homemaking, AG mechanics and market animals for buyers.
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