Livestock shows bring youth, animals and revenue to Muskogee

Feb. 28—Muskogee County 4-H Club and FFA members spent Tuesday morning hauling grooming gear and bags of pine shavings into Hatbox Event Center.

They were preparing places to keep their animals through two weeks of livestock shows. The Muskogee County Livestock Show runs Wednesday through Saturday and the Muskogee Regional Junior Livestock Show will run Monday through March 9.

Fort Gibson junior Audrey Cooper said she entered three pigs for the county show.

"After this show, we'll take them home and come back next week," she said. "The regionals is harder because there are a lot more pigs. It's a much bigger show."

Show volunteer Jami Speir said more than 100 area FFA programs and 4-H Clubs are expected at the Regional Show. She said this year's regional show has 760 students from eight counties entered, and only 33% are from Muskogee County. Other counties are Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, McIntosh, Sequoyah, Okmulgee and Wagoner.

Webbers Falls ag instructor Brad Carey said students will show 60 hogs, eight sheep and a few goats and calves at the shows.

"The regional show is going to be bigger, of course, and the competition gets a lot, lot tougher," Carey said. "We first want to get our county show done, and hopefully make the premium sale Saturday night. Then the regional show has a lot more kids."

The county show is not a qualifier for the regional show, he said. "You can show at both of them."

"Showing livestock isn't about wins and losses for me," he said. "It's about teaching kids a work ethic, responsibility, being able to win and lose at the same time. Being gracious if you win and going up and congratulating the winners. It teaches, more than anything, life lessons."

Students and supporters set up all the pens by Tuesday, Carey said.

"We will leave everything here," he said. "We'll be here all week long, then roll right back in on Monday."

Webbers Falls senior Maddy Raskey said she will show a Hampshire, cross and a York pig at the county show.

"I'll probably switch them out for regional," she said.

Maddy said the shows mean a lot for her and her sister.

"You have no idea how many hours we spend in the barn," Maddy said. "Every single night, me and my sister, we work constantly. And this is what makes it all worth it, coming and seeing the projects we work on succeed."

Speir said the competitions are important for those who show their livestock.

"These kids have been working with their project animals since as early as August to ensure that they are at their best," she said. "Each week ends with a premium sale. This is the opportunity area businesses and individuals have to donate proceeds back to the winners who have made the sale."

The shows bring in revenue for the city, she said.

"Both are important for the city because of the influx of people coming to show from outside city limits this week and outside of Muskogee County next week," Speir said. "On average, each student will bring three people with them for at least one day each week and sometimes for all five days."

Those visitors buy food and livestock equipment in Muskogee. This year, the show will sell Discount Ear Tags, embossed leather tags with the Regional show logo. Muskogee High student Charlie Rosson made the tags, which anyone can buy for $10 at the regional show.

"We are hopeful sales tax revenue will increase by bringing back the Discount Ear Tag this year," Spier said. "People who purchase the tag get discounts at local shops and restaurants for the month of March. An incentive and motivation is to get people back to Muskogee for more than just the one or two weeks their kids or relatives are showing."