The 2023 Robertson County Livestock Show and Sale was held on September 6, 2023. There were 21 participants that showed their livestock projects in showmanship, market, and breeding classes. Those 21 participants were made up of 4-H, FFA, and novice showman. The number of participants was slightly down this year, compared to previous years - due to the fact of youth graduating or not showing due to time commitments. However, the overall show and sale grew substantially in other ways. 

In 2023, we made the decision to allow the youth who participated in the country ham project, the option of auctioning off one of their hams during the livestock sale. This allowed youth who normally do not have livestock projects, the opportunity to earn extra money for a project that they had completed. There were 6 youth who completed the project and all 6 made the decision to auction off one of their hams that day. The prices in the hams ranged from $220-310. The youth were overjoyed at how much their hams brought and some were even talking about how they were already looking forward to curing their next set of hams in 2024. The impact of this small change has increased the number of youth that participate in the country ham project. In 2023, there were 6 youth, but in 2024, we have 10 youth who are registered for the project (5 youth participated both years). We are hopeful that this will continue encouraging youth to participate in this project, since the costs are fairly low and it is another way to become involved. 

Not only did adding a component to the sale help grow it, but the total funds that went directly to participants was $22,472. That was an increase of  $8,884 from the previous year’s total. We had more buyers at the sale due to the increase in awareness and also several that were intrigued by the auctioning of the country hams. The total number of group donations were up this year as well. The youth were extremely shocked at the amounts their animals were going for and even more surprised when they got their checks. 

The overall growth and success of the 2023 livestock show and sale has encouraged more youth to show livestock in the 2024 show season in both 4-H and FFA. We hope that our show continues to grow and have an impact on the youth in our agricultural community.