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By Fred Guarino

The Lowndes Signal

The annual Lowndes County Youth Livestock Show for 2019 was held Sunday, Feb. 24 at Mid-State Stockyards in Letohatchee with Van Smith, president of the Autauga County Farmers Federation serving as judge, and former Lowndes County Commissioner Brenson Crenshaw serving as master of ceremonies.

Smith is an Autauga County Commissioner and is a retired educator with 37 years as a teacher and administrator.

Awards presented Sunday were as follows:

Bryan Coleman, age 10, took First Place in Junior Division Showmanship while Christy Daniel, age 15, took First Place, Daraja Maye, age 16, took Second Place, and Coleman Hunter, age 15, took Third Place in the Senior Division Showmanship.

Bryan Lambert swept taking First Place in Classes One, Two and Three in the Heifer Show. And his heifers took Grand Champion and Reserve Champion Heifer Awards. He also took First Place in the Steer Light Weight Class with an animal that weighed 855 pounds.

Maye took First Place in the Steer Medium Weight Class with an animal that weighed 1,090 pounds.

Hunter took First Place in the Steer Heavy Weight Class with an animal that weighed 1,215 pounds.

Daniel took both First Place and Second Place in the Steer Super Heavy Weight Class.

Her black steer weighing 1,340 pounds took First Place and her red steer, also weighing 1,340 pounds took Second Place.

Grand Champion Steer honors went to Daniel and Reserve Champion Honors went to Maye.

The Lowndes County Youth Livestock Show was put on by Tuskegee Extension, Alabama A&M and Auburn Extension and Lowndes County 4-H.

The event was sponsored by the Lowndes County Commission, Lowndes County Children’s Policy Council, Lowndes County Cattlemen’s Association, Lowndes County Farmers Federation and Mid-State Stockyards LLC.

Smith said he believed the first livestock show he ever judged was in Lowndes County. He said working with animals is a mechanism to teach leadership, and he commended all of the youth who participated saying that there was a lot of work that went into getting a calf ready to show. He said all of the youths gained “valuable workforce knowledge.”

The Show Committee included Lowndes County Commission Chairman Carnell McAlpine, Jasper Lambert and George H. Hunter, Tuskegee University Extension Agent for Lowndes County. Youth Livestock Club Advisors included McAlpine, Lambert and George Hunter Jr.

Ringmen were Danzerrick Rudlph, Winford Logan Jr. and Trent Woodley. And scales were operated by David Daniel, Nathaniel Hayes, George Hunter Jr. and Jasper Lambert.

Records were kept by George Hunter, Shari Lowery and Tana Shealey, Lowbndes CountyExtension coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn University).

McAlpine thanks everyone for their attendance and announced that the winners would be competing at the Junior Beef Expo March 14-16 in Montgomery.