MENARD COUNTY CONTESTANTS- Of the 55 total contestants in the HCYCHSS, eight were from Menard County. Pictured L-R are: Roy Brown, grade 11- 4th place senior interview; Aminy Anderson, grade 11- 2nd in senior record book and 3rd in pen of cattle senior div.; Linah Jo Wright, grade 2, 5th in junior record book; Makenzie Wright, grade 6; Kallan Wright, grade 4- 1st junior interview and 4th in junior record book; O’Dan Wright, grade 3- 2nd junior interview and 4th in pen of cattle junior div. Lisa Brown, photo.
The 2021 Hill Country Youth Commercial Heifer Show & Sale (HCYCHSS) took place on Wednesday and Thursday, October 20 and 21, involving 55 youth contestants from 10 counties participating in the event.
Students in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade were divided into 3 age divisions: Senior (9-12), Intermediate (6-8), and Junior (K-5). There were 3 categories of competition in each age division: Interview, Pen of Cattle, and Record-book.
Eight students from Menard entered this year’s show: Roy Brown, Aminy Anderson, Linah Jo Wright, Daphne Mews, Makenzie Wright, Roy Mews, Kallan Wright, and O’Dan Wright.
“This project is one that is undoubtedly most practical in terms of its goals. Participants from ten counties commit and dedicate six months to raise three to five commercial female heifers,” said organizer Micah Walker from, Mason. Participants spend those 6 months caring for, and keeping up with health, expenses, breeding, and every other aspect of the commercial cattle industry.
Contestants designate their heifers during the validation process in April, and keep their record-books until the show and sale in October. At the show, hosted by Jordan Cattle Auction of San Saba, contestants demonstrated their proficiency and knowledge of their herd during a one-on-one interview with a judge. The senior division interviews had two judges for interviews. The interviews were weighted at 60% of a contestant’s overall score. Menard’s placing in interview were: Roy Brown, 4th place senior; Kallan Wright, 1st place junior; O’Dan Wright 2nd place junior.
The heifers are judged in the pen as commercial livestock, rather than market or show animals. No grooming or halterbreaking necessary. Ideally, they have consistent desired conformation across the group, and are bred to calve around the same time. The cattle judging accounts for 30% of a contestant’s overall score. Cattle placings for Menard were: Aminy Anderson, 3rd place senior; O’Dan Wright, 4th place junior.
The last pillar of judging in the contest is the record-book. This book displays photographs and information on the journey in caring for the heifers and preparing them for sale and breeding. Data such as expenses, details on the bull’s pedigree, feeding regimes and more are included in the record-book. The record-books are judged on included information and organization. Record-books account for 10% of an overall score. Record-book results for Menard were: Anderson, 2nd place senior; Linah Jo Wright, 5th place junior.
At the show and sale in San Saba, the Jordan family and the Jordan Cattle Auction welcome HCYCHSS contestants and families—and their cattle—on Wednesday for interviews and general look-over of the bovine entries. A chicken fried steak lunch was provided in the on-site café by Bayer Animal Health.
On Thursday, the event continued with the sale of the heifers. Each contestant’s pen was run through the sale ring in a special consignment portion before the day’s regular cattle sale. It was not a requirement to sell the projects. There was an option to keep the cattle if the contestant chose to do so.
After the HCYCHSS sale was concluded, awards were announced. The overall junior winner was Faron Speck from Tom Green County, Intermediate was Sydney Geistweidt from Gillespie County, and senior overall champion was Ariana Watson from Gillespie County.
A raffle drawing for 3 sets (3 winners) of 5 exposed heifers was held. Contestants were asked to sell ten raffle tickets each. Tickets for this raffle were $100 each and proceeds went to the scholarship fund for senior contestants. The scholarships this year were the most significant the Board of HCYCHSS has awarded to date. Every graduating contestant received a check— a norequirement subsidy to aid in their life after high school. Five scholarships were awarded— three for $10,000; 1 for $6,600, and another for $3,300 based on how many years the student had participated.
Before a group picture was taken and the event declared a success, one more animal needed to sell—a single heifer to initiate the replenishment of the scholarship fund for next year’s competition. The live bidding commenced, and the winner bidder donated the heifer back to sell again, donating the sales price to the fund. The heifer was bought, donated, and sold a total of nine times, racking up close to $20,000 for the scholarship fund.
The final buyer, and who ultimately kept his purchased heifer, was Roy Brown, a 16-year-old contestant from Menard County who owns and operates his own herd.
Special thanks to: Beyers Feed & Fertilizer, Gillespie Vet Center, Alexander Livestock, Capital Farm Credit, Central Texas Ag Credit, Bayer Animal Health, Jordan Cattle Auction, Ken Jordan, Jody and Jeffrey Osborn.
If your student is interested in getting involved with the Hill Country Youth Heifer Sale & Show, contact your county agent to see if your county is included.