The Kansas State Fair is already over as I write this. Surrounding states have had their state fair, or they will be in the coming days and weeks. Champions have been crowned, and some youth have sold their livestock. Many have already started to prepare for their next show animals.
My own kids didn’t have any interest showing their livestock at this year’s KSF, instead we’re aiming for the Kansas Junior Livestock Show the first weekend in October to be one last hurrah for the 2026 season. It seems just like yesterday when we picked out the projects from their respective breeders.
This year has been a little bit of a challenge. Heat in some instances has been unrelenting. Last summer we were much cooler, and barn chores were so much easier. My oldest boy wanted to work this summer and spent a lot of time away from home. Summer was over before we knew it. Once school started working with goats became an even bigger challenge.
Both of my boys wanted to play football this year, but they also wanted to show at KJLS, so I’ve tried to make it easier on them by making sure goat pens were cleaned and everyone was fed and watered. It was just easier for me to do it than have that fight at 5 in the morning as to who was feeding what. I wasn’t the one who had 6 a.m. practice. However, I was the one up before 5 a.m. to make sure they were awake and on the road so they could be there and dressed for early morning practices to beat the heat.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed the comparison of costs associated with travel sports and livestock shows. Some noted how the missed school time differed, and I believe livestock show-goers shouldn’t be penalized for being gone while their athletic counterparts are being excused to play sports.
Many of the conversations I followed surround how other students had to choose to do one or the other. In some cases, it was impossible for them to do their sport of choice and show too. I ran across a post from a mom who had a very successful showman. This young man was in his last year of 4-H and chose to forego playing spring basketball and instead attend the spring jackpot shows.
His mom said in her post, “BOTH, not ALL. And BOTH only works when you give ALL your effort and you combine that with a respectful, open line of communication with your coaches and your parents.”
I’ve tried to let my kids know how important it is to chat with their teachers and coaches and let them know when they are going to be gone for 4-H and FFA events. That line of communication needs to be there, and it helps their teachers to be a little more understanding when the ask is coming from the student instead of a parent.
Maybe not in all cases, but most. I will gladly call them in absent and not think another thing about that unexcused absence for a show or other event they want to attend, and in my opinion, get more out of than being trapped in school all day.
For me, experiencing what school has to offer, what sports teach and what these livestock projects teach is so important. From the network they create when finding and prepping animals to show is invaluable for any future endeavors in the livestock industry they may have later in life. The person helping them with showmanship with their steer and heifer, might be the same one someday who will sell them registered cattle. The person advising them from afar–like their Uncle Jeff or their cousins—are extra special because pf that connection with them. They see the same things I’m seeing but can communicate it in a way that I can’t.
And whether or not they are successful on the football field this season, it gives them so much more, too. The comradery and connection with their teammates are second to none. While I didn’t play sports, I was on a livestock judging team and a rodeo team in high school and college, some of those people today I continue to call a friend and because of those connections, I have a network that when I need something or need help. They’re still there because of all those hours we spent crammed in a 15-passenger van or the questionable motel room that housed four cowgirls at a college rodeo.
National 4-H week is Oct. 4 to 10 this year, and their “Beyond Ready,” theme highlights how 4-H equips youth with skills for the future. Whether it’s problem solving with a livestock project or problem solving on the playing field, every experience they choose is what makes them who they are meant to be. 4-H week is Oct. 4 to 10 this year, and their “Beyond Ready,” theme highlights how 4-H equips youth with skills for the future. Whether it’s problem solving with a livestock project or problem solving on the playing field, every experience they choose is what makes them who they are meant to be.
Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].
