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Cheating in the Show Ring, Part 1

Written by Erin Marvin
Copyright © South Weld Sun

Part I | Part II >>

It’s that time of year again - the pigs are being walked, the lambs’ feed is carefully being measured and put into individual feed pans and the steers’ hair is being washed out and brushed through daily (sometimes even twice daily). When most students are sleeping in, young 4H and FFA members have been up for hours patiently feeding, grooming and exercising their pride and joy. Many people consider this picturesque scene to be the epitome of our American pride and spirit. Yet, in the undergrounds of the show circuit, there are parents, exhibitors and other competitors who seemingly can’t get ahead enough to quench their thirst for a blue ribbon by the legal means. It is these people who have been putting a negative façade in the public’s eye on the mainly positive show ring experience. Is this a national trend, or a minority experience? In the next few weeks, I will explore the history of showing and work put into a show project, the needs of the individuals that drive them to cheating, the ethicality involved with cheating and what steps are currently being taken in order to keep people from cheating.

The tradition of exhibiting animals and holding fairs has been around for over a thousand years. While the history of fairs is incomplete and blurry at best, evidence shows that animal exhibitions existed in the Biblical times. These early expositions, however, didn’t resemble the modern fairs as we know them today. According to the International Association of Fairs and Expositions website, Biblical references to fairs are “mixed with allusions to commerce, trade, the marketplace, festivals, religious feasts and holy days.” These fairs were initially formed for commercial reasons. However, in addition to the business taking place, it is clear that religion played a major part in these early-day fairs. In fact, in the early days of the Christian religion, the church was a key component to holding these events, and even became a source of revenue for the growing religion. These fairs continued to evolve and eventually moved into western Europe, where these primitive marketplaces began to resemble our modern-day fairs.

In 1765, the first North American fair took place in Windsor, Nova Scotia. Then, in 1792, the Niagara Agricultural Society held a fair in Ontario. The first fair to take place in the United States occurred under an old elm tree in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1807. It is here that Elkanah Watson exhibited two imported Merino sheep. He believed that the fine fleece from Merino sheep could successfully compete with even the best wool imported from England. Then, in 1810, Watson hosted a larger undertaking, a Berkshire cattle show. The show was larger than even Watson expected. Entries included 386 sheep, 109 oxen, nine cows, seven folds (or flocks of sheep), three heifers, two calves and one boar.

Since this time, fairs in Canada and the United States have developed into an agricultural and animal husbandry exhibition, as opposed to the European-style festivals. These modern fairs now offer education, industry promotion and entertainment. As of now, almost every single state has one or more agricultural fairs or exhibitions each year. There are more than 3,200 fairs being held in North America annually. Certainly, a part of fairs are devoted to the advancements made in the agricultural industry. However, youth competition, through organizations such as 4-H, FFA, and other similar youth development programs, has became an integral part of most fairs.

Showing is now regarded by many as an fundamental part of our country’s history and, for some, can serve as a reminder to our nation’s agricultural roots. This tradition, however, takes much more time, money and effort than most non-showmen can conceive. Cattle people will begin to look for their projects oftentimes before the previous year’s fair has even begun. Their animal choices (at least for our area of the country) need to be in place by the first part of February in order to tag-in. Sheep, goat and pig showmen begin looking for their new animals towards the end of winter, with most of them being picked out around mid-March. The middle of May is the time when tag-in occurs for these projects.

Of course, though, you are assuming that the youth has enough money to purchase their projects and pay for the feed, bedding and other supplies that is needed. Long gone are the days when an exhibitor could simply walk out into their father’s pasture and choose the next grand champion steer, or when you could purchase the best piglet out of the litter for $25. A youth can expect to spend anywhere from $150 on up for a “decent” pig project. It has not been uncommon to hear people paying $10,000 for their local steer winners - and those contending for a national show to pay three, four or even seven times that amount for their projects. Then there is the feed involved. You can drive down to your local grain elevator, and pay .03 to .04 cents a pound. Or, you can buy the specialty “winning circle” feeds, specially formulated for quick muscle formation and even fat distribution, spending anywhere from $10 for 50 lbs. on up.

After the youth has purchased their project, they immediately dive into work. This means, of course, the vital feeding, watering and general care of their animals. However, the youth that are seriously vying for the first-place ribbon put much more effort into their animals. This includes everything from two to three times a day baths, walks and specially formulated feed mixtures. Personally, I know that on a day that goes without a glitch (very rarely) I will spend a minimum of three hours washing, blowing and caring for my steers - not taking into account the feeding, pen cleaning and other imperative maintenance.

Yet, sometimes even through all of the work that you have inputted into your project, it does feel that you simply cannot gain the “upper hand”. It seems that everybody has a huge advantage over you, despite the fact that you are all supposedly going through the same routine, day in and day out. It is this simple fact that provokes many ethical, hard-working people to perform corrupt deeds.  I the next article in this series, I will walk you through some statistics on cheaters, the supposed benefits and the very real risks involved in this dangerous trend.

Go to Part II>>

Copyright © South Weld Sun