Livestock Show winners keep working after premium sale

Cathy Spaulding, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
·2 min read

Mar. 12—Keys FFA member Elizabeth Haggard went right back to work after showing her Grand Champion Lamb at Muskogee Regional Junior Livestock Show's premium sale Saturday.

"You can never stop," she said, blow-drying the lamb in a barn. "You can never stop working for what you want. With OYE coming next week, you got to keep going until it's done."

Bidders rewarded 178 FFA and 4-H Club members by bidding $278,700 — a premium sale record.

"That's not add-ons to the money or anything," announcer Rowdy Fewell said.

Many exhibitors, including Elizabeth, are showing at OYE, Oklahoma Youth Expo, which runs through March 22 in Oklahoma City.

Elizabeth said she wants her natural wool lamb to look good in Oklahoma City.

"I'm going to keep working his legs, keep making sure he gets the exercise he needs and adjusting his nutrition as is needed," she said. "He's got all the pieces that fit together that those people seem to like. He's got muscle, he's expressive. He's big."

Elizabeth received a base bid, not including add-ons, of $1,500 from James Hodge Auto Group on Saturday.

Fewell said each of the Grand Champion winners get an additional $1,200, Reserve Grand winners receive an additional $800, Bronze winners receive an additional $400.

Oktaha 4-H Club member Rylan McQuay, a seventh-grader, showed his second Grand Champion Steer at the regional show. He showed his first Grand Champion in 2021, as a fourth-grader.

Rylan's steer earned a base bid of $10,000 from McQuay Construction, McQuay Concrete, Farmers State Bank, Dunn Country Motors, Dunn Ford and Armstrong Bank (Checotah).

Rylan said he'll probably use his winnings to buy another steer. He said he washes his steer every other day. Rylan said judges like the steer's fluffy ears.

Bidder Larry Leatherman of Tonto Construction scanned the list for Muskogee names.

"I'm looking to help the kids from Muskogee, Muskogee FFA kids, I know of four or five," Leatherman said. "I believe this the best program in the country for building children, building good citizens — they work hard."

Joe Don Eaves of Tulsa Stockyards said he bids to support families doing business at the stockyards.

"I don't know how many, but there are a lot of them," Eaves said. "I don't get to buy all of them because there's so many, but I try to add on to all of them if I don't get the premium bought."