Youth spend great deal of time prepping cattle

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

Mar. 6—Checotah sisters Shayla and Carly Dismukes of Checotah spent a full day Thursday preparing their cattle for Friday's Muskogee Regional Junior Livestock Show.

"We're rinsing them and getting them all clean for tomorrow, so if they lay in their poop or something, we just have to clean them in spots," sixth-grader Shayla said.

Cattle exhibitors at Muskogee Regional Junior Livestock Show started preparing their heifers and steers Thursday morning, even before the start of that day's sheep show. The Muskogee Regional Junior Livestock Show concludes Saturday night with the Premium Auction Sale.

Such preparation paid off on Friday, when the Dismukes sisters showed three Charolais heifers, a commercial heifer and a steer.

Shayla showed a heifer that took reserve champion in the Charolais division; Carly's commercial heifer took reserve champion in commercial division, said their mother, Jennifer Dismukes.

She said the girls arrived at the Hatbox hangars at 4:30 a.m. Friday to prepare their cattle for the show. The steer show was scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.

Even after taking high honors in their divisions, Shayla and Carly were at it again Friday afternoon — washing and blow-drying their cream-white Charolais heifers.

"They're washing and blowing off the glue in their hair from their class show," Dismukes said. "They've got to make them ready for the sale order, to make the sale at the end of the day."

Other exhibitors prepared their cattle a day early.

Oktaha fourth-grader Rylan McQuay washed and blow-dried his steer more than 26 hours before the Friday night show.

"I'm just getting him checked in, get him ready, get our spot, get him used to it," he said.

Rylan's mother, Courtney Berry, said washing cattle a day early helps condition their hair, so it looks even better during the show.

"You want to keep them as clean as possible," Berry said. "It keeps their hair clean and their hide clean."

Eufaula High School junior Lexi Drake said she was at the hangar all day Thursday, washing and drying her short horn and Angus heifers, as well as preparing their straw beds.

She said she expected to be back at 6 a.m. Friday.

"I have to get there early so I can get them clipped and ready," Lexi said, adding that she has to "make sure they don't have dirt on their feet, poop, get all the dust off of them."