Two-day expo hoping to generate funds

PORTALES — The Roosevelt County Fair Junior Livestock Show is set to take place this week under similar guidelines that the youth livestock expo in Clovis operated under last week.

But Roosevelt County is doing it all in just two days.

Students in 4H and FFA typically have a week of shows, with different species being presented on different days, all while housed at fair barns for days at a time. This year, however, thanks to the coronavirus, exhibitors will bring their animals in the morning of their show day and be out of the fairgrounds by that same evening.

Hogs began the series of shows on Tuesday morning, with dairy heifers, beef heifers, and market steers following after. Today will see the lamb and goat shows.

As for the livestock sale, which many exhibitors compete to get into as a way to raise funds for their future shows or college, the Roosevelt County Fair Junior Livestock Show Committee is putting together a fund to give each student a premium.

“We're not having the physical sale as we have in the past. We are collecting money and we are giving it back to exhibitors in the way of premiums this year, to help facilitate some of their expenses,” said Mike Cone, Roosevelt County Fair Board member.

Throughout the summer the Roosevelt County Fair Junior Livestock Show page on Facebook has been posting videos of exhibitors and their animals as a way to garner interest and donations from the community.

The videos contain short clips of the kids taking care of their animals in barns and out in fields. Many of the exhibitors comment on why they enjoy showing and what this year has been like for them. Included in the posts are ways for donations to be made.

“We're really pushing the premiums and trying to get donations there,” Cone said. “This whole situation has been hard on everybody. It's affected everybody's lives, and you know a lot of these kids have bought these animals long before this (virus) ever came to be. I really hope the community steps up and helps these kids and agriculture in Roosevelt County.”