By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
This is the time of year when many stock show families are headed to Fort Worth for the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. Although the event was cancelled for 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, youth exhibitors can still show their steers. It’s just at a different location and at a different show.
Last fall after the announcement was made, organizers stepped up to host the Patriot Junior Market Steer Show to give Texas youth an opportunity to exhibit their market cattle originally intended to compete in Fort Worth.
The Patriot, which is a Texas FFA- and Texas 4-H-sanctioned show, is underway in Abilene at the Taylor County Expo Center through Feb. 6.
“On Oct. 9, as soon as Fort Worth canceled their show, our group went to work putting things in motion to create an alternate show for those kids,” Tonya Meier, one of the organizers, said. “Within 24 hours, we had the groundwork to make this happen. Several different entities took on the heifers and pigs and other species, and we were thankful we had the resources and experience to step up and make the steer show happen.”
It was a daunting task to organize a show this large in such a short period of time.
“We’ve never had to fundraise for a show and auction before. It’s been a huge undertaking during a pandemic and major election year. All major shows have a year in advance to work on that and dedicated teams, and we’ve had less than five people helping us fundraise in less than four months. That’s the aspect that has kept us up at night,” Meier, the co-owner of the Battle of the Cattle show steer series, said. “But we’re really proud of what we’ve accomplished. Every vendor fee and every sponsorship we took in went toward the sale, so when we say every dollar goes to the kids, we really mean it.”
Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) is a sponsor of the event.
“These students have spent countless hours in the barn working with their projects and preparing for the day they get to exhibit them in the show ring,” Whit Weems, TFB director of Organization, said. “We are thankful for the opportunity to play a small part in The Patriot, which gives these youth an opportunity to showcase their hard work.”
Tonya and her husband, Shane, were passionate about getting the show organized, because they know first-hand how distressing the pandemic has been for stock show families.
“We had the experience last year of our own with a senior kid who had to miss that final opportunity to show because of the pandemic, and we just knew the impact it would make on all those families to not have a space to show their projects for two years running,” Meier said. “Our kids are in college, in part, because of scholarships they earned from showing cattle. For a lot of families, this helps send their kids to college, and to us that was incredibly important to keep going.”
Showing animals is an expensive undertaking, and she said many families could not absorb the financial loss of back-to-back cancelled projects.
The Meiers have put in much hard work to make The Patriot happen, but Tonya said they’d do it all over again to help the kids. She added they’re not the only people in the show industry who have made other show opportunities happen.
“What’s been so incredible this year is when the big shows cancelled, many, many individuals volunteered their time to step up and take the reins to make it happen for the kids. At the end of the day, that’s the most inspiring thing I’ve ever witnessed,” she said.” Our industry should be proud of all the work people have put into working around those issues. What a great testimony to our kids, who we teach to step up and lead, to see everyday people putting that into action.”
They received about 1,700 entries prior to the show, Meier noted.
“We’re doing a grand entry like they do at the National Finals Rodeo. We’re bringing out every single kiddo into the show ring. It’s going to be super festive, but it’s really just our chance to recognize all of those kids who have worked so hard. We want the kids to feel that from every aspect,” she said. “And after they’re in the ring, we’re bringing in every ag teacher and county agent that’s there, because their work often goes unnoticed. We’re so grateful 4-H and FFA were willing to partner with us in these strange times.”
TFB’s traveling exhibit, Doorways to Agriculture, is open in the exhibitor area while observing CDC guidelines.
For more information on The Patriot show, click here.