By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist
The 76th Annual San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo is in full swing, drawing participants from across Texas.
This year’s event features over 20,000 livestock show entries from all 254 Texas counties.
At the heart of stock shows, including the San Antonio Stock Show, is the dedication to youth in agriculture, shown by the number of entries and scholarship opportunities.
About $12 million in scholarships will be awarded in the next few weeks at the stock show.
“These kids work year in, year out raising livestock, and they want to come show them off. We want to give them the best prizes we can and scholarships to keep that going,” said Dane Elliott, vice chair of the San Antonio Stock Show Beef Cattle Committee. “We’re raising leaders in agriculture.”
Beyond the competitions, the stock show serves as an educational platform, bridging the gap between urban and rural communities.
“We take every opportunity to teach as many people as we can about agriculture,” Elliott told the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “We have contests that reach out to urban kids to bring them into agriculture to see the opportunities that we have for all aspects of agriculture.”
There is also a trade show, which features Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Doorways to Agriculture exhibit. It aims to connect consumers with the farmers and ranchers who grow their food, fiber and fuel through interactive games, books and displays.
“It’s a big part of Texas Farm Bureau—teaching people where their food and fiber come from,” Elliott said, who serves as a Live Oak County Farm Bureau board member.
The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo is expected to draw over a million attendees. Behind the scenes, more than 15,000 volunteers work tirelessly to make the event a success.
“There’s 15,000 or so volunteers out here who give their time and effort to put on the show for not only the exhibitors, but for everybody to come see what these kids have accomplished,” he said.
For Elliott, volunteering at the stock show is a long-standing tradition. He has dedicated about 20 years to the event, serving both as a volunteer and committee member.
“My family’s been involved a long time. I was a rural youth honoree here in San Antonio back when I was in school. I showed here, I sold animals here through the auction. So, it has been a big part of my life,” he said.
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