Houston County Young Farmers holds annual livestock show

“I really enjoy doing this,” Cameron Randall said while brushing the coat of his black cow. It wasn’t the14-year-old’s first time competing, but it was his first experience participating in the cattle competition. “I’ve shown two pigs before, so this is my third year all total.” Randall’s cow is named Diesel, but despite the fact that he gave the animal a name and spent months grooming it for the competition, experience has taught him not to get too attached. “It was hard the first year I competed because I let myself get too close to the pig I was showing, but I’ve learned since then not to do that.” Randall said that his highest hope for this year’s competition was to win and get a cash prize. He also noted, “I hope I get to go to state next week and that we, at least, do good there.”

Perry High School student, Alainey Breaux and her cow, Denali was only one of many teams that hoped to be competition for Randall. Neither the ninth-grader nor her animal was a newbie to the show. They teamed up the year before to make a run for an award. “Last year she was very young, but she still did very well,” Breaux said proudly. “Everyone was like, when she gets older she’ll do better; so I’m hoping she’s even more competitive this time around.” As a member of FFA, Breaux said the club is like being in a family. “Everyone knows each other,” she stated. “Before being in FFA, I didn’t have many friends, but now I do. We have a lot of fun.”

Since the hog competition was so large this year, 14-year-old Thomas Fowler, also from Perry High, knew that he and his pig, Bandit, would have fierce competition. Still, he came to this year’s show with excitement and experience. “I’ve been showing for four years,” he said, also adding that “the opportunities to get out, meet new people and make money,” are the main attractions that keep him coming back. To date, the pig competition is the only one that Fowler has been a part of, but he’s enjoyed some success. “I won my county show in 2018,” he revealed. This year, he said he came with the hopes of winning a prize belt buckle and cash.

Dr. Phil Gentry serves at the Houston County Young Farmers advisor. When he is not teaching his class at Perry High School, he spends the bulk of the rest of his time working with farmers in the community and staying involved in agriculture. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years; this is my last year,” Gentry said. However, he readily admitted that this annual event takes the efforts of many. “All year long, it’s a group of about 100 men in the community that raise money for this particular livestock show, and whatever is raised goes to the kids in prize money.”

According to Gentry, the show is the highlight of the year for most participants. “This is the moment they’ve worked toward for months,” he explained. “The kids who have cattle have been raising them for a solid year now. The pigs have been about a 90-day project. After this comes the state show, and then they move on to a different animal to get ready for next year. The kids really look forward to this,” Gentry said.

Though he’s officially retiring after this year’s event, Gentry assured that he’d remain involved. “They call it young farmers, but seems like there ain’t hardly no young farmers these days. We’re all old,” he added with a laugh. “Folks don’t farm like they used to.”

There are some exceptions though. The president of the Houston County Young Farmers Association is Philip Gentry, the son who is walking closely in his father’s footsteps. “I’ve been a part of this ever since about 1993 when I actually showed here as a kid,” Philip said. “Then I was an Ag [Agriculture] teacher at Perry High School and a Young Farmers member from 2006 until—well, until now. I became the president of Young Farmers last year.” Philip said it’s a family affair. “My dad pours so much into this. It’s his last year and he doesn’t know it yet, but we’re going to honor him before the event closes this year.” Philip also mentioned the key role his mother plays. “People think my dad does all the work, but my mom, Brenda Gentry, does a lot too. She works behind the scenes to make sure everything comes together and runs smoothly. It’s certainly a family effort for us.”

Regarding the judging process, Philip stated, “We hire judges that are qualified professionals from all over the country. Our cattle judge this year is named Brett Crow who is a judging team coach at Mississippi State University, and our hog judge this year is Mr. Nathan Day; a hog expert out of Indiana.” Philip further explained, “There are two different classes that the kids are judged in. One is showmanship, and that’s how well they handle their animal. It’s based on their animal’s husbandry—has it been fed properly, whether skin and hair look like it’s been taken care of and kept clean, and how professionally they present their animal. The other is confirmation class. That’s based on the way that the cattle look—how well balanced they are proportionately and their structural correctness, as in whether their structure is built in such a way that they’re able to move easily. And of course, the judges are looking at is muscle because these are ultimately animals used [for consumption].”

This year, over $60,000 in cash was raised, and that was distributed in monetary prizes and awards given to the selected winners over the two-day show. “We wouldn’t be able to do that without the support of the community,” Philip stressed. “They see the importance of agriculture education. Not many of these kids will actually grow up to be cattle farmers or ranchers,” he admitted, “but one in seven jobs in Georgia have to do with agriculture; whether it’s sales or something like that. But because of this, these kids will have a passion for agriculture and maybe go out and get one of those jobs. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Ingraining that passion into the kids.”