Livestock Extravaganza draws 82 participants (Top Story)

By SEAN CLOUGHERTY
Managing Editor

HARRINGTON, Del. — Lauren Nickerson picked the wrong steer to take into the 2010 Livestock Extravaganza at the Delaware State Fair last week, but she still won anyway.
With two steers as class winners from the market steer show earlier that day on July 27, Nickerson, of Hartley, Del., had to choose which steer she would take in and which she would turn over to her friend Mindi Kaiser, also of Hartley.
Nickerson said she sized up both animals and liking the chances of the class 4 winner she chose it, leaving the heavyweight class 5 winner for Kaiser to take in the ring.
However, beef cattle and market steer judge, Mike MaGuire from Waverly, Ala., had other ideas choosing the class 5 winner as the grand champion market steer and Peyton Ridgley’s, of Wyoming, Del., class 5 second place steer as the reserve champion market steer.
“I didn’t expect my big steer to win at all,” Nickerson said, who also had the top market steer at last year’s fair and will begin college this month at Delaware State University. “I was excited (Kaiser) got to have the experience.”
Nickerson was just one of 82 participants in the Livestock Extravaganza and the hundreds who brought market animals to the fair this year.
The extravaganza brings the top two animals in each market class from the four market shows — beef cattle, swine, meat goat and sheep — to have the grand and reserve champions chosen.
“This is the easy part,” said sheep judge Rod Crome of Alvion, Ill., before choosing his top two market lambs. “The hard part is the timing, the feeding and the care it takes leading up to tonight.”
Crome selected the lamb shown by Katie Powers, of Townsend, Del., the top lamb in the 12th class, as the grand champion market lamb and the lamb shown by Whitney Betts of Felton, Del., the first place lamb in the 11th class, was named reserve champion.
Powers also exhibited the grand champion market lamb at last year’s Delaware State Fair.
“All I can think of is we must be doing something right,” said Powers, who will be a senior at Oklahoma State University studying animal science and merchandising. “Hard work pays off.”
Powers said credit for the back-to-back titles also goes to her brother, Will, a long-time exhibitor at the fair.
“We work the lambs together,” she said.
In meat goats, Maci Carter of Harrington had the grand champion and Collin Garey, of Harrington had the reserve champion, chosen by judge Jason Brashear of Pineville, Ky. Carter’s and Garey’s animals were first and second, respectively, in the 11th class going into the extravaganza.
In swine, the class 6 winner shown by Dylynn Cubbage of Harlley was named grand champion and the class 8 winner shown by Hayden Jackson of Goldsboro, Md., was named reserve champion by judge Doug Albright of Coldwater, Mich.
The event’s final award, overall showman, was decided from the top showman from each of the market shows competing in a round-robbin where each showmen led each of the four market animals in the ring.
Emily Vincent, of Harrington, the top beef cattle showman was named overall showman.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” she said holding the silver cup award and leather jacket sponsored by Delaware Auto Exchange. “It’s something you strive for when you’re young and once you get it, it’s just great.”
Coming from several states away, each judge took time to tell the stands packed with people that youth at the Delaware State Fair were “a pleasure” to work with.
“It’s been a great event, I’ve had fun,” said Albright, the swine judge. “Most importantly, the kids have been great to work with.”