By Mary Alice Murphy

Before the presentations began, one item of public comment was read into the record at the Grant County Commission work session on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.

Executive Assistant Taysha Walter read the letter of support for the county to approve holding a livestock show for all the 4-H and FFA students who had worked hard to raise animals to show at the County Fair and other county fairs around the state.

"Please vote to support the livestock show this year," she read from the letter. "Most participants had no idea a year ago when they started raising, nurturing and training their livestock that there would be a pandemic this year. I have discussed with the Fair Board the plan for safety protocols, including social distancing and facial coverings that will be strictly adhered to. Only the participants, their parents and the Fair Board personnel will be present. Other counties have had successful shows and other counties will have successful shows. Let Grant County show how we can hold a successful show. I have no doubt the youth of Grant County will make you commissioners proud of their integrity during these tumultuous times. Please allow the Grant County Fair Board to hold this livestock show at the Fairgrounds in September. Best regards, Brett Kasten County Commissioner, retired."

The first presentation addressed the potential of using the county-owned fairgrounds for the youth livestock show.

Ty Bays, Fair Board president, said he appreciated the opportunity to present. "We are asking to utilize the fairgrounds just for the livestock show. We're not having a fair this year. Most kids had animals before China knew it had a virus. It's been a difficult year in planning. New Mexico won't have a state fair this year. Santa Fe held its fair, and so have DeBaca, Curry and Roosevelt counties. Prior to ours, Hidalgo and Catron counties will hold their fairs. We have a record number of livestock this year. It would be a shame not to let the kids finish their education and present their animals. We will have a show and a sale. The show will not be a public event. It takes a long time to plan a fair. Even if restrictions were lifted, we will not have a carnival or exhibits this year and no rodeos. We'll stick with the livestock show and sale. We're still looking at the week of Sept. 23 and looking at how we will hold the sale. Even if restrictions are lifted, we'll stick with our plan."

He introduced Jessica Swapp, the agricultural agent for the Grant County Extension Service.

Swapp said she had put together a presentation, but the county portal didn't work with her computer. "I gave you copies of the slides. I want to let you know what projects the kids have been working on. The governor in her revised public health order did deem livestock shows essential."

She went into the differences between feeder animals that are raised for simply for meat and show animals, which, yes, are also slaughtered to eat.

"A show animal is kind of a combination of beauty pageant contestants and Olympic athletes," Swapp said. "How much time goes into these projects? My numbers are bare minimums. At least an hour a day for sheep, goats and pigs. It's more like 3-4 hours each day at my house. The animals have to be groomed, fed with expensive food, and washed regularly. The pens need to be cleaned at least twice every day. So, a conservative guess is probably 180 hours a kid puts into his or her animal. Those with calves have had them for a full year, so that's 365 hours already and it's probably double that."

She said the first thing the kids have to do is tame the animal and create a bond with it. They have to walk their animals, clean the pens and in the case of pigs, they even let them tan a bit to bring out the darker colors. Really light-colored hogs have to have sunscreen put on. The kids have to be "in tune" with the animals for signs of disease and what they should do for certain issues. For hair, they have to brush them, so the hair stands up and gives the animals a pop. This is the reverse direction that the hair wants to go.

"Not everyone can have a champion," Swapp said. "But the kids can also vie to be best showman. For instance, they train their pigs to raise their heads when they walk. That's not what pigs want to do. They train sheep and goats to lean against them to make their muscles pop. Cattle are big, much bigger than the kids raising them, but they are trained to be gentle."

She explained that another part of the responsibility for the kids who are raising animals is the record-keeping. They keep a journal of their expenses, all their receipts, the vet bills and the travel costs if they go to other shows. "If their animal makes the sale, it will help pay back the bags of feed that are expensive. I'll make this personal. My daughter brought home her check from the sale. I said wait a minute, get out your record book and see how much you owe me. After we subtracted all the expenses, I think she cleared about $17. It's a great education for them. I told her this is what it's like on payday. You get the money, but you have to pay the bills. They learn what things cost. It installs responsibility in the kids."

Swapp noted that the photos of kids in the presentation who were training and taking care of their animals are all local kids from Grant County.

She said the National 4-H Council recently did a survey of teens and found that seven out of 10 kids were struggling with mental issues in the wake of COVID-19, because of not being in school or with their friends. More than half expressed feelings of loneliness, with 64 percent feeling like it will have an impact on their mental health. "But one bright thing they had going was these projects. They had something to work for and something to do. They were outside in the sunlight and working creating a bond, so they have a friend. It is a saving grace for a lot of them."

Swapp also tied 4-H back into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. "Students in 4-H animal projects learn about anatomy, physiology and they also work with their veterinarians to assure their animals are receiving the nutrition they need and are staying well. And they use mathematics on a daily basis."

Bays said the Fair Board is a 501c3, and their project every year is the fair. "The major component is the livestock show, and we usually have rodeos, dances, exhibits with kids and adults doing art, and canning and baking, as well as a carnival. This year, we are focusing on the youth part."

He explained in the 1950s, land was donated for the fair and it was called the Cliff-Gila Fair, but it got expensive to maintain the land, "so, we deeded the property to the county. As the Fair Board, we spend money to fix things. When a tornado hit the livestock shelter, we had to fix it. We have the best facility in the southwest part of the state and the best fair west of the Rio Grande. This year, we come to you to approve our use of the fairgrounds for only the livestock show. We will have signs out about wearing masks and socially distancing."

He said the show has been shortened up as much as possible this year. Usually, the livestock portions feature a species a day, but this year, they will have the show for one in the morning and another in the afternoon, so they have taken a day off the schedule. "We think we can pull this off. We've got to pull this off—for the kids. It's the best way for them to market their animals."

District 1 Commissioner and Chairman Chris Ponce said the kids put a lot of time and effort into the projects and it's a learning experience for them. "I'm for this. We have to do what we have to do to make it right. Part of what I used to see was the art shows. Maybe later down the road. The social part of the fair is important, too. We have to remember it's for the kids."

Bays said the board has spent at least 30 hours discussing how to do it this year. "All of the livestock show is outside. We had a long discussion about the exhibit building. There's no way we can control the numbers of people. We wanted to do the exhibits, but we don't see how we can."

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne said last school year Aldo Leopold Charter School did an art show, "but it wasn't the same. It was virtual, so the parents could see what the students had done."

Ponce noted the Farmers' markets have canopies. Bays said he was open to suggestions. Swapp said the canopies might be doable. "My daughter usually enters into the exhibits. Maybe we can let them finish those projects, too."

Browne asked where they were on the auction portion of selling the animals.

"Typically, it's live," Bays said. "We're blessed with businesses that buy the animals to support the kids. They are usually paying more than the animal is worth. When they are bidding against one another, egos come into it. People have suggested an online auction. We can adjust seating and let folks participate by phone. The board usually makes money off the rodeos and the carnival, but this time we have to make everything safe. Maybe we can Zoom the auction, but cell phones only sort of work out there."

District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards thanked the fair board for their planning. "I think it's important for the kids."

The next article will address the following presentation on the New Mexico Central Arizona Project Entity.