After an enormously successful junior livestock sale last year, 4-H and FFA kids are working hard to prepare for this year’s sale on July 30 at 1 p.m. 

The junior livestock sale will be run much like it was last year — with both in-person and online options available to bidders. 

This year, more steers and rabbits will be on the block at the junior livestock sale than ever before, while the number of goats, lambs and pigs will remain about the same as in past years.

The 2021 junior livestock sale brought in a staggering $645,445 in total sales.

“Last year was just phenomenal — absolutely phenomenal,” said Joe Bridges, chairman of the sale committee. “All species were up, our total was record high and most everybody was in person. Everybody was excited to physically be there and be a part of it again. They were there in numbers, excitement and in the volume and amount of spending that went on.”

“I’m hopeful that’s how it shakes out again,” he added. “I know everybody is under some strains that they haven’t been in the past, but I also know their attitude toward the sale — that’s why I’m as optimistic on this sale as I am.”

Bridges said he believes prices will remain about the same this year, but he is trying to be realistic with where things are at right now.

“[Prices] are always the magical question,” he said. “I have a canned answer that I give every year I’ve been doing this, for 20 years now, and that is that every time I step out and say I’m a little bit nervous for how this sale is going to go, that seems to be our best sale. Then I get nervous and don’t think we can do that again — then we beat those numbers.”

Participants in the sale

Bridges isn’t the only one optimistic about the junior livestock sale this year.

Eleven-year-old Ivy Lennon is excited to sell her sheep, Jose, at this year’s sale. 

Lennon joined 4-H when she was 9 years old; she started showing sheep at the fair because her older siblings both did, and so did her mom when she was a kid. Her siblings also show pigs, but Lennon has decided to stick to sheep right now. 

“I don’t really like pigs because they’re dirty and stinky. I just like sheep more,” she said. “I love shearing sheep. I don’t know why, but it’s just my favorite thing to do. I like showing them, too. It’s so fun to get them ready for the show and to do all the things to build up for the fair.”

Jose is the baby of Lennon’s other sheep, Rose, and Lennon has had Jose since he was a baby. She even saw him being born. 

Lennon has auctioned off sheep in the past.

“It’s kind of hard when you let the animal go at the very end, but it’s pretty fun still,” she said.

Lennon loves 4-H and fair, but she said it’s hard work, too, because of all that’s required to take care of the animals and prepare them for the fair. She has to walk Jose quite a bit on a dirt road near their property. She also sheared him this summer and has to bathe him every once in a while. 

“I have to trim up his legs to make him look pretty, and I have to clean out his ears so there’s no earwax and clean out his armpits. I usually don’t do that until we are at fair,” she said.

Lennon plans to continue showing sheep at the fair and in the future plans to breed her sheep Rose every year instead of buying a lamb, which will save her a lot of money in the long run.

“I honestly don’t know what I would do during summer if I didn’t do fair,” she said. “Fair is what I do in the summer, otherwise I would probably just sit on my butt all day.” 

A community event

Bridges is confident in the success of the junior livestock sale because of the support the community and local businesses provide to the sale every year. Despite some businesses taking more of a hit economically this year compared to previous years, he knows they will find a way to come and support the kids.

“Every year that I’ve been nervous, the community has stepped up to the plate and shown their generosity and their dedication over and over again,” he said. “They do it year in and year out and always have the ability to figure out how to put things together to support the sales and the work ethic that these kids are showing off when they get there.”

Members of the community show their support not only by purchasing animals at the sale but also by offering extra help when it comes to processing the meat and getting it to the bidders as soon as possible — even among the high demand. 

Processing in a timely matter

Bridges said that all the buyers’ animals could be processed in August — or at least by the middle of September — thanks to the extra efforts of area meat processors.

“Our local processors do a great job of making adjustments. They try to figure out how to get more animals taken care of on a weekly basis than what they typically do,” Bridges said. “For this year coming in, we’re pretty excited. I think we’ve got everything put into place just like last year to eliminate a lot of waiting time.” 

One business in particular has gone “above and beyond” to support the junior livestock sale in the past and will continue to do so this year. 

“Roger’s Meat dedicates the whole month of August to us,” Bridges said. “They have that wide open for us, so that everybody that wants to schedule their animal can go to Roger’s. We will get everybody through in August, and that’s a kudos to Junior and the crew there at Roger’s for being willing to say ‘We’re here for the kids.’”

If spots fill up at Roger’s and other local processors, or if buyers want a different option, they can have their animal scheduled to be processed at Matt’s Custom Meats, located in Saint Anthony, ID.

After the fair on Sunday, a truck will take the purchased animals that have been designated to be processed in Idaho. The frozen meat will be brought back to Cody — Matt’s Meat will be in contact with buyers to let them know when they are finished and will arrive in Cody, approximately three weeks.