The Cascade County 4-H Livestock and Show Event takes place at the Montana ExpoPark July 8-9. 4-H members from numerous clubs across the county are priming their livestock for market sale, but also for showmanship accolades in the ring.
Hudson Rohrer is a member of Circle S 4-h Beef club and is praising his show animal this year.
“He's one of the better steers actually. I mean when he started, he wasn't so great. But he just became easier and he became a lot gentler in the past couple of weeks and he looks really good compared to what I've had in the past.” He told.
This show contains different livestock events – beef, sheep, goats, swine, poultry, rabbits. The participants can show in market, showmanship, round robin, and supreme breeding female classes.
Hudson’s steer is where he wants it to be.
“Well, for market, I think we'll do pretty good. For the past four or five years I've always ended up in the top ten for my steers.”
Rohrer faces a major challenge in showmanship this year, his hurt right arm. That doesn’t affect his attitude or his knowledge when it comes to his animal as its judged.
He explained what a judge is searching for in a quality market anima: “He's looking if he's strong over the shoulder and if he's square over the hips. But I think most mostly what they're looking for is that he's got a wide rump and he doesn't cut too much up in the flank because that means that you're getting rid of that tenderloin and there's less of it.”
These 4-H members rely on buyers from near and far to turn a profit. This interaction before the show with buyers gives 4-H sellers a chance to interact with the agricultural community around them. Hudson, along with others are hopeful of a large crowd.
“The just the sales have been getting a lot better over the past few years. We've started doing online sales along with our in-person ones, and we're just getting a lot more buyers from even around the country. I think last year we had buyers from Alaska and Oregon and all over the place but especially our local buyers there.”
There is a level of importance when it comes to understanding the finances of raising livestock and farmers like Hudson are the future of Montana agriculture.
