Baaaa! Live from the Sheep Tent

By: Kajsa Sabatke, Interpretive Projects Coordinator I’m writing this post amid the bleating of sheep and the smell of sawdust. Today I’m helping in the sheep tent at The Farmers’ Museum’s 62nd Annual Junior Livestock Show – this is my second year helping with ribbons in this tent. Since I grew up in a suburban area and did not participate in 4-H, I love that this is a teaching show. The first part the day for each animal is the showmanship class, where the judges evaluate participants’ animal handling skills. The youth can then use this feedback to improve their handling during the rest of the show. Participants and spectators alike can also learn more about the animals as judges explain their decisions throughout the show, and I’m already feeling more informed about sheep after a day and a half. The sheep tent also hosts my favorite Junior Livestock Show event: the Sheep Olympics. It’s similar to the agility courses that dogs run, but with less cooperative and more noisy animals. The sheep and kids all do a great job and the event is a fun way to celebrate the animals and all the hard work that has gone into preparing and showing the animals. It’s been a great two days of livestock showing. Congratulations to all our exhibitors!