Every year the FFA club travels to Little Rock for the Arkansas State Fair. This year members are showing hogs and market goats.

Junior, Austin Shourd is exhibiting two hogs and two goats. It will be a new thing for him this year.

FFA sponsor, Addison Safley, helps the students make sure their animals are up to par for the showing: Caring for them, making sure they have the right skin conditioner, the right haircut, making sure they exercised their animal that morning before the show, and making sure they have been fed properly.

Junior, Cody Churchwell, shares his feelings about showing his two market hogs.

“I’m really excited because it’s my first year to actually experience the state fair show time,” he said.

Safley has high expectations for the animals.

“We try to select the animals and have them nutritionally and physically fit for the shows best we can,” said Safley. “My hopes and outcomes are that we will be able to pull out a winner in a class, maybe division drive. Ultimately, we like to bring home the championship trophy and purple ribbon for that.”

Shourd found his first state fair an enjoyable experience.

“My favorite part about the sate fair was just going to the fair with our animals to see how good our animals can do there and get to compare them to their animals there,” said Shourd.

Safley has a unique way of describing the show.

“Well, I tell the kids all the time that it is kind of like a beauty contest, you pick out the one that you think is the cutest and best dressed and the most well-prepared and then the judge comes in and judges the animals, or those girls in the beauty contest,” said Safley.

FFA is excited about competing with their animals.