It’s the most wonderful time of the year. . .yes, people are gearing up for the holidays. But in the show livestock world, they are also preparing for livestock shows.
Yes, jackpots are now basically year-round, and the winter majors are happening soon. The livestock show schedule is a crazy, never-ending loop. So, how do breeders and exhibitors prepare? It all comes down to planning.
Regional Livestock Show Schedules
Livestock show schedules happen on a somewhat regional basis. In many parts of the U.S., including the Midwest, plains states and coasts, county and state fairs happen in the summer through the fall. This allows young people to take advantage of the summer months, when they are not in school, to work with their animals and attend weeklong county fairs and junior nationals.
However, in Texas, the leading state for livestock shows based on number of animals shown, the well-known “Texas Majors” happen in the winter through spring. The Southwestern Livestock Exposition, commonly known as Fort Worth kicks off this string of multi-species major livestock competitions in January.
Other southern states like Georgia, for example, start showing new projects just like they do in Texas in November and December. These first-time projects are getting their start now and will wrap up in late spring.
Check out our list of shows at the end of this blog HERE.
Impact on Breeders
Regionalized livestock show schedules allow for some breeders to have year-round marketing outlets. For instance, those who raise show pigs can breed for and farrow summer pigs for those in the south who need pigs that will finish in the winter and spring. Since sows have a shorter gestation length than a cow, they can have on average 2.57 litters per year. Thus, realistically a sow will have two litters of pigs, which means show pig breeders will have the opportunity to market to two different sets of clientele.
Of course, cattle breeders don’t have that luxury; but cow-calf producers either fall or spring calve, and there are always options available for exhibitors.
Livestock Show Schedules Run on Exhibitor Ages
For most breed associations and youth programs like 4-H and FFA, there are age minimums and maximums for the participant. Depending on the organization and the location, most of the ages are by January 1. However, some of them are set by the actual show date or another date, like September 1. Always be sure to read and know the particular show guidelines set forth by the show or organization.
You don’t want to get to a show and realize that your son or daughter is not the correct age to show, after you have invested the expense and time into a show project. Read and reread the rules carefully and keep them with you in case you have any questions or concerns.
How Can Dealers Help Exhibitors Power Champions?
It is important for dealers to help their customers power champions by keeping a full line of Sure Champ® products stocked during your particular show season. If you live in an area where shows happen year-round, you want to keep the staples like Liquid Boost®, Sure Champ® Joint Juice, Sure Champ® Cattle and the gel products on hand.
If you have shows in primarily the summer months or live in a warmer, southern climate be sure to have Sure Champ® Extreme with ClariFly® stocked, as that multi-specie product is a crowd favorite in the heat when flies become a challenge.
Take Advantage of Tools For Success
Need help promoting these Sure Champ products? We have got you covered there too! Visit the SAMM Center to request all your marketing materials and literature.
Do you use Promoboxx? Promoboxx is free to our dealers, and we have social media posts already created for these products. Use these to your advantage! If you don’t have Promoboxx, sign up today. It simplifies your social marketing and offers you posts across all of the BioZyme family of brands. You can find more information about Promoboxx under the Marketing Tab in the Online Dealer Center.
Tracking livestock show schedules in your area can be a challenge. However, with proper planning you can help your customers power their champions by providing the products they need from Sure Champ. You can also provide a list of upcoming shows. Nearly every show has a social media site, so follow or like the show on Facebook or Instagram so you can keep up with deadlines and dates, and perhaps post those dates on your own social media as a service to your customers. Although many states have a show of some kind on every weekend, we have provided a list of national shows for you to have handy for you to track.