Opinion:
Combining State Fair livestock shows takes away purpose of 4-H and FFA

by Kielly Jewell, posted Dec. 16, 2009

The Missouri State Fair is the culmination of a 4-H or FFA member’s hard work and dedication throughout the year. Many families travel to Sedalia, Mo., every August to exhibit their livestock in front of the judges selected to evaluate the projects. The fair that everyone is familiar with may be in danger of being altered in the future. 

In a recent scheduled meeting of the Missouri State Fair Commissioners, they voted to combine the 4-H and FFA livestock shows starting with the 2010 fair. In an effort to minimize expenses, members of the board felt that combining the shows would not affect the numbers of exhibitors competing, but would still save money.

Commission Chairman, Elizabeth Schlueter, said they voted to combine the shows as a cost-saving measure. She felt that the number of exhibitors would not be affected by the change.

“The way the shows are conducted during the fair is the decision of the superintendents and assisting staff,” Schlueter said about the way the events would change. “The status of a show is based on the number of exhibitors and animals entered and judged with established policies on required minimums for show averages.”

Even though there may be a possibility of cost reductions, the efforts of both 4-H and FFA members should not be penalized for the inefficiencies of the Missouri State Fair. It is not the responsibility of the exhibitors to lessen the financial burden. The Missouri State Fair is a place for people to show off all of the hard work they have put into their animal throughout the year.  

At the November meeting of the commissioners, they voted to rescind the previous motion to combine the shows.

Schlueter said the decision was made to take back the earlier plan for the 2010 fair because “additional information was presented on show costs.” The livestock show is safe for now, but the commission does plan to revisit the issue. The competition committee is currently giving the idea a further evaluation.

Kelsey Cornell, an animal science freshman, has showed at the Missouri State Fair for several years. She believes that combining the shows would be a bad idea.

“If you combine the shows, you have beginners showing against people in their twenties. They are two completely different sets of experience levels,” Cornell said.

The Missouri State Fair Commission should take a step back and look at what they are really doing. They are so focused on cutting costs, that they fail to realize the repercussions of their actions. It is time for the exhibitors across the state to speak up and keep this issue outside of the show arena.

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