Sheep and goats whining, cows mooing and pigs oinking are not unfamiliar sounds to FFA members as they spend their time preparing for the upcoming county show in January.

  The county show is one of the most important shows that an FFA member has to worry about, and the expectation for their animal is very high for county shows compared to other competition shows in FFA. It is also the show where the members decide if they want to slaughter their animal or go to majors with it.

  “The county show is the show that we mainly look forward to for months and it’s the show that is most stressful,” junior  FFA member Madison White said.

  From the moment a member gets their animal, they start preparing them for upcoming shows. Animal owners have to make sure their animals can walk correctly into the arena, and the weight of the animal is also a big factor, as well as the condition they are in.

  “It is extremely time consuming,” sophomore FFA member Ellyn Freiborg said. “Preparing takes time out of almost every day, especially because after school everyone usually goes and helps out at the barn.”

  There are many steps to prep an animal up for their appearance when the time has come to show them to judges. The steps vary depending on what type of animal you have, but appearance is one of the main things judges pay attention to. There isn’t much team work involved during the preparation of the show; they usually just concentrate on themselves and the work that needs to be done for their animal.

  “To prepare my pig, I first bathe her, and then put conditioner water on her to make her hair lay down how I want it,” White said. “I then mist her with water to make her shine.”

  What judges say is the moment of truth for all FFA members who are competing and when they find out if their hard work has paid off. If even one expectation falls short on one of the animals being presented, it could really hurt FFA members score.

“It can get a little stressful sometimes especially because things always need to be done at the barn and it feels like the work never ends,” sophomore FFA member Jimena Llamas said.

  The county show will be held Jan 21-25 at the Williamson County Barn in Georgetown. There is no certain time that members need to get to the barn by, but they need to be at the barn for the majority of the time that their animal is there.

  “The show is an extremely enjoyable experience because you get to do it with all your friends and make great memories,” Llamas said.