State fairs are an annual high point for young people growing up in agriculture, and it provides them with a chance to compete in showing the animals they’ve grown on a statewide level. Ashley Herring is Director of Consumer Information with the North Carolina Cattlemens Association, and says for these young ranchers, showing means growing.

“And they’re certainly building character. They’re learning responsibility. They’re learning empathy and how to take care of something outside of themselves. And so they’re learning the nutritional aspects of how to raise that animal through its growth, its life stages. They’re learning, you know, some sacrifices, of course, like I don’t have time to go hang out at my friend’s house because I need to take care of my animal. And, you know, show up for my animal. You know, regardless of the weather, regardless of other things going on in life, holidays, what have you, they’re certainly gathering all of that. What it takes to to have a animal there in the show ring.”

And they start young.

“You see some teeny, tiny, I would say, four and up, especially, you know, some of the smaller animals of horse, sheep or pigs. But those, those lessons start early, and they really get a lot out of it. You know, they’re extremely proud, and they should be of themselves, and the effort that they take to get there.

The last Sunday of the North Carolina State Fair is the Sale of Champions.

“All of these animals are sold, and a portion of that does go to the exhibitor of the winning animal, but a Scholarship Fund was created a number of years back so that all of the exhibitors receive scholarships towards their higher education. And it may be community colleges. Maybe, you know, universities out of state, we have folks that are majoring in things outside of Animal Science. So you know, all, all career choices, and all sorts of, I guess, diverse degree of, you know, backgrounds and interests for these young people to go out into the world and be good citizens.”

To find out more about the beef industry in North Carolina, visit nccattle.com.