Northwest Missouri youths concentrate on livestock grooming in absence of midway

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Northwest Missouri youths concentrate on livestock grooming in absence of midway

It takes work to bring an animal to the Missouri State Fair, but even among young people showing livestock, there is some disappointment about what’s not happening at the Fair this year.

Ten-year-old Bailey Williams of Trenton, Missouri, has two pigs at the State Fair. There is a lot that is needed in order to show an animal, according to Bailey.

“Well, you’ll need to wash it, you’ll need a trailer and you’ll need a truck to haul the trailer,” Williams told Brownfield Ag News after showing two pigs, each earning Third Place. “You’ll need bedding, and you’ll need feed, a whip and a brush to show it at the pig show.”

Bailey’s friend, nine-year-old Macie Rodenberg, of Wheeling, Missouri, also shows pigs – her Poland China won Second Place.

“I think they can be really crazy, but all the ones that I’ve had, they’re really calm,” Macie explains, about the reasons she prefers Poland China pigs, “and I really like the color that they usually have, black and white.” Macie has very little spare time at the State Fair after tending to her project animals and watching other livestock shows, such as cattle shows, but she says she is disappointed that COVID-19 has resulted in limitations at this year’s Missouri State Fair.

“There’s no carnival and it’s really boring,” said Macie, “because you can’t go do stuff and hang out with your friends and all that,” adding that “there are people here that just come to walk around and watch, and there’s just livestock.”

This year’s fair has livestock shows, but no concerts and no midway.

AUDIO: Macie Rodenberg
AUDIO: Bailey Williams
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