For many, the county fair is all about carnival rides, favorite fair foods, and demolition derbies. But for those in the livestock world, county fairs mean much, much more. That annual event is the chance to showcase your 4-H and FFA projects locally. It’s where hours in the barn, feeding, rinsing, brushing, and walking culminate into the opportunity to claim the champion banner, often given in a loved one’s honor. It’s a place to explain to your urban classmates the difference between a steer and a heifer or a gilt and a barrow.
For some young livestock enthusiasts, the county fair might be the biggest livestock show they attend each year. That’s perfectly acceptable. For others, it is a chance to prepare for the state fair or a qualifier for a district or more elite show. Whatever the reason for attending a county fair, there are lessons to learn and memories to make.
County Fairs Provide Opportunities
“The county fair gave me opportunities to learn and explore different skills from leadership to animal science,” said Olivia Shike, one former 4-H and FFA member who also served as the 2024 Champaign County (Illinois) Fair Queen. “The project interviews, even at a young age, began helping me shape my public speaking skills, something that is very important to me today.
Shike has always been involved in the barns, showing both pigs and horses from a young age. During her last two years at the county fair, she also exhibited sheep. Additionally, she has been enrolled in general projects like leadership, citizenship and animal science. These are all subjects that have sparked interest and led her to where she is today.
Become a Spokesperson for Agriculture
Shike said reigning as the 2024 county fair queen really opened her eyes to what the total fair meant to others. Her local fair is in an urban community, home to the University of Illinois.
“I was able to see the impact the county fair has on people’s memories – from the grandstand entertainment to the livestock barns. It was also a way for me to expose the average person in Champaign County to livestock and the agricultural industries. When people come to the barns and make eye contact or give a smile, it’s an opportunity for them to ask questions. That is a great way to build trust between the consumer and a producer, and we definitely need more of that trust,” Shike said.
A Passion for Education
Even before wearing the crown, Shike would answer questions about her livestock that attendees at her county fairs might have. Some of the more common questions she received were about the pig whips and sheep muzzles. Both are tools exhibitors use to prevent the animals from eating shavings. Did the whip or the muzzle harm the animals? She explained that when used properly, neither the whips nor the muzzles hurt the pigs or sheep.
Shike said that other questions can be more challenging to answer. For example, what’s the difference between a gilt and a barrow? Well, she explains, gilts go back home into production. The goal is that she may get to show one of their future babies.
“And then if I had a barrow, I would explain that he will be heading to market. Yes, it’s sad to see them go because you’re losing your animal that you’ve built a bond with all summer. But at the same time, you know that it’s a part of the greater mission. It feeds our world and helps create a tomorrow that we can all be looking forward to,” Shike said.
Reflecting on the Memories
But she’s done more than learn valuable skills like public speaking, advocating, and showing livestock. Shike has made countless memories from her years exhibiting at the county fair.
First County Fair Win
“The first one was the first time I got to win a county fair. I had a Duroc gilt, and I was the only one showing at the time because Hunter (younger brother) wasn’t of county fair age. I remember how excited I was. We have a little mural on the backside of a building, where all the champions of the county fair get pictured. I walked my pig all the way there—over some gravel, that totally wasn’t ideal. But I remember having that picture there and smiling, and then my friends coming up and getting in the picture, and it was just awesome. I can still remember that picture in that backdrop and the emotions around it,” recalls the now 19-year-old Shike.
Master Showmanship Win
Another memorable experience was her first time in Master Showmanship at just 12 years old. She said at the Champaign County Fair, there is a traveling trophy—in honor of two girls who tragically passed away—awarded to the champion junior swine showmanship winner. Once she had won it a few times, she was bumped up to senior showmanship to encourage other young exhibitors to participate. Senior showmanship winners automatically participate in Master Showmanship—a round robin of the pig, sheep, and beef showmanship winners—to see who will represent their county in the state level.
“So, I competed in senior showmanship, and the first time I won that, I was eligible for our county’s master showmanship. That was definitely the most fun thing I got to do at the county fair because I was truly just a pig kid, and then I got to show a cow and a sheep. And I really had no idea what was going on. And I was only 12 years old, so I couldn’t even qualify for state fair Master Showmanship. I just remember it was so much fun,” she said with a smile.
Shike did win Master Showmanship at the county fair level in 2024. She competed in the Illinois State Fair Master Showmanship contest, claiming the reserve champion honors.
Looking Ahead
Shike is using some of those early county fair skills to pursue her future dreams. She is a sophomore at Black Hawk East – Kewanee – in the Ag Transfer Program. As a member of the Livestock Judging Team, she is using her animal science and public speaking skills. She will transfer to a four-year University and pursue a degree in agricultural economics with a concentration in policy. Her goal is to become an agricultural politician to ensure that future generations have the same opportunities she has.
This ambitious, happy-go-lucky former county fair queen offers some great advice to first-time county fair exhibitors.
“Make the most of every moment. It’s that hard work that makes that banner actually mean something,” she advised. “Truly live in each moment, whether that’s the hard moments, the not-so-fun cleaning pen moments, or even the big wins and the memories made with friends at a show.”
The Importance of County Fairs
County fairs are essential for young livestock exhibitors across the country. Shike gives powerful advice: “Make the most of every moment.”
You can achieve this by preparing your livestock and ensuring they are eating, drinking, and performing their best. That work starts at home, well before you even think about entering the county fair.
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