FRANKFORT, Ky. — Hundreds of Kentucky youth will compete for points and prizes and sharpen their skills at the three Kentucky Junior Livestock Expos in June and July.

“The junior livestock expos bring together the best exhibitors from throughout the Commonwealth in head-to-head competition,” Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said. “They also give young exhibitors the opportunity to learn from adult mentors and the older competitors. They provide a great environment for all the participants to learn and grow.”

The series kicks off with the Kentucky Junior Livestock Expo-East in Morehead on June 10-11. The Kentucky Junior Livestock Expo-Western Rivers is scheduled for June 20-21 in Murray. The oldest and largest of the series, the Kentucky Junior Livestock Expo-West, will take place July 25-27 in Bowling Green.

About 1,000 young people will show more than 1,800 head of livestock in beef, dairy, swine, sheep, and goat shows. Top exhibitors in each species will compete in a round-robin showmanship event to determine who is “the best of the best.” The expos will offer livestock and dairy clinics, judging contests with oral reasons, and skillathons. Exhibitors who show animals that are enrolled in the Kentucky Proud Livestock Tag Program will be eligible for additional premiums and awards.

Kentucky Youth Livestock Points are up for grabs for exhibitors and animals in the junior livestock expos as well as other Kentucky Department of Agriculture livestock shows and the Kentucky State Fair. Exhibitors who accumulate the most points are honored in the fall.

“As a livestock exhibitor in my youth, I learned some valuable life lessons and made many friends among my fellow competitors,” Commissioner Comer said. “I believe in livestock shows as a way for young people to develop into responsible, hard-working adults who appreciate the importance of agriculture in their everyday lives.”

For more information about the Kentucky Junior Livestock Expos, the Kentucky Youth Livestock Points Program, and the Kentucky Livestock Tag Program, go to www.kyagr.com or call the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s marketing office at (502) 564-4983.

Source: Press release courtesy of Kentucky Department of Agriculture