Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The 66th annual Stephens County Junior Livestock Show wrapped up Saturday, Jan. 6, with the Jacob Jackson Master Showman competition and the awards ceremony, followed by the buyers’ luncheon and sale.

Berkley White displays the awards she received for her Grand Champion Doe in the Rabbit Division. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

This year’s show included 109 young exhibitors showing animals in 71 classes. The show started on Thursday evening with the Rabbit Division. On Friday, the contests included Poultry, Goats, Sheep, Swine and Cattle. Friday’s events also included the Pee Wee Show and the Ag Project judging. On Saturday morning, the interviews for the Herdsman Awards were held, followed by the showman competition and the awards presentation. The General Show Chairman was Jim McKay.

One change to this year’s SCJLS was the type of awards presented to the winners. In addition to the buckles the winners receive at the awards ceremony and the ribbons they get in each class, there are special awards given out for the breed champions, showmanship winners, overall grand and reserve champions and bred and born winners.

Marsee Fuller, General Show Secretary, said she made the change to the types of awards presented this year. “I want to keep the long-standing traditions of the Stephens County Junior Livestock Show alive for years to come, but I, too, want to try to modernize the show moving forward, and I feel like these awards are a step in the right direction to do so,” she said.

The awards were made by Signature Signs & Awards out of Hartley, Iowa, which specializes in livestock awards. “This was our second year to order from them, and I think everyone was very pleased with their work,” Fuller said.

Leatherette plaques were given for all breed champions; serape blankets with a leather patch were given for both junior and senior showmanship in each species division; galvanized southwest print trays were awarded in large and medium sizes for all overall grand champions and reserve grand champions; and galvanized milk cans with leather patches were awarded to both the breeder and exhibitor for bred and  born in each division.

Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award

The Jacob Jackson Master Showman contest focuses on the skills the students exhibit as they show their animals throughout the livestock show. The final competition included the senior showmanship winners from the SCJLS divisions of poultry, rabbit, sheep, goat, swine and cattle.

At the end of each division’s competition, the exhibitors may participate in the showmanship contest. The winners from each division then compete for the master showman award. In the contest, each exhibitor showed a chicken, rabbit, sheep, goat, swine and steer/heifer, regardless of which category they originally won in. The contestants often borrow the other animals from their friends and fellow exhibitors and seek out advice on showing the animals they are not accustomed to showing. The winner receives a framed belt buckle and $1,000.

The award is named after the late Jacob Jackson, who died in 2014 at the age of 33.

Competing for the 2024 Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award were:

• Mackenzie Cloud — Rabbit Division Senior Showmanship winner
• Josiah Moreno — Poultry Division Senior Showmanship winner
• MacKenzie Cloud — Goat Division Senior Showmanship winner
• Cabel Perkins — Sheep Division Senior Showmanship winner
• Aubrey Diaz — Swine Division Senior Showmanship winner
• Kadynce Kennedy — Cattle Division Senior Showmanship winner

Lee Stanley of Crockett returned for this year’s showman contest and awarded the prize to Cabel Perkins. She was presented with the award by Tye Jackson and Addalyn Jackson, Jacob’s brother and daughter.

The award was first given out in 2015, making this the 10th Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award to be presented. All nine previous winners were present for the event on Saturday morning:

Emma Davis, 2015
Kyler Knight, 2016
Marvin Phillips, 2017
Halle Harvick, 2018
Kason Knight, 2019
McKenly Roberts, 2020
Addison Duncan, 2021
Rylan Sims, 2022
Joni Jackson, 2023

Major Awards

Each division in the 2024 Stephens County Junior Livestock Show has awards for each class, as well as Grand Champion, Reserve Champion, Bred and Born Award, and showmanship awards. Below is a list of the major awards. The Breckenridge Texan will publish complete awards lists and more photos for each division later this week.

Rabbit Division

Grand Champion Buck – Gage Ethridge
Reserve Champion Buck – Kasen Ferguson
Grand Champion Doe – Berkley White
Reserve Champion Doe – Gage Ethridge
Best of Show – Berkley White
Reserve Best of Show – Gage Ethridge
Grand Champion Pen of Rabbits – Davis Morehart
Reserve Champion Pen of Rabbits – Cabel Perkins
Champion Bred & Born Rabbit – Berkley White
Junior Rabbit Showmanship – Evelyn Halari
Senior Rabbit Showmanship – Mackenzie Cloud

Rabbit Judge Paula Courtney of Godley, center, presented the Best of Show to Berkley White, left, and Reserve Best of Show to Gage Ethridge, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Poultry Division

Grand Champion Pen of Poultry – Josiah Moreno
Reserve Champion Pen of Poultry – Chloe Pugh
Junior Poultry Showmanship – Graydon Holman
Senior Poultry Showmanship – Josiah Moreno

Josiah Moreno showed the Grand Champion pen of poultry. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Goat Division

Grand Champion Breeding Goat – Addison Duncan
Reserve Champion Breeding Goat – Sylee Mitchell
Grand Champion Market Goat – Addison Duncan
Reserve Champion Market Goat – Jack McKay
Champion Bred and Born Goat – Sylee Mitchell
Junior Goat Showmanship – Cantyn McClymond
Senior Goat Showmanship – Mackenzie Cloud

Addison Duncan showed the Grand Champion Breeding Goat, shown here, as well as the Grand Champion Market Goat. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Sheep Division

Grand Champion Breeding Lamb – Chloe Pugh
Reserve Champion Breeding Lamb – Mackenzie Cloud
Grand Champion Market Lamb – Miley Roberts
Reserve Champion Market Lamb – Joni Jackson
Champion Bred & Born Lamb – Chloe Pugh
Junior Lamb Showmanship – Trinity Blackman
Senior Lamb Showmanship – Cabel Perkins

Chloe Pugh, right, showed the Grand Champion Breeding Lamb. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Miley Roberts is congratulated by Sheep Judge Donald Kelm after showing the Grand Champion Market Lamb. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Swine Division

Grand Champion Gilt: Addison Duncan
Reserve Champion Gilt: Addison Duncan
Grand Champion Market Barrow: Addison Duncan
Reserve Champion Market Barrow: Rhyder Patterson
Junior Swine Showmanship: Rhyder Patterson
Senior Swine Showmanship: Aubrey Diaz

Addison Duncan is congratulated by Swine Judge Donald Kelm. She showed the Grand Champion Gilt and the Grand Champion Barrow. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cattle Division

Champion English Heifer – Kadynce Kennedy
Champion Exotic Heifer – Krawford Kennedy
Reserve Champion Exotic Heifer – Kinsley Kaylor
Grand Champion Heifer – Krawford Kennedy
Reserve Champion Heifer – Kadynce Kennedy
Champion Exotic Steer – Kadynce Kennedy
Reserve Champion Exotic Steer – Krawford Kennedy
Grand Champion Steer – Kadynce Kennedy
Reserve Champion Steer – Krawford Kennedy
Champion Bred & Born – Isabelle Biddison
Junior Cattle Showmanship – Krawford Kennedy
Senior Cattle Showmanship – Kadynce Kennedy

Kadynce Kennedy showed the Grand Champion Market Steer at the 2024 Stephens County Junior Livestock Show. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Krawford Kennedy showed the Grand Champion Heifer at the 66th annual Stephens County Junior Livestock Show. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Ag Mechanic Projects

Grand Champion Overall – Miley Roberts, high rack
Reserve Champion Overall – Emelio Castorena, picnic table
Grand Champion Farm – Sylee Mitchell, small livestock feeder
Reserve Champion Farm – Adison Nowak, arbor press/die cutter
Grand Champion Recreational – Miley Roberts, high rack
Reserve Champion Recreational – Emelio Castorena, picnic table

Miley Roberts talks to Chris Beard, who judged the Ag Mechanics Project contest, about her high rack. Her project was chosen as the Overall Grand Champion. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

This year’s judges for the SCJLS were:

• Paula Courtney of Godley – Rabbit Judge
• Chris Beard of Albany – Poultry and Ag Mechanics Judge
• Donald Kelm of College Station — Sheep, Goat, Swine and Cattle Judge
• Lee Stanley of Crockett – Showmanship Judge

Cutline, top photo: Cabel Perkins was chosen as the 2024 Jacob Jackson Master Showman by Showmanship Judge Lee Stanley at the 66th annual Stephens County Junior Livestock Show. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)