FFA Senior Competes To Win At Fair

FARMINGTON — Jessika Calhoon, a senior at Farmington High School, has been showing cows and steers at the Washington County Fair since she was 10 years old with Bethel Grove 4H Club.

Now a member of Farmington FFA Club, Calhoon is spending this week at the county fairgrounds, preparing to show her heifer, Elsa, and her white steer, Olaf. Obviously, Calhoon is a fan of the Disney movie, “Frozen.”

She has raised both animals and spends many hours caring for animals on the family farm, Triple J Farm in Prairie Grove.

Calhoon can list many advantages to taking care of animals and participating in the Washington County Fair and other competition shows.

“I’ve learned responsibility. It really teaches you what hard work is,” she said but quickly adds, “I have a good time and I love it.”

Calhoon daily takes care of her animals. She washes and blow dries their coats each day. She works with them on showing techniques. She feeds them twice a day. Her steer is located at another farm, so she spends time there daily caring for Olaf.

Showing animals has helped her personally in another way, she said. She’s naturally shy and having to show animals and talk to people about them has helped her to overcome her fear of talking to people.

Calhoon says she is competitive and the first year she showed, she didn’t win first place. She didn’t take it as seriously as she should have.

“I learned I had to do more,” Calhoon said. Her efforts have paid off. During this past spring, she showed Elsa and Olaf at several events sponsored by the Arkansas Junior Cattle Association and won the High Point Award, for earning the most points during the season.

At the Arkansas State Spring Show, her heifer was named Grand Champion and her steer received the Reserve award. Calhoon won the Showmanship Award.

On the national stage, Calhoon and Elsa have won several awards.

Clayton Sallee, FFA sponsor and Farmington agriculture teacher, said family support is important for kids who show animals, noting that Calhoon has family support to help her.

Students who are serious about showing animals can be compared to those children involved in travel sports, dance, cheerleading and other competitive events, Sallee said. Students pay others to help them get better in showing animals, he added.

“It’s exactly like sports. You seek out people to help you do whatever you want to do. To a lot of kids this is what they are passionate about, just like kids who are passionate about sports,” he said. “At every show, we’re going for the win. We go to all the little shows to practice and get better.”

Calhoon said she hopes to pursue an ag business degree at the University of Arkansas and would like to own a cattle operation. Her ultimate goal, she said, is to raise a national champion.

Farmington FFA will have 19 students participating at Washington County Fair this week. Most of the judging takes place Tuesday and Wednesday, with the livestock auction scheduled for Thursday night. Fair animals will continue to be on site all week so visitors to the fair can walk through the barns to see chickens, turkeys, sheep, cows and goats.

Or do any of the other fair activities available: go to the Midway for rides, eat carnival food or listen to live music.

Admission is $5 at the gate. Senior citizens are free 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and University of Arkansas students are free Thursday, 5 p.m. to close, with college I.D

For more information, go to the fair website, www. mywashcofair.com.

PHOTO BY TRIPLE NICKLE PHOTOGRAPHY Jessika Calhoon with her white steer, Olaf.