CCISD livestock show shatters 7 records

The 2023 Clear Creek ISD Livestock Show and Auction shattered seven grand champion records and raised $312,000 for students in its FFA program, making 2023 the most successful year in the event’s 41-year tradition.

During the three-day event that ended with the auction on Jan. 19, Clear Springs High School junior Addi Shannon’s animals brought in the most for any student, with her grand champion steer selling for $21,100 and her grand champion pig going for $11,500.

“Breaking the records for the grand champion steer and grand championship pig was something I really needed in order to congratulate myself, and it just showed me that all of the hard work really does pay off,” said Shannon.

Last year’s highest bid at the event was $12,500 for the reserve champion steer.

This year, the reserve champion steer, which was raised by another Clear Springs student, Madison Cook, was purchased for $15,000.

This is the second consecutive year that the community, including parents and area businesses, helped the district’s agriculture program smash previous records.

In 2022, which was the first in-person post-pandemic event in which the public participated, the auction took in a thenrecord-breaking $250,000.

“I am blown away by the tremendous amount of support that was on display throughout the week and especially at the auction,” said J.T. Buford, the district’s technical education program manager and show chairman. “The agriculture science department is so thankful for everyone that showed up in person and online to celebrate the success of our CCISD FFA exhibitors.”

The top buyers this year included a mix of residents and commercial entities, including Norman Frede Chevrolet, which purchased the winning steer. The top 10 purchases ranged from $9,000 to $21,850.

Other categories that brought in record numbers were the grand champion awards for rabbits ($9,000), turkeys ($7,000), broilers ($6,000), Best of Show Floral Design ($2,600) and Best of Show Visual Arts ($3,000).

Students start raising their animals near the end of the school year or early summer. For Shannon, this year’s success boosted her plans for next year.

“I was so grateful for this experience and plan on continuing next year to use the knowledge I gained from this year to hopefully be successful,” she said.