OYE Legislative Showmanship Winner for 2023- Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert

State Rep Kyle Hilbert after winning the 2023 OYE Legislative Showmanship Contest – the FFA member who provided her lamb for Hilbert to show- Abbey Roberts of Bristow FFA

It’s just one more reason why the Oklahoma Youth Expo is one of the greatest youth livestock shows anywhere in the United States. On Tuesday evening- after the State House and Senate had adjourned for spring break week- 115 state lawmakers hung around Oklahoma City into the evening to be a part of the 2023 OYE Legislative and Celebrity Showmanship Contest. In addition to the state lawmakers- aides to most of the Oklahoma Congressional delegation participated as well- all showing at least one of the four species that are featured at the Youth Expo.

Treasurer Todd Russ

The lawmakers were paired with a 4-H or FFA member and got a lesson in how to handle their animal and properly present them to a judge during the contest. After that brief tutorial- they started the contest with a goat, lamb, steer or barrow.

Four lawmakers won their respective species showmanship. Rep. Carl Newton of Cherokee won the hog showmanship- Senator Chuck Hall won the Goat Showmanship, Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert of Bristow took the lamb showmanship and newly elected State Treasurer Todd Russ was the Steer Showmanship winner.

Senator Chuck Hall

These four each showed a steer- and the judges of the evening declared State Rep Kyle Hilbert as the Overall Showmanship winner- receiving the Senator Robert Kerr Traveling Trophy. After Hilbert won the top honor of the evening- Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays talked with Rep Hilbert about the contest and the huge turnout of this legislative colleagues- and about how his experiences in the FFA has made him a better lawmaker- allowing him to take full advantage of serving the state as members of the House have elected him to the number two leadership position in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Listen to Ron and State Rep Hilbert by clicking on the Listen Bar below:

The Legislative/Celebrity Showmanship is an event designed to showcase the 4-H and FFA youth that are the heart of the Oklahoma Youth Expo- and to remind lawmakers about how many of these young people are the leaders of tomorrow for Oklahoma.

Click here for the full schedule for the 2023 OYE. The Oklahoma Farm Report team will be snapping pictures from start to finish- and you can see them as we add them to our Flickr album for 2023- available here. If you want to look back to the 2022 OYE- click here for our pictures from last year’s event.

Our coverage of the 2023 Oklahoma Youth Expo is sponsored by Hilliary Communications- who deliver the latest cutting-edge communications services supporting tens of thousands of customers across 22 counties throughout Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa. The company offers internet, voice and HilliaryTV. Hilliary Communications continuously researches the marketplace for innovations and strives to improve underserved areas, offering services that exceed customer expectations. Click here to learn more about Hilliary Communications.

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