At the Oklahoma Youth Expo on March 18th, over 130 lawmakers made their way to the OKC fairgrounds to be part of the 2024 Legislative and Celebrity Showmanship Contest. Lawmakers were paired with a 4-H or FFA member and had the chance to learn how to show a goat, lamb, steer, or barrow.
The showmanship was judged, and one lawmaker was awarded champion of each species. Then, an overall winner was chosen. This year’s overall winner was State House Deputy Floor Leader John Pfeiffer, who showed a steer. Other winners from the three remaining animal divisions included State Senators Lonnie Paxton and Chuck Hall as well as U.S. Senator James Lankford.
Prior to the competition, Farm Director KC Sheperd talked with Representative Ty Burns, who was paired with a hog exhibitor.
“In the past, all of Oklahoma has been rural,” Burns said. “We are starting to see a shift in this.”
Burns said most state representatives are from urban areas in Oklahoma, so the legislative showmanship event gives them a chance to connect with rural Oklahomans.
“It shows what we do in rural Oklahoma, and it is important,” Burns said.
Burns also commended the year-long hard work of OYE exhibitors in preparing their livestock to be shown. He added that this hard work teaches exhibitors lifelong values.
“That is that work ethic that we are losing in the workforce these days,” Burns said.
The Legislative/Celebrity Showmanship is an event designed to showcase the 4-H and FFA youth who are the heart of the Oklahoma Youth Expo and remind lawmakers that many of them are Oklahoma’s leaders of tomorrow.
Click here for the full schedule for the 2024 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 2024- available here. If you want to look back to the 2023 OYE- click here for our pictures from last year’s event.
Our coverage of the 2024 Oklahoma Youth Expo is sponsored by Hilliary Communications. More than 60 years ago, the Hilliary Family acquired a small telephone company in rural southwest Oklahoma. Now in its third generation, the company has grown from a single exchange with just 100 access lines covering 22 square miles to now serving more than 19,000 customers in 22 counties throughout Oklahoma & Texas. The company also offers IP television service and internet speeds up to 1 Gig. Click here to learn more about Hilliary Communications.
