Developing the Youth of Texas Starts with Leon County 4-H

Savanna Howle and her Market Lamb are being directed by show officials in the show arena. Contributed photo The San Antonio Livestock Exposition, Inc. has always understood that education is vital to the American agriculture industry. For 60 years, they have supported Texas youth by providing them a venue for competition and a market for their junior agricultural and livestock projects. Leon County was represented this year in the Breeding Heifers, Market Swine, Market Goats, Market Lambs, Market Steers, and Poultry Divisions.

In the poultry division we had Kortni Hibbard and Kaegan Hibbard, Breeding Heifers we had Andy Johnson, Tobe Johnson, and Gatlynn Johnson, Market Goats was Logan Freeman and Natalie Freeman, and Market lambs was Savanna Howle. Market Swine was represented by Ross Beshears, Cade Beshears, Courtney Clark, Edmond Clark, Taylor McGill, Clay McGill, Logan Cummings and Taylor Cummings. Finishing up San Antonio Stock show was Market Steers represented by Macey Jonas, Mason Jonas, Marshal Jonas, McKinzie Hamilton, Hayley Hamilton, Jarrett Fishbeck, and Jacob Fishbeck. Leon County 4-H Livestock Judging team also participated in the Livestock Judging Contest. These contestants included Cody Oden, Micaela Erwin, Rebecca Barbee, Leslie Mudd, and Brittany Beggs.

In 1984, an innovative SALE Executive Committee began to think about encouraging 4-H and FFA high school students to continue their interest in agriculture by pursuing agricultural careers in college. So was born the San Antonio Livestock Exposition, Inc. Scholarship Fund which awarded fifteen four-year scholarships in the amount of $90,000 to students entering Texas colleges in the fall of 1984. From that modest beginning, SALE has expanded its program so that over 4,600 Texas college students have now benefited from the SALE Scholarship Fund. Currently, there are 70 Texas counties that are represented by active students in the program. To date, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo educational commitment exceeds $96 million with $8.1 million committed in 2009 in the form of scholarships, grants, endowments, auctions, a calf scramble program and show premiums paid to youth. Awards and scholarships for this year will add more than 300 new scholars to the program. Currently, there are more than 1,300 active scholarship recipients. Our scholarships are represented by students in 67 colleges and universities throughout Texas.