CATTLEMEN YOUTH CELEBRATE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL BEST SEASON Awards and prizes filled the stage as families gathered to commemorate an unusual year at the annual Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) BEST (Beef Exhibitor Show Total) awards banquet held on May 1 at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus. Over 350 BEST exhibitors were awarded for their show success, cattle industry knowledge, photography skills, community service efforts and more. This year’s BEST program featured seven weekends of sanctioned shows that wove their way across the state. Over 592 youth participants showed 850 head of market animals and heifers throughout the season. The 2020-2021 sponsoring partners for the BEST program were Ag-Pro Companies and John Deere, Bob Evans Farms, Dickson Cattle Co., D&E Electric - The Young Family, M.H. EBY, Inc., Farm Credit Mid-America, Ohio Farm Bureau, The Folks Printing, Frazier Farms, Jones Show Cattle, R.D. Jones Excavating and Weaver Leather Livestock.
18 | Ohio Cattleman | Summer Issue 2021
The banquet kicked off with the annual Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) donation. BEST exhibitors raised money earlier in the year through the Celebrity Showdown and collected pop tabs all year. Over 1,280 pounds of pop tabs were accumulated and this year’s donation total was $23,467. The highest donations were from Weston and Lawson Grauer, Richland County with $2,925 and Austin Sutherly, Clark County with $1,100. Cheyenne Baker, Preble County, submitted the most pop tabs with 472 pounds. “Of all the prizes and awards given to these kids at the end of the season, the most exciting part to them is the community service. They are always so eager to be involved in this project, and I hope it is something they will take with them as they get older and grow to become leaders for Ohio’s cattle industry,” said Karigan Blue, BEST program coordinator. Thanks to the program’s generous sponsors, many door prize giveaways
and drawings were held. The hottest drawings were for the BEST trailer, the Buckeye Breeders Series (BBS) trailer (both trailers donated by M.H. EBY) and the John Deere Gator (donated by Ag-Pro). The winners of these prizes receive a full year’s use of the item. The Novice Division of BEST includes first year participants. All Novice exhibitors were given an entry into their own unique drawing for every animal they showed at each show throughout the season. This year’s prize was a grooming chute donated by Weaver Leather Livestock. The main event of the evening was the award recognition ceremony for the hard work exhibitors showcased throughout the season. Awards were given for character trait winners, scholarships, stockmanship, photography, showmanship, breed champions, novice champions, bred and owned champions and Buckeye Breeders Series (BBS) champions. A full list of winners can be found at www.ohiocattle.org.
