KH Students Win Multiple Awards at Clay County Fair Livestock Shows

BY JENN SAMSEL

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Keystone Heights Junior-Senior High School students won several awards at the FFA and 4-H livestock competitions held April 3 – 11 at the Clay County Fairgrounds.

This year, Keystone Heights students showcased their animals in the livestock competition, earning multiple awards, competing against peers from Nassau, Duval, and St. Johns Counties in categories including 4-H, Future Farmers of America (FFA), and Youth Leaders in Production Agriculture (YLPA), which, during the competition, delivered a brief 30-second speech about their experiences and lessons learned.

Competitors of all ages competed in various divisions, including rabbits, turkeys, chickens, goats, pigs, wethers, heifers, ewes, does, and steers.

Throughout the competition, the students gained knowledge of animal anatomy, honed their showmanship skills, and developed a sense of responsibility, care, and a daily work ethic with their animals. At the end of the fair, the students sold their livestock.

In the farming industry, it can be a challenging field. Still, for many students, it is a potential path, with aspirations to continue studying agriculture in college and earning degrees.

Savannah Rathjen, a 9th-grade student at KHHS and a member of the KHHS Clay chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), recently competed in the dairy goat and fancy sheep show. She has been showing goats for approximately eight years.

Her favorite aspect of the show is the dairy goat livestock show.

“Really getting the experience of showing livestock has helped me do the kind of management. Like all the fairs and all the competitions that I’m in, and helping me kind of manage them, and along with the responsibility, and just learning different techniques about where you’re raising them. You can do protein management and all the things beforehand, before we show livestock. I didn’t know any of that, and it has really opened up more doors and more opportunities for the eventual show pig or cow. I encourage everyone to stay involved and not give up,” said Savannah Rathjen.

Once she graduates, she would like to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to study agriculture.

Jake Markham, an 11th-grade student at KHHS, competed in the Heifer Show and won several awards. He has a great passion for the FFA and is looking forward to going to college to study Agriculture at the University of North Florida.

Dana Brock, a volunteer mom who has been helping out with the FFA Chapter for several years, also had her son competing from KHHS. She was assisting in the goat exhibition competition.

“There are very strict rules that they have to learn so the judge can come up and ask them questions, such as can you identify the various parts of the goat, what is the age of your goat, who is the dam and sire of your goat. My oldest son, Tyler, is 15, and he’s been showing since he was three,” said Dana Brock.

Brooklynn Hall, an FFA agriculture teacher at KHHS, has been involved in agriculture since the fifth grade, when she entered her first dairy goat competition. It remains one of her favorite competitions to this day.

“We help to educate kids about agriculture, help teach them about where their food comes from and it’s really important to have agriculture education in the classroom to help bridge that gap between consumer and producer which help to educate them so they can be more informed consumers when they go up to the adults and then we also help to prepare them for future careers or college,” said Brookylnn Hall, FFA agriculture teacher, Keystone Heights Junior-Senior High School.

“Honestly, the best part about it is getting to see these kids’ hard work throughout the year, and they get to show what they’ve done throughout the year. Come on out to Clay County Fair to help support these youth because they’ve done a lot of work throughout the year, and it’s really important to have people there to help support them in their projects and encourage and keep them wanting to come back”, she said.

As the event concluded, students competed in other FFA divisions, including the Hobby Horse Contest, in which students and their advisors participated. In this competition, they rode their hobby horses through an obstacle course, following riding rules while also showcasing their creativity in style.

High school Night consisted of Tug of War, egg relay, pie-eating, watermelon relay, and landskies, during which KHHS took first place.

Tractor driving requires precision, safety, and control as students navigate a detailed driving course. They demonstrate proper equipment handling and showcase their knowledge of tractor operation.

Additionally, students participate in a tailgating contest where they showcase their skills by preparing a 6 to 8-ounce portion of beef, pork, chicken, or shrimp. Their dishes are judged based on doneness, taste, appearance, and overall presentation. With just 1 hour and 45 minutes from the start of the fire to the turn-in time, students demonstrate their understanding of proper cooking temperatures, food safety, thermometer use, and grilling techniques, while maintaining a clean, organized cooking space.

The event concludes with a Celebrity Swine Show and an Antique Showmanship competition.

“Clay County is a very tight-knit, family-oriented community, and the Clay County Fair pours into our youth.  We greatly appreciate the partnership with our Clay County School District for the opportunities our FFA and 4-H students are provided to grow their skills in leadership, work ethic, speaking, listening, responsibility, accountability, and much more through the Clay County Fair and many other opportunities throughout the year.  Clay County is such a great place to grow up because we truly love our children and want them to be successful citizens who continue to give back to future generations in Clay and beyond,” said Laurie Burke, Principal of Keystone Heights Junior-Senior High School.

The students earned banners, belt buckles, and cash prizes for their efforts.

KHHS Competition Results:

Rabbit Showmanship:

Grand Champion Intermediate Rabbit Showmanship – Ella Bolton

Grand Champion Senior Rabbit Showmanship – Payton Woods

Swine:

Class 1

3rd – Anthony Hubbard

5th – Kaylyn Chapman

Class 3

2nd- Ella Bolton

9th- Ryleigh Thomas

Class 4

4th- Tatum Hall

Class 5

9th – Xana Briley

Class 6

5th – Trent Hollingsworth

7th – Carson Wilson

Class 11

2nd – Mason Padgett

Class 12

5th – Tucker Hamm

Class 13

5th – Morgan Wilson

Class 15

2nd – Ryder Thomas

4th – Emily Cunningham

Class 17

4th – Molly Bryson

Class 18

2nd- Alexis VanNordstrand

3rd – Angelina Guzman

6th – Maddy Marini

Class 19

7th – Juliette Marini

Dairy Goat Fitting and Grooming – Intermediate Fitter:

2nd – Emily Cunningham

Goat show – Intermediate Showmanship:

Reserve Champion – Ella Bolton

3rd – Abigail Bolton

Senior Doe’s 2-4 years

5th – Abigail Bolton

Junior Doe’s 12-18 months

1st – Abigail Bolton

3rd – Ella Bolton

Wethers under 6 months

1st – Emily Cunningham

6th – Savannah Rathjen

Wethers over 6 months

1st – Rileigh Morris

6th – Emily Cunningham

Breeding Ewe Show:

Grand Champion Breeding Ewe – Abigail Bolton

3rd – Senior Showmanship – Payton Woods

Class 1

1st – Payton Woods

Class 3

2nd – Savannah Rathjen

Class 4

2nd – Amelia Ekenbarger

Class 5

2nd – Angelina Guzman

Market Steer Show:

Senior Showmanship – Grand Champion Market Steer – Jake Markham

3rd – Kyle Perkins

Grand Champion Market Steer – Jake Markham

Reserve Grand Champion Market Steer – Kyle Perkin

Class 4

1st – Jake Markham

2nd – Kaylee Park

Class 5

1st – Kyle Perkins (KHHS Chapter Steer)

Market Steer Herdsman:

Senior Steer Showman Herdsman Champion – Kyle Perkins

Poultry Judging:

1st – Intermediate Junior FFA Team – Emily Cunningham

Top Team Honor – Jackson Dunn and Averi Hemphill

Junior FFA Individual:

1st – Jackson Dunn

2nd – Emily Cunningham

Senior FFA Individual:

2nd – Payton Woods

Premier Exhibitors:

Steer:

Champion Senior Premier Exhibitor Market Steer – Kyle Perkins

2nd – Senior Premier Exhibitor – Jake Markha

Beef Heifer:

2nd – Senior Premier Exhibitor Beef Heifer Exhibitor – Jake Markham

Swine:

2nd – Intermediate Swine Exhibitor – Ella Bolton

Rabbit:

Champion Senior Premier Rabbit Exhibitor – Payton Woods

2nd – Senior Premier Rabbit Exhibitor – Carson Wilson

Champion Intermediate Premier Rabbit Exhibitor – Ella Bolton

Poultry:

Champion Intermediate Premier Poultry Exhibitor – Emily Cunningham

Breeding Ewe:

2nd – Senior Premier Breeding Ewe Exhibitor – Payton Woods

3rd – Senior Premier Breeding Ewe Exhibitor – Savannah Rathjen

Dairy Goat:

Champion Intermediate Dairy Goat Exhibitor – Abigail Bolton

2nd – Intermediate Dairy Goat Exhibitor – Emily Cunningham

2nd – Senior Dairy Goat Exhibitor- Savannah Rathjen

Dairy:

2nd – Senior Dairy Exhibitor – Amelia Walley

Tailgating Contest:

1st – Intermediate in the Chicken Division – Mason Padgett

Tractor Driving:

2nd – Savannah Rathjen

3rd – Carson Wilson

High School Night:

1st – Keystone Heights Junior – Senior High School

2nd – Middleburg High School

3rd – Oakleaf High School

4th – ClayHill High School

Team – Jake Markham, Ryder Thomas, Wyatt Chapman, Carson Wilson, Xana Briley, Tatum Hall, Kaylee Park, and Morgan Wilson

Hobby Horse Contest:

Adult Hobby Horse Champion – Erin Verplanck

Intermediate Hobby Horse Champion – Emily Cunningham

Fastest Adult Hobby Horse Time – Brooklynn Hall

Celebrity Swine Show & Antique Showmanship:

Reserve Champion Showman – Mallory Sanders

Laurie Burkes with Emily Cunningham’s pig

KHHS Alumni Mrs. Natalie Markham and Mallory Sanders Antique Steer Show