At the Montrose County Fair, the final rodeo may take center stage, but for many local kids, the real main event happens in the livestock arena.
“It’s kind of like the Super Bowl of raising animals,” said Lisa Franks, agriculture teacher at Montrose High School. She stood just outside the show ring during the Junior Swine Show, watching students parade their pigs with poise and precision. “They’ve worked all year long. Most of them are raising for market, trying to produce the best quality meat possible. This is the show to see who’s got the best product at the end.”
From pigs to steers, students in 4-H and FFA programs commit countless hours preparing for fair week. For many, the work begins nearly a year in advance — feeding, grooming, halter-breaking, and showing their animals at other competitions in the lead-up to the big stage.
The rewards aren’t just ribbons. High-performing market animals can fetch impressive bids. “The champion steer can go for $16,000,” said one young exhibitor. But for many families, it’s not about the money. “They learn responsibility, work ethic, and commitment,” said parent and 4-H leader Jessica Frigetto. “The animal raises the kid just as much as the kid raises the animal.”
Kids at the fair wake up early to care for their livestock before school, and many return home to work with them for several more hours in the evening. In the summer, the commitment deepens — some spending up to six hours a day tending to their animals.
Still, for all the hours spent feeding and brushing and walking animals around the pasture, the most difficult moment may be the last.
“I usually cry all the time after they’re gone,” one girl said about saying goodbye to her steer. Her friend nodded, adding, “You work so hard with them and have so much fun. It’s hard to let go.”
Despite the tears, they return to the fairgrounds year after year — driven by the joy of the experience and the deep connection to the animals they raise.
The community connection runs just as deep. Parents, siblings, grandparents, and neighbors packed the swine show in standing-room-only crowds, creating an atmosphere that felt more like graduation day than a livestock competition.
“It’s about giving these kids a project, teaching them responsibility, and even showing them how to run a business,” said Matt Landt of Montrose who was there helping his 16 year old step daughter. This is their 10 year at fair.
As Saturday’s rodeo wraps up this year’s fair, the lessons learned in the show ring will stick with these young people for life — grit, responsibility, and the bittersweet pride of a job well done.
