image used as white space
MSUcares header Link to home page

4-H Youth - Livestock

Dixie National

Boy and animal at dixie nationalEvery year, for one week in early February, youth who raise livestock and participate in the 4-H & FFA livestock programs in Mississippi head to Jackson for the annual Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Shows. These youth bring show entries from their junior livestock projects to compete for champions of their individual categories.

The Dixie National is the showcase for the 4-H & FFA livestock programs and livestock industry; it is also the site of the largest junior market livestock shows in Mississippi. The Champion and Reserve Champion of the Junior Steer Show, Junior Market Lamb Show, Junior Market Swine Show, Junior Market Goat Show, and Overall Champion Mississippi Bred steer, lamb, and hog are singled out for a special tribute at the Dixie National. The exhibitors purchased many of these animals last spring, and these young exhibitors with champions have worked long and hard to raise their outstanding animals.

imageFirst, boys and girls exhibit their animals at one of the five district shows within the State. If they receive a blue ribbon on their animal at the district show, they can then participate in the Dixie National. There were over 1,600 market animals at the five district shows and over 1,100 ended up at the Dixie National Junior Round-Up, from which the champions were selected. These champion animals were sold to the highest bidder at the Sale of Junior Champions auction.

2009 DIXIE NATIONAL SALE OF JUNIOR CHAMPIONS

Dixie National Sale of
Junior Champions
FACTS

Highest price paid for a Market Steer: 2007, Ergon, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MS and Governor Haley & Marsha Barbour – $17.00/lb – total price $22,916.

Highest price paid for a Market Hog: 2008, Deviney Construction, Yates Construction, Entergy, AT&T and APAC - $56.00/lb - total price $15,512

Highest price paid for a Market Lamb: 2008, Brookshire’s Grocery & Regions Bank – $61.00/lb – total price $9,333.

Highest price paid for a Market Goat: 2007, Direct General Insurance, Inc., Bobby & Barbara Martin, Cary & Mary Childs and Bob & Amber Lee Glover – $80.00/lb – total price $7,200.

Top sale in total dollar volume: 2007 – $279,008.50

Total of sales from 1970 to 2009:  $3,976,752.35.

The 40th Sale of Junior Champions was another great event for our youth involved in the Animal and Dairy Sciences Program.  The Sale’s committee is to be commended for the hard work that they put into this sale to make it a very successful activity.  This was the 15th year in a row for the sale to gross over $100,000.  Gross total for the 41 animals sold was $233,380.  The eight steers averaged $9.25/lb.; the twelve hogs averaged $16.92/lb.; the twelve lambs averaged $32.92/lb.; and the nine goats averaged $39.89/lb.  The Grand Champion Steer was purchased by Ergon, Inc., Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MS and Governor Haley & Marsha Barbour for $15.00/lb. for a total of $18,315 and was the highest selling animal in the sale.  Eddie and Cris Guillot, Eastgroup Properties, Luther and Janet Ott, Mike McRee and Newborn Associates purchased the Grand Champion Hog for $21.00/lb. for a total of $5,880.  Wilson’s Meat House purchased the Grand Champion Lamb for $39.00/lb. for a total of $6,084.  The Grand Champion Goat was purchased by Watson Quality Ford and Watson Madison County Ford for $43.00/lb. for a total of $4,171.

The buyers, contributors, sale committee members, Extension staff members assisting with the sale, and other supporters who help make this a special event for our youth are to be commended.  For more news on the Sale of Junior Champions, go to http://msucares.com/news/print/fcenews/fce09/090206.html for a news article and http://msucares.com/news/farmweek/flashvideo/2009/2009-02-27dixie2009.html for a program byFarmweek TV.  Thanks to everyone!

Buyers who purchased animals were Adcamp Inc., American Field Services, APAC, AT&T, Attala Frozen Foods, Bank of Yazoo, Bank Plus, Barksdale Cadillac, Beth M. Harris Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MS, Bozeman Ag Commodities, Bozeman Farms, Brock Plumbing, Brookshire Grocery Company, Business Communications, Inc., Cimarron Mortgage, Craft Farms, Deviney Construction, Dixie National Booster Club, Eastgroup Properties, Empire Trucks, Entergy, Inc., Ergon, Inc., First South Farm Credit, Gark Clark Catering, Gateway Tire Centers, Governor Haley & Marsha Barbour, Gray-Daniels Auto Family, Harreld Chevrolet, Havard Pest Control, Hay Land, Helena Chemical Company, Herrington Services, Higginbotham Automobiles, Hilton-Jackson, Insurance & Risk Management, J.D. White Electric, Key Constructors, Killen Contractors, Land Bank of North Mississippi, Lewis Trailer Sales, Inc., Matthews, Cutrer, & Lindsay, P.A., Molpus Woodlands Group, MS Ag Commissioner Dr. Lester Spell, MS Ag Company, MS Fair Commission, MS Farm Bureau Casualty, MS Farm Bureau Federation, MS Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, MS Secretary of State Delbert Hoseman, MS State Treasurer Tate Reeves, MS Sweet Corn Producers, Newborn Associates, Oldham Chemical, Paul Anthony’s Market, Puckett Machinery, Puckett Rents, Regions Bank, Rick’s Pro-Truck, Security Support Services, Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, Smith, Harper & Morgan Rodeo Co., Southern AgCredit, ACA, Southern Cross Underwriters, Inc., Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance, Southern Tractor, Stribling Equipment, T.P. Weisenberger & Company, LLC, Tackett Fish Farms, TeleSouth Communications, Tellus Operating Group, LLC, Terry Trane Services, Tico's Steakhouse, Trustmark National Bank, Tubb Equipment & Rental, W.B. & Isabel R. McCarty Foundation, W.S. “Red” Hancock, Inc., Wade, Inc., Warren Excavation, Watson Madison County Ford, Watson Quality Ford, Whitten Farms, Wilson Dodge, Wilson’s Meat House, Yates Construction Company, William Adair, Andy Barham, Janice Barrett & Pat Barrett, Jr., W.P. Brown, Walter Denny, Tommy Dulaney, Eddie & Cris Guillot, Cecil Harper, Congressman Gregg Harper, Bill & Kay Harris, Tom Hixon, J.L. Holloway, Bryan Jones, Mark S. Jordan, James Killebrew, John Lundy, Michael McRee, Dr. Jim & Mei Mei Newsome, Luther & Janet Ott, Hal & Linda Parker, John Phillips, Ray & Cindy Phillips, and Pat Renegar.

Others who made contributions to assist with the sale and the scholarship fund were: A&R Land Investment, Black Creek Outfitters, Catering by George’s, Chimneyville Smokehouse, Inc., Cowboy Maloney's Electric City, Daigle Enterprises, L.P., Dixie National Booster Club, Electric Power Associations of MS, Fountain Family Foundation, Gary Clark & Co., Guaranty Bank, Jimmy Sanders, Inc., Laws Construction, Lazy 91 Club Goats, Merchants & Farmers Bank, Mississippi Beef Council, Mississippi Pork Producers Association, MS Serum Distributors, MSU Division of Agriculture, Forestry & Veterinary Medicine, National Awards Campus Supply, P.P.R., L.P., Planters Bank, Schimmel’s Restaurant, Staplcotn, Supervalu Food Store #46, Taylorsville Feed-Seed & Garden Ctr., The Clarion-Ledger, The Gaddis Farms, W.S. Scott Company, Wilson’s Meat House, Dr. Joe Baker, Olivia Host, Ben Lamensdorf, Richard Newman, and Robert Thomsen.

The Sale of Junior Champions continues to mean a lot to our Mississippi youth livestock program.  The 40 sales have grossed a very impressive $3,976,752.35.  The first sale in 1970 had a gross total of $7,621.35.  This outstanding activity has come a long way in 40 years!

We salute all buyers, contributors, sale committee members, Extension staff members assisting with the sale, and other supporters who help make this a special event.

Scholarships

2009 DIXIE NATIONAL SALE OF JUNIOR CHAMPIONS ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS The Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions Promotion Committee presented twenty-five $1,200.00 academic scholarships. Winners were: Kimberly Sullivan, Taylorsville FFA; Chelsi Elizabeth Smith, Lee 4-H; Jessica O’Reilly, Holmes 4-H; Kayla Williams, Clarke 4-H; Chelsie Dobbins, Forrest 4-H; Jessica Willie, Walthall 4-H; Samantha Potts, Tippah 4-H; Paige Nicholson, Newton 4-H; Olivia Frazier, Pontotoc 4-H; Angelia Hogue, Yazoo 4-H; Jennifer Newcomb, Panola 4-H; Quinnie Sylvester, Lawrence Co. FFA; Cheyenne Stewart, Webster 4-H/Eupora FFA; Alana Cecil, Tate 4-H; Katie Mitchell, Alcorn 4-H; Bailey Sumrall, Loyd Star FFA; Haiden Rodgers, Sunflower 4-H; Kaitlyn Hardin, Pontotoc 4-H; Justin Blackwell, Seminary FFA; Jack Payne, Jasper 4-H; James Preston Hebert, Lincoln 4-H; Daniel Moore, Yazoo 4-H; Alan Smith, Pearl River 4-H; Landon Domino, Humphreys 4-H; and John Hodges, Leflore 4-H.

Alert your 4H'ers and FFA members about the scholarships for the next year. Applicants must be seniors in high school and must exhibit an animal at the 2010 Dixie National Junior Round-Up. Exhibitors who have an animal(s) in the 2010 Sale of Champions or exhibitors who receive Premier Exhibitor Awards will not be eligible. The scholarship will be payable to the university or college the winner attends as a full time student (college or university must also be in Mississippi). Scholarship applications will be sent to each county Extension office and FFA chapter about mid December.

2009 Mississippi Livestock Council Scholarship

The Mississippi Livestock Council presented a $500.00 scholarship to Sidney Cawthorn of Copiah 4-H.

Dixie National Junior Round-Up Premier Exhibitors

One hundred ten applications were received for the Premier Exhibitor Program at the 2009 Junior Round-Up.  The Sale of Junior Champions Promotion Committee sponsored a $1,500 academic scholarship for the Premier Exhibitor in beef, sheep, swine, dairy, and goat.  There were 41 exhibitors in the beef division, 13 in the dairy division, 11 in the lamb division, 25 in the swine division and 20 in the goat division.  The 2009 Premier Exhibitors are:

Beef – Trey Donahoe, Sunflower 4-H
Dairy – Katie Booth, Chickasaw 4-H
Lamb – Marley McCardle, Copiah 4-H
Swine – Seth Maxie, Forrest 4-H
Goat – Joanna King, Hinds 4-H

Dixie National Junior Round-Up Supreme Beef Awards The champion heifers of each breed and the Supreme Commercial Beef Heifer competed for the Dixie National Junior Round-Up Supreme Beef Female.  Kody/Kash Miller, Smith 4-H, received this award with their Champion Commercial Beef Heifer.  The Dixie National Junior Round-Up Supreme Beef Male was selected from the champion bulls of each breed.  Gary Mack Mitchell, Alcorn 4-H, received this award with his Champion Hereford bull.  Each award was a $1,000 scholarship presented by the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions.

Dixie National Junior Round-Up Supreme Dairy Female Award The grand champions of each breed and the Grand Champion Commercial Dairy Heifer competed for the Dixie National Junior Round-Up Supreme Dairy Female.  Ray/Charlotte Drane, Copiah 4-H, received this award with their Grand Champion Jersey animal.  This award was a $1,000 scholarship presented by the Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions.