By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer

More than 250 young people gathered at Iroquois Farm on River Road in Cooperstown this week to show their goats, sheep, pigs and cattle at The Farmers’ Museum Junior Livestock Show. The show has been bringing exhibitors together from all over the area for 61 years. Organizers said the Junior Livestock Show, which celebrates youth and agriculture from a nine-county region, has become a rural tradition in central New York, and is the second-largest youth competition in the state, with the largest being the New York State Fair. The livestock show was established by Stephen C. Clark Jr. in 1946, to encourage farm youths and to foster agricultural education and excellence. The event tests the skills of participants ages 8 to 18 who present animals that they own, care for and have prepared for competition. This was 10-year-old Molly Watson’s second year showing at the Junior Livestock Show. As the Cooperstown youngster sat on a hay bale under a striped tent Monday afternoon, she said she had a couple of cows and a pig at the show. She was sitting next to her Jersey and a milking shorthorn. Her pig, Twinkletoes, was in a pen in a barn nearby. She said she had shown cows before, but it was her first attempt at exhibiting a pig. Watson said she is going to try another first at the Otsego County Fair — showing goats.

By Monday afternoon, Watson had already placed third in a showmanship class with her Jersey Loveydove, which was born Dec. 23. Watson said she could not wait to get back into the ring to show her other animals. ``I like to earn money so I can spend it at the Morris Fair (Otsego County Fair held in Morris) on things like rides,’’ Watson said.

Watson said she typically shows her animals at the Otsego County Fair and the Junior Livestock Show. However, last year one of her cows received a reserve grand champion ribbon, which qualified it to go to the State Fair. Watson said she believes the State Fair is the most competitive. Mollie Goodwin of Morris is no stranger when it comes to competing at the Junior Livestock Show. The 17-year-old has been doing it for 10 years. It has become a tradition in the family, said Goodwin, who has eight siblings. Goodwin said she has always lived on a farm, but not always in Morris. She said her family used to have a farm in Canajoharie when they lived in Cherry Valley. ``We used to go to a lot of fairs and show,’’ said Goodwin ``We don’t go to as many anymore.’’

Goodwin said she likes showing at the Junior Livestock Show because everyone is friends with everyone else. She said, ``It is like a social event.’’

It is fun to display the animals, said Goodwin, who had four cows at the Junior Livestock Show. She said her family had eight cows at the show all together.

Goodwin said she and her siblings put in quite a bit of work when preparing their cows for a show. She said the hardest task is making the cows ``halter worthy,’’ meaning teaching the cows to lead. “We try to get as much done as possible, such as the clipping, before we actually get to each show,” Goodwin said.

Peter Gartung of Hartwick has been showing at the Junior Livestock Show for three years. This year he showed one Angus beef cow. His family has been raising beef cattle to sell as calves and for meat for five years. Peter’s father and mother, Pete and Kerrie, said the livestock show provides a great environment for kids. Pete said the facilities are great and it is obvious that a lot of work goes into putting on the event.

The 13-year-old said showing in Cooperstown is a fun experience. Peter, who also plans to take four beef cows to the Otsego County Fair, said showing has taught him a lot about responsibility and competition.