Emily the champ
12-year-old wins grand prize at Yoakum show
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YOAKUM - Every week, Emily June Kelley spends about 14 hours washing her steers, mixing their feed and cleaning out their stalls.
"They don't like sleeping in nasty stalls," the 12-year-old from Yoakum observed.
Kelley's hard work paid off. She and her steer, Oreo, took home the grand prize for market steers at the Yoakum Project Show.
The event was held on Friday and Saturday at the Yoakum Rodeo Arena.
Oreo caught the attention of show judge Jeff Prokop, who looks at a combination of muscle, finish, balance and structure when evaluating steer
"From a show's perspective, he was very eye-appealing," Prokop said. "He combined muscle and finish to the highest degree."
The victory was not the first for Kelley. She has raised steers for the past five years and won several honors during that time. In October, she was named champion at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas for a steer that was aptly called Champ.
"Before we ever saw him, someone described him and we thought maybe we'll name him Champ," she recalled.
Champ sold for $95,000 - about a third of which Kelley got for her college education. When the seventh-grader graduates from high school, she wants to go onto Texas A & M University and study a field related to agriculture.
She plans to raise steer until she "can't raise them anymore," she said.
The experience appeals to her because it is a challenge to control and care for such large animals.
"There's that thought in the back of your mind that you accomplished something really great," she said.
Humans need to approach steer with confidence and strength or the animals won't show them any respect, she added.
"Sometimes, they can get out of hand," she said. "They know they can just drag you if they want to."
Kelley's parents, Tom and Jennifer, helped teach her how to work with steer. They have also spent many years raising the animals.
In early February, Kelley will again appear in a livestock show. She will attend a livestock show in Fort Worth with another steer - DJ.
Yoakum Project Show Champions
Market Swine
Grand - Carson Schindler
Reserve - Katelyn Frazer
Market Goat
Grand - Carson Washington
Reserve - Jeremy Kelley
Market Broilers
Grand - Sarah Bland
Reserve - Hunter Kvinta
Market Rabbits
Grand - Ashley ...
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Yoakum Project Show Champions
Market Swine
Grand - Carson Schindler
Reserve - Katelyn Frazer
Market Goat
Grand - Carson Washington
Reserve - Jeremy Kelley
Market Broilers
Grand - Sarah Bland
Reserve - Hunter Kvinta
Market Rabbits
Grand - Ashley Carroll
Reserve - Dalton Janssen
Market Steers
Grand - Emily June Kelley
Reserve - Kyle Schoenemann
The Advocate will publish auction results and pictures for the Yoakum Project Show on Jan. 25.
Other area livestock shows
January
Moulton Livestock Show, Sunday and Monday
Hallettsville Livestock Show, Jan. 24 - 26.
Nordheim Livestock Show, Jan. 31.
February
Hope Livestock Show, Feb. 14.
Yorktown Livestock Show, Feb. 20 - 21.
Victoria County Jaycees Livestock Show Feb. 26 - March 2; parade, Feb. 21.
March
Cuero Livestock Show, March 4 - 6.
Shiner Livestock Show, March 6.
Refugio County Livestock Show March 12 -14
Goliad County Livestock Show, fair and rodeo, March 19 - 22.
May
Wharton County Youth Fair, May 3 - 9
October
Jackson County Livestock show Oct. 7 - 10
Calhoun County Livestock show - Oct. 13 - 15
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