Forty-four Miller County 4-H and FFA exhibitors are busy preparing for the culmination of the livestock show season.
These students will exhibit their animals at the Miller County Junior Market Hog and Heifer Show and Sale next Monday, February 20, 2006.
The show and sale will take place at the Miller County Agricultural Center Show Barn located on Hwy. 27. The show will begin with swine showmanship, starting at 10:00 a.m., immediately followed by the heifer show. The market hog weight classes will begin after the conclusion of the heifer show.
The Georgia State Livestock Show, the final show of the season, will be held February 22-26 in Perry. These shows will mark the end of preparations that started as early as last summer for some exhibitors.
Swine showmanship classes will be broken down by grade in school. The exhibitor may show one of his/her entries in the showmanship contest. The number of showmanship classes and the grouping of grades for each class is based on the number of exhibitors in each grade. The top five places will receive prize money. Each exhibitor is required to participate in showmanship.
“This is the first time in many years that we have had the cattle show, and we are excited to have this part of the market show,” stated Wes Pace, Young Farmer advisor. “We have five exhibitors this year and hope this number will grow over the next several years.”
The Junior Heifer project can be a year-round project which youth 4-H and FFA exhibitors show animals that are born between September through January of the previous year. These animals may be exhibited at many livestock shows throughout the year in different states. The Jr. Heifer project is a time-consuming project that can be financially demanding also. Unlike exhibitors showing Jr. Market Hog Projects, Jr. Heifer exhibitors begin their projects with the intention of retaining their animals at the local or state shows; therefore, these exhibitors rely on premium money throughout the year to help compensate for all expenses incurred throughout the year. Eligible heifer exhibitors may also take their animals to the state show following the local show.
Students showing cattle have been hard at work with these animals since they got them. For cattle showmen, the daily routine consists of washing the cow, blowing the hair dry, “training” the hair to enhance, cleaning out pens and practicing showmanship. “Despite the time and effort this project requires, we hope our number of exhibitors will still continue to grow,” say those working with the program.
A number of the exhibitors this year have already competed in different shows and have had great success. Miller County is a force to be reckoned with, and many of our exhibitors have excelled in showmanship competition awards and breed champion awards.
There will be a large number of swine exhibitors again this year with some new and returning showmen. Exhibitors may show either barrows or gilts. The market hog projects usually is a four to five month project which begins in October and ends in February and have involved daily commitment from each student. These hogs are usually selected at a weight range of 50 to 100 lbs. and fed to market weights ranging from 225 to 275 lbs. The market hog project requires daily feeding and exercising and requires exhibitor commitment to ensure that it stays healthy. Exhibitors who are nine years of age or older and belong to 4-H clubs or FFA are eligible to participate in the State Livestock Show. Some of the new exhibitors have been able to learn from experienced peers, which develops a unique mentoring opportunity.
Every years parents and exhibitors meet with the local advisors to be informed of local and state rules and regulations. Exhibitors may enter three hogs, but show only two. This rule applies to both the local and state show. Exhibitors may sell one of the entries for a premium price at the local market hog show. After the local show, eligible exhibitors have the choice of competing in the state hog show which will be held the end of next week, selling their hogs for market price at the local sale, or retaining their hog(s) for breeding.
“We are excited about our show and we have some really good livestock that will keep the judge’s mind working,” stated the organizers of the show.
All decisions made by the judge and the show officials will be final.
Of course, our livestock program would not be what it is today without the support of the local community. Many local businesses and individuals have contributed to the upcoming shows, as well as given time to help these exhibitors be successful.
This year’s exhibitors are Daniel Allen, Josh Battles, Heather Butler, Colt Calhoun, Kayla Calhoun, Cody Cleveland, Dylan Cleveland, Katie Cofty, Sheffield Duncan, Tomi Lynn Duncan, Paige Godfrey, Nikki Griffin, Zack Griffin, Aaron Haire, Henley Haire, Preston Henry, Taylor Henry, Hayden Holt, Jordie King, Allison Mathis, David McVey, Ashton Mock, Bo Mock, Taylor Mock, Jenna Phillips, Beth Anne Phillips, Shelton Pickle, Josh Rathel, Chase Rawlings, Nicholas Rawlings, Corey Roseborough, Jessica Shirley, Ansley Still, Sky Stovall, Ty Stovall, Zac Taylor, Sydney Thomas, Nicole Varnadoe, Brooke Widner, Jonathon Widner, Taylor Widner, Will Henry, and Mindi Merritt.
Delicious pork BBQ sandwiches and hamburgers will be sold at the concession stand during the show.
The sale will start at 7:00 p.m. “We urge all businesses and individuals to come out and support these young people,” stated Wes Pace.
The show and sale are sponsored each year by the Miller County Young Farmers.

The city of Colquitt had a scare when the call came in at 11:38 a.m. Monday, February 13, that a natural gas line had been ruptured.
All emergency crews were called out, including Colquitt/Miller Co. Fire & Rescue Units, Colquitt Police units, Miller County Sheriff units, city workers and disaster crews.
The streets around the ruptured natural gas line were blocked to all traffic until the gas line rupture was repaired.
According to one of the officers on the scene, the line that was ruptured by construction equipment clearing the lot for paving; it was not one of the main lines, but it was a meter line. It was bad enough, but not as bad as was first reported as being a main gas line rupture.
The point of the break was at the corner of North First Street and Geer Street.
If it had been a major rupture, everyone in a four block area or more would have had to have been evacuated, including the hospital and the nursing home patients and employees as well as the home owners and residents of that side of Colquitt.
The close-down of that area and fast repair of the gas pipe rupture were handled as well as could be expected. The leak was repaired, and the area was opened for traffic in a matter of a very few minutes.
Although this was a potentially very dangerous situation our radio operators and emergency crews did a great job.

On October 6th, Cotton Hall opened its doors for the premier of the latest Swamp Gravy production, “Nuthin’ But A Will,” and the audience enjoyed an evening of storytelling and songs that were on fire! “Nuthin’ But a Will” features stories collected from among others, the volunteer fire department, and many were told by, told about, and told to honor local unseen heroes. “Nuthin’ But A Will” features stories that involve fires of all kinds, even invisible fires, like need, want, acceptance and “making do,” along with stories associated with natural disasters that have occurred in our area.
Now in its 13th year, Swamp Gravy has received critical and national acclaim for creating a new genre of theatre - community performance. Each year stories are collected from the residents of Miller County and the surrounding area. These stories for “Nuthin’ But A Will” were adapted to script form for the stage by Jules Corriere. Through the stories and events from local history, this play continues to explore universal themes such as family, community, love and death. Audiences, young and old, love the show’s “down home” Southern brand of humor while critics have praised the show for not shying away from darker themes such as racism and domestic violence. Swamp Gravy has also become famous for its music, a unique blend of traditional favorites and original new songs, especially written for each show by various local artists. The new musical score features uniquely southern musical influences, such as gospel, blue grass, folk, country, blues and jazz.
The show’s cast of over 70 people is made up of volunteers from the local communities, acting under the direction of experts who have been brought in from all over the United States. For this production, Swamp Gravy welcomed back its original director, Richard Geer, along with his team of professionals. These include co-director and writer, Jules Corriere; scenic designer, Joe Varga;, lighting designer, Brackley Frayer; choreographer, Kevin lega Jeff; and musical arranger- accompanist, Steve Hacker. Since Swamp Gravy features stories from local history, often the volunteer cast members end up portraying friends, relatives, and other characters from their pasts.
In recent years, Swamp Gravy has been presented for the vice president at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. The show has been featured in such national publications as “USA Today,” “Southern Living,” “Drama Review” and “American Theatre.”
Swamp Gravy: Nuthin’ But A Will spring schedule in Cotton Hall is March 2-5, 9-12, 16-19, and April 13-15 (Mayhaw Festival Weekend.) The show times are Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday 3:00 PM. Please call 229-758-5450 for more information and ticket prices.

Week of February 12, 2006