I swung by the Oklahoma Youth Expo livestock show at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds this past weekend to photograph my nephew Gage Ratzlaff as he was showing a big Angus heifer, and man, it brought back a flood of memories. There they were—kids and their families, hustling around the barns, brushing out a cow here, fitting a lamb there, and polishing up a hog until it shone like it just stepped out of a magazine. You could feel the buzz in the air, but I knew from my own days in FFA at Choctaw High School that the real story wasn’t the shiny show ring. Nope, it was all the grit and heart happening way before the spotlight hit.
These kids don’t just roll up on show day with a pretty animal. Months—sometimes a whole year—go into it. They’re out there every single day, rain or shine (or that biting Oklahoma wind), learning the rhythms of their critters. Feeding schedules, grooming routines, walking them to build muscle and trust… it’s a full-time side job on top of school, homework, and everything else. And the early mornings? Oh yeah. Picture this: alarm blaring at 4 a.m., stumbling out of a warm bed into the cold dark, boots crunching on frozen ground while you mix feed or bed down stalls. I did it growing up with my own crew—cows, horses, pigs, chickens, rabbits—the whole barnyard gang. Half-asleep but wide awake in the chill, because those animals were counting on you. No snooze button when you’ve got mouths to feed and coats to keep slick for the judges.
The dedication is something else. You watch a kid spend hours practicing how to set up a heifer just right, or trim a goat’s hooves until they’re perfect, all while juggling soccer practice or band. Families pitch in too—moms hauling water buckets, dads tweaking halters, grandparents offering quiet advice from the sidelines. It’s teamwork at its finest, but the kid’s the one putting in the real sweat equity. And yeah, there are setbacks: an animal that won’t cooperate no matter what, a late-night vet call, or that one morning when the weather’s so nasty you’re questioning every life choice. But they keep showing up. That’s the magic.
What sticks with me most is what this teaches ’em. Hard work isn’t some fancy slogan—it’s real, hands-on, day-in-day-out stuff that builds calluses and character. Perseverance? They learn it the hard way, when things don’t go perfect but you push through anyway. And the care for their animals… that’s the heart of it. These kids aren’t just raising livestock; they’re forming bonds that last. They know every little quirk, every happy grunt or contented chew, and it turns into a respect that carries way beyond the fairgrounds.
Walking those barns at the Expo, snapping pics of the smiles and the last-minute touches, I couldn’t help but grin. These young folks are keeping that rural spirit alive, one early morning at a time. It’s the kind of thing that makes you proud to be from Oklahoma—proof that a little (or a lot of) elbow grease and heart can turn into something pretty special. If you’ve got a kid in the ring or know one who is, give ’em a high-five for me. They’ve earned it.
