By Brad Johnson
For the Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — Wow! Where does the time go? It’s hard to believe that another group of awesome kiddos is graduating from high school. Weren’t they waist-tall, inquisitive, acting crazy at recess, elementary-age young ‘uns just yesterday? Kinda makes me wish for the good ‘ol days myself.
Every year the Rowan County Fair has a great group of children to select scholarship winners from and this year was definitely not an exception. The winners of the 2011 Rowan County Fair Scholarships are: Beverly Hampton, Justin Teeter, and Steven Wetmore. All three are from Mt. Ulla and all three are graduating seniors at West Rowan High School.
Beverly is the daughter of Henry and Cynthia Hampton and has won the Rowan County Fair’s Jim Graham Premier Junior Exhibitor Award the past two years. She’s been active and successful with market lambs and meat goats at all levels of competition. Beverly has been active in the West Rowan FFA Chapter and has served as the chapter President. She has competed on many successful Career Development Event teams, including the state champion Agriculture Marketing Team. State Star Farmer heads her list of honors among her many winning Supervised Agricultural Experiences. Maybe her best achievement to date is organizing the Rowan County Exceptional Children’s Lamb Show. Beverly will be taking her skills to N.C. State University this fall where she’s majoring in Poultry Science with the ultimate goal of becoming a food animal veterinarian.
Justin is the son of Walter and Lee Teeter and he has exhibited numerous champion beef cattle throughout the United States. Beef cattle aren’t his only skill, as he has represented North Carolina at the National 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl, plus he has won high-individual honors at the 2011 North Carolina FFA Livestock Judging Contest and at the 2010 North Carolina 4-H Livestock Judging Contest. He has also been active in the West Rowan FFA Chapter and has earned top state honors for his beef cattle Supervised Agricultural Experiences. Justin is planning on attending NC State University, majoring in Animal Science, and hopes to attend veterinary school.
Steven is the son of Mark and Leigh Anne Wetmore and is also the winner of the Justin Michael Sloop Memorial Scholarship and the Rowan County Holstein Club Scholarship. Dairy cattle consume Steven’s interest, Jerseys specifically. He has exhibited many champions throughout the Southeast and generated tremendous interest in his cattle. A major highlight of Steven’s show career has been exhibiting the Grand Champion Jersey at the 2010 NC State Fair Jr. Show and that same female was Reserve Champion Jersey at the 2010 N.C. State Fair Open Show. Like Beverly and Justin, Steven has also been very active in the West Rowan FFA Chapter, holding officer positions, garnering state champion dairy Supervised Agricultural Experience honors, and competing nationally on the West Rowan Dairy Foods Team. Steven has also been on a state champion Rowan County 4-H Dairy Judging Team, where he was second-high individual. North Carolina State University is also Steven’s destination this fall and he wants to be involved in the seedstock dairy industry.
Beef Educational Meeting
A beef educational meeting will be conducted at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at Correll Farms, 1185 Woodleaf Barber Road. Topics to be covered include live animal evaluation, body condition scoring, feeder calf grades, and a pasture walk. All interested are welcome to participate.
Rowan County Fair Breeding Ewe and Market Lamb Show Changes
Two new divisions have been added to the Rowan County Fair Junior Breeding Ewe Show: Speckle Face and White Face Cross. Crossbred ewes, including Black Face Cross, will show by breed type and within each breed type by weight and the number of permanent incisors. Breed type will be determined at the time of check-in.
Also, Rowan County Fair Junior Market Lambs will also be exhibited by breed type: Black Face, Speckle Face, and White Face. Within their breed type, lambs will be divided by weight.
The definitions of each breed type are as follows:
Black Face: Generally includes sheep of primarily Suffolk and Hampshire breeding and their crosses, along with other black-faced breeds. Also includes all lambs that do not fit the classification requirements of Speckle Face or White Face.
Speckle Face: Must be a cross with evidence of a percentage white-face and percentage black-face breeding. Significant spotting must be present for at least two of the following areas: face, ears, and/or below the knees and stifle joint.
White Face: Generally includes lambs of white-face breeds and crosses of those breeds (Dorset, Cheviot, Columbia, etc.). Lambs should exhibit characteristics of these breeds. Face, ears, and legs should be white. Excessive black or brown spots in the skin or wool on the body, or freckles or pigmented areas of black or brown skin are not acceptable.
Questions may be addressed to Brad Johnson at the Rowan County Cooperative Extension Office, 704-216-8970.
Brad Johnson
Extension Agent
Agriculture-Livestock and Dairy
Rowan County Cooperative Extension
2727-A Old Concord Road
Salisbury, NC 28146
704-216-8970