Steer show is a family affair
Jonas siblings Mathew, Marshal, Macey and Mason pose with a steer that one of them will be showing at the county livestock show in a couple of weeks. The siblings have all been competing with steers since they were old enough to join 4-H.
Siblings Macey, Mason, Marshal, and Mathew Jonas are gearing up for the 2014 Leon County Youth Livestock Show that will be held in two weeks, April 3 – April 8, at the new Leon County Expo Center.
All four of the Jonas siblings are members of the Buffalo 4H and have been showing since they were in the third grade. They also compete in major shows including those in Austin, Ft. Worth, Houston, San Angelo, and San Antonio. According to the Jonas siblings, their steer projects go all year long. As soon as a show is completed, they begin to get another steer ready for the next show.
Taking care of the steers is a time-consuming job as they have to tend to their steers in the mornings before school and in the evenings as well. Besides feeding and watering their steers, the siblings have to wash, brush, and clean up the barn where the steers are housed. They also have to work on showmanship with their steer to prepare for that competition.
The siblings do help each other out because they do not have their steer picked out to show until closer to the show.
“It is a lot of fun to show with your friends,” Macey said. “However, once you are in the show ring, it is competition.”
Macey is a junior. This is her ninth Leon County Youth Livestock Show. As a sixth grader, Macey showed the Grand Champion Steer in 2009 at the Leon County Youth Livestock Show.
Mason is a sophomore and has been competing in the Leon County Youth Livestock Show for the past eight years and showed the Reserve Grand Champion Steer at County last year.
Younger brothers Marshal and Mathew are students at the upper junior high and have both won Grand Champion Showmanship awards in the past, and all four siblings are hoping for success at the upcoming county show. They agree that the new Leon County Expo Center is going to be great for the county show because it is bigger and will hopefully bring more interest into showing as well as others into the area.
When asked if she had to give her brothers any pointers along the way, Macey laughed with a big smile and said, “Yes, I usually have to help Marshal and Mathew out the most and help them prepare showmanship.”
