BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) - Kids took center stage in livestock competitions Tuesday (Aug. 12) at the 110th Benton County Fair.
Participants spruced up their animals one last time, giving them baths and brushing them, before entering the pen and facing the judge.
"You have to be calm, let your goat be calm and just show," said Luke Coffee, a participant.
Jordan Cook has been showing goats since she was five. The ten-year-old has four animals competing this year.
"It's so interesting and they are so fun to do," Cook said.
From feeding and grooming to training, getting animals ready for competition is a full time job.
"We like to run them, and chase them with a mower," Cook said. "It builds up muscle."
Shana Cook is Jordan's mother. She said raising show animals teaches children responsibility.
"It teaches them a lot of responsibility," she said. "They appreciate thing a little more if they have to work for it."
Along with the livestock shows, fair-goers were also able to get a closer look at some of the animals. An area was set aside in the livestock barn for those who wanted to learn how to milk a goat.