Mount Pleasant FFA students win big at Fort Worth

Reese Hill , a FFA member from Mount Pleasant captured Reserve Champion Suffolk Ewe at the 2022 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on January 30. The 2022 Show is hosting junior exhibitors from across Texas competing for awards and more than $32,790 in Junior Breeding Sheep premiums.

With 4-H and FFA members from 239 of Texas’ 254 counties competing in livestock shows, judging contests and other competitions, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo takes pride in providing learning opportunities in agriculture and livestock production. Their experiences not only enlighten them on the importance of stewardship and helping feed the world, they help provide the means to attend college and enter exciting career paths.

“Of everything we do, opening the minds of these amazing youth to the important role livestock production serves for the benefit of society is probably at the top of the list,” said Stock Show President and General Manager Bradford S. Barnes. “With each passing Stock Show, I’m more convinced that the future is in good hands, especially when it comes to instilling character in our youth and the role they’ll serve in securing our nation’s food supply.”

Arenia Tigert, a member of Mount Pleasant FFA, caught a calf during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s Calf Scramble January 29, earning a $500 purchase certificate for a show heifer and the chance for up to $16,000 in scholarship awards. Tigert is the daughter of Christyn Craig of Cookville. Tigert’s award was sponsored by Taxco Produce Company.

One of the Stock Show’s most iconic and popular events, the Calf Scramble gives 20 students an opportunity to catch 10 calves during one of 23 performances of the legendary Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo held January 14 through February 5. Those not catching calves receive a pair of Justin Boots courtesy of the iconic western footwear maker. Justin Boots and Texas Mutual Insurance Company are overall underwriters for the legendary Calf Scramble Program.

Since the Fort Worth Calf Scramble began in 1987, the program has distributed almost $4 million to nearly 8,000 Texas students providing funds for the purchase of their beef or dairy heifer and more than $3.6 million in scholarships has been awarded to more than 1,600 students in recognition of their hard work and completion of the program. Arenia Tigert will use the purchase certificate toward the cost of a heifer that she will raise and exhibit at next year’s Stock Show. Exhibitors that submit monthly reports and a final essay may be eligible for scholarship awards that can range between $500 and $16,000.