As the cold air finally moves in, youth from Acadia Parish are working hard to prepare their animals for the upcoming 2024 Acadia Parish Junior Livestock Show and Sale at the Rice Arena in Crowley, January 16-18.

This means it is time for an exciting week that combines the thrills of championships with the enthusiasm and anticipation of Acadia Parish youth.

This year’s livestock show will feature over 130 4-H and FFA exhibitors and more than 300 animals throughout Acadia Parish. This event allows 4-H and FFA members to exhibit their animal projects and show off all the hard work they have put forth.

A livestock show is an event where livestock are exhibited and judged on certain phenotypical breed traits specified by their respective breed standard. Species of livestock that may be shown are dairy cattle, beef breeding cattle, market steers, commercial heifers, breeding goats, commercial goats, market lambs, commercial lambs, breeding lambs, breeding hogs, market hogs, poultry, and rabbits. Livestock shows are great events for today’s youth to learn responsibility and socialize with other young people from all over the parish, state, or country.

The livestock show will begin Thursday, January 16th, with the animals arriving and the scales opening for weight in sheep, goats, dairy, beef, and mouthing commercial heifers. On Friday, January 19th, at 8 AM, cattle, goat, poultry, and broiler shows will kick off. Immediately following the goat show will be the sheep show, then the swine show. At 12:30 PM, the rabbit show will begin. Once the swine show concludes, we will conduct a parish-wide livestock judging contest for all 4-H and FFA members. The event concludes with the livestock auction on Saturday morning in the Rice Arena.

Youth and adults can come out to the arena to learn more about the 4-H and FFA programs, what it takes to exhibit an animal, what products come from the different animals, and a chance to get up close and personal with the livestock.