Students score big at 67th Annual Brazos County Youth Livestock Show

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Youth from across the Brazos Valley are putting their hard work on display at the 67th Annual Brazos County Youth Livestock Show. Students spend over a week showcasing their animals and agriculture-focused projects in hopes of winning prizes and money for college.

Many of the students involved have been a part of the Brazos County Youth Livestock show and others for many years and have earned high honors. Ava Allensworth has participated in shows since she was 8 years old and earned grand champion for her goat, Grape, Tuesday. He was judged on things like muscle and overall size.

“We worked tirelessly, day and night, treadmilling, tracking, doing everything we can to grow muscle, build fat and just bringing him to show,” Allensworth said.

The goal is to make the animals impressive for bidders at Saturday’s Premium Auction. This is where students can earn money that will help them further their education after high school.

Brady McCleary took home the title of grand champion for his pig, Champ, Wednesday. McCleary spent several months raising Champ and helping him grow from around 50 pounds to his current weight of about 280 pounds. He’s been showing livestock for seven years and has learned to juggle all of the responsibilities, like his counterparts.

“One thing I’ve learned a lot about is time management and just taking care of the animals,” McCleary said.

The 2023 BCYLS Queen, Becca Catlin, showed pigs for the first time and took home top honors. She raised them for about a year and said it’s easy to become attached to them. One of her pigs, Steve, will be a part of Saturday’s auction.

“He has such a personality, and he’s so funny,” Catlin said. “Sometimes he doesn’t realize how big he is, so he tries to play but it’s a little more rough because he’s 300 pounds, but I’m really going to miss him.”

Makenna Johnson has had her steer for almost a year and will be showing him off Thursday. The freshman has nurtured and worked with it daily to prepare for the show. Johnson has been showing animals since the third grade and is excited to advance throughout high school.

“I have four younger brothers, so I hope that they can see my example and also continue to show and learn all of the things from me that I’ve learned along the way,” Johnson said.

You can see the schedule for the remaining events here. Saturday’s auction starts at 1 p.m.

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