Fair showcases the valley's best

As the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo wraps up today, we can’t help but think about how the theme for this year’s event – Exploring Montana’s Best – was fitting for the week.

All week we watched Flathead Valley youth show off their hard work and talent. From raising animals as small as rabbits to as large as beef cattle, we saw their years of dedication shine through. In the fine arts and culinary skill categories, we saw proof that youngsters have been honing their skills to present fine and tasty entries.    

We saw perseverance in the swine competition, as competitors opted out of traveling to other shows this year to prevent the spread of disease, as it’s been a hard year for hogs and illness.  

It’s great to see youth like Kylee Oedekoven look for solutions to the challenge of pigs being shipped in from out-of-state, with her idea to have more kids do breeding projects so there’s a local option to source pigs.  

We saw dedication at the goat show with Caroline Rennie, who is five years into her goat breeding business. After assisting with the birth of 23 goats this year, she would sleep in the barn to bottle feed the newborns every two hours.  

“I’ve been obsessed with goats for a long time,” she said. 

Seeing competitors learn lessons from raising pigs or sheep is always something to celebrate, and the experience goes beyond the Flathead County Fairgrounds. 

Like Courtney Hendrickson, who said she enjoys her job as junior assistant manager for the Sheep Barn and getting to show younger competitors the ropes.  

“It definitely builds up your confidence — just talking to others and getting out of your comfort zone is a big part of it,” Hendrickson said.  

At age 18, Brady Broll has been showing steers for the past eight years and already knows the impact it’s had on her and her fellow competitors.  

“Any kid that goes through 4-H or FFA makes the world a better place,” she said.    

We also must send a thank you to the local businesses and organizations that show up every year to the 4-H/FFA Market Stock Sale to support the youth by purchasing a steer, hog or lamb. It’s a great way to show the competitors that the community supports them and their future endeavors.  

As mom to three children showing a steer at the fair, Jannell Plummer of the Glacier 4-H put it, “Stress is high, the animal is big, but sometimes, the payoff is amazing.”