FFA livestock show goes virtual

SPOKANE — The 2020 Junior Livestock Show of Spokane will be taking showmanship to the computer screens with a virtual experience for exhibitors.

The cancelation of all May events at Spokane County Fair and Expo Center jeopardized the traditional livestock show that attracts FFA groups from schools across Eastern Washington.

The Junior Livestock Show’s governing board decided April 5 to move forward with a virtual format for the showing and omit a livestock sale.

“Going to a virtual show is a learning experience for all of us,” show manager Lynn Cotter said. “We had a lot of back and forth on what to do with this year’s show. We have an 18-person board, so we had a lot of ideas and thoughts being thrown around.”

Exhibitors may enter their videos between April 27 and 8 p.m. May 5. Submitted videos of exhibitors showing their animals will be only made available to the judges.

“Since minors are in these videos, we can’t have them out to the public for safety concerns,” Cotter said. “The results of the show will be made public and should be on our website and Facebook page at least by the day after the event, May 7.”

Awards will be given as well as feedback to every animal submitted.

LaCrosse High School agriculture teacher and FFA adviser Lisa Baser said that once the board realized that a traditional show was not possible this year, it believed it was important to give FFA students something in which to participate.

Video requirements include showing all views and angles of an animal, lasting only 60-90 seconds, fitting the animal as if the exhibitor was going into a live show ring, etc.

“One thing I’m afraid of is those who would’ve attended the show in person and now that’s virtual they may not have the same access online,” Cotter said. “If they don’t have access to video or this new platform they can take photos of their animal and send it to my email, so they can still get credit.”

According to the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane Facebook page, all entry fees will be refunded unless the payee wants to donate the funds.

The fairgrounds will be refunding camping fees, as well.

“Most of the shows in the area have canceled and I think it leaves exhibitors and their families a little lost on what to do,” Baser said. “This virtual show is a way for kids to keep working with their projects towards an end goal of some sort of show.”

Cotter said the board of directors is hoping students will still have fun this year.

She said that if they just canceled the event altogether, a lot of pupils would lose interest in their projects that they have worked so hard on.

Baser believes all of her LaCrosse students will be participating in the virtual show.

She said she believes this will give a lot of them, especially the seniors, a sense of closure.