The 2023 Show Rite Youth Beef Show lets kids display their prize livestock at the Black Hills Stock Show

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Black Hills Stock Show has officially started, and one of the first events lets kids show off their prize livestock. The 2023 Show Rite Youth Beef Show at the Monument started with Junior Showmanship before moving to Breeding Heifers Friday.

The beef show will continue Saturday with Market Steers and Heifers followed by Bred Heifers.

Jerry Talsma, member of the Black Hills Stock Show Livestock Committee:

“As far as what the judges look for in a showmanship contests, there’s usually some evidence in terms of if you’ve been working with your animal at home. If you can get your animal to stand properly, stand still, that goes a long way, especially with smaller kids,” Talsma said. “After that, it’s a matter of getting the animals set up quickly, trying to make your animal look the best and every time the judges comes past and evaluates your animal.”

Families have traveled from miles around, bringing in cattle from 15 different states.

“For many of the people that exhibit at an event like this, they consider it a family event. They work on these projects at home together as a family, travel together,” Talsma said. “It gives families something to do where they can work together. This isn’t an event where you haul your kid off to soccer, dump him out. This is something that people do at home. They do it as a family. Hopefully, it’s a learning experience for everybody involved.”

Levi Marthaler:

Marthaler, 10, of Hastings, Minnesota, competed for the first time at the Black Hills Stock Show. He ended up finishing third overall in his showmanship class, with this event marking three years of showing cattle for the 10-year-old.

“I’m looking forward to having fun with my friends and being able to show my animals,” he said. “I like the relationships and like how I can work with her and be able to wash her and comb her and blow her every day.”