Taking Stock Young Farmers Prepare To Show Off Their Animals At The Junior Livestock Show

Milkshake picked the lock of his pen three times Sunday. The tightly sheared lamb searched for freedom from the Junior Livestock Show.

“If there’s any weakness in the pen, he’ll find it,” said Milkshake’s owner Amanda Hall, 15. The show, now in its 62nd year, runs through Thursday at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds.

More than 600 boys and girls from Eastern Washington and North Idaho are participating, showing their steer, swine and sheep before the animals are sold at the Stockland Livestock Exchange.

Hall had to keep a close eye on Milkshake - just as she’s done for the last five months. The Medical Lake High School freshman bought the lamb when it was a month old, then trained, groomed and cared for it in preparation for the show.

She won’t make much profit. About $10 will be left after Hall pays back Washington State University for the lamb’s purchase price and food.

But Kurt and Jackie Druffel of Pullman, know plenty about profit. The brother and sister say the livestock show will foot some of their future college bills.

Kurt, a senior at Pullman High School, proudly guided his 1,175-pound steer around the ring.

It was his 10th show. Every year, he deposits hundreds of dollars in proceeds into a special savings account. He figures he’s saved up enough to pay for his first year at WSU.

His unnamed steer stopped to lick an admirer’s hand. A sandpaper-tough tongue left slimy saliva behind.

“The friendlier they get, the ornerier they get,” Kurt said.

He’s spent countless hours training dozens of swine and steer for the show. The tough lessons have taught him the value of his farming father’s work, his whole family’s work. The animals are not pets. They’re a livelihood.

“It takes a lot of your time,” he said.

Jackie, 15, taps the side of her pig’s head with a riding crop, leading Elmo through a run of drills. She’s preparing the 270-pound porker for judging Monday and Tuesday.

With a toothbrush and soap, Jackie scrubbed stains from Elmo’s tear ducts. She used a rag soaked with mineral oil to clean his ears until they were shiny pink. The mud-loving swine must be dirt-free to score high in the ring.

“They always shake their head; they don’t like it,” she said. “But I keep doing it.”

Persistence pays off. Boys and girls who haven’t spent enough time training their animals get frustrated when the practice sessions go awry.

“He won’t listen,” one girl complained to her father.

“Arrrggghhh!” said another girl, after her snorting hog decided he’d rather plug his snout in a metal fence than listen.

Nine-year-old Emily Weber used her knees, ankles and thighs to move Pooh, her stubborn pig. “If you’re mad, they get mad and won’t go with you,” said the Colton, Wash., third-grader.

For other future farmers, the rapport they have with their animals is paying dividends this week.

Hall’s ready to score big with Milkshake. So is Jackie Druffel with Elmo and her other pig, Oscar.

As for Kurt Druffel, he’s almost done. Almost free of hair-spraying his steer’s tail, almost safe from getting his toes crushed by powerful hooves.

Ahead is college - and 10,000 acres waiting for his helping hands.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo