Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions

Announcer: Farm and Family is a production of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Amy Myers: Today we're talking about Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions. Hello, I'm Amy Myers and welcome to Farm and Family. Today we're speaking with Dean Jousan, Mississippi State University Extension 4-H Livestock Specialist.

Dean, the Sale of Champions takes place at the conclusion of Dixie National Junior Roundup each year. First of all, tell me about the Dixie National Junior Roundup?

Dean Jousan: Dixie National Junior Roundup is the showcase of the livestock industry in Mississippi. This year, we'll start the junior roundup on Thursday, January the 31st and conclude with the sale of champions on Thursday, February the 7th. So during the course of the junior roundup, youth have qualified animals from district shows to come to the junior roundup. They exhibit their animal projects that they've been working with over the course of the last year or so.

Amy Myers: How do youth qualify animals to be in the Sale of Champions?

Dean Jousan: During the course of the Dixie National Junior Roundup, we have four market animal shows that take place. So during the course of the shows, the champion and reserve champions of our Junior Market Steer Show, which will be eight total steers. The champion and reserve champions of our Junior Market Lamb Show, which will be 10 lambs. Then the champion and reserve champions of our Market Swan Show, 13 hogs. The champion and reserve champion of Mississippi Red Barrows and then our champion and reserve champion in our Market Goat show, which will be 10 goats. All these animals are singled out and qualify for the Dixie National Sale of Champions.

So this is just a great opportunity for those youth who've worked really hard or their animals of the over the course of the year. In addition to those champion animals, I will try to recognize youth who have bought animals locally. So we also want to make sure that our overall grain and reserve grain champion Mississippi Bred market steer, Mississippi Bred market lambs and Mississippi Bred market goats are eligible for the sale as well.  

Amy Myers: In addition to the Sale itself, the Sale of Champions promotion committee awards several scholarships. Talk about those scholarships.

Dean Jousan: The Sale of Champions has three types of scholarships. One goes to youth who are currently high school seniors. There's typically 25 of those awarded and they're valued at $1,500 a piece. Then we have Supreme Animal scholarships. There's six of these. Those are awarded to the exhibitor of the Supreme Champion beef heifer, Supreme Champion beef bull, Supreme Champion dairy cattle female, Supreme Champion senior dairy goat female, The Supreme Champion commercial beef heifer and the Supreme Champion commercial meat goat doe.  The exhibitor of those six animals will also receive a $1,500 scholarship.

Then the final scholarship is our Premier Exhibitor scholarships. For this, there's an educational contest that the youth have to go through that test their knowledge about the specie of animal that they're showing. Then they can earn points with their animal during the show. All those points are added together to come up with our premier exhibitors. So we award six of those and those are valued at $2,000 a piece.

Amy Myers: Obviously it takes a great deal of time and effort to make the Sale successful each year.

Talk about the makeup of the committee and the work they do.

Dean Jousan: There's 30 to 35 men and women from around the state that make up the Sale of Champions promotion committee. So these people work with lots of businesses all around the state and individuals who realize the importance of the 4-H and FFA livestock program. They realize the impact that it has on youth. As a result, they want to participate and help to recognize these winners. Our committees goes out and tries to recruit money to go towards the purchase of animals for the sale and then some people choose to give their money to our scholarship program. But either way they're supporting Mississippi youth.

Amy Myers: The sale is held in the trademark building on the fairgrounds in Jackson. What are the plans for the 2019 Sale of Champions?

Dean Jousan: The sale will be held on Thursday, February the 7th. So at 10:00 that morning we'll have a reception that's open to all exhibitors, parents, buyers, contributors from the sale. There'll be lots of different types of food and refreshments. Then starting at 11:30, we'll go to another portion of the trademark building to start our presentation of our scholarships and the sale of our animals.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and we anticipate a lot of our public officials to be there as well.

Amy Myers: To learn more about the Sale of Champions or how to become a buyer or contributor, how do we get more information?

Dean Jousan: Go to extension.msstate.edu, click the link for 4-H, then 4-H livestock program and youth livestock and on that page you'll see a link to Sale of Champions.

Amy Myers: Today we've been speaking with Dean Jousan, Mississippi State University Extension 4-H Livestock Specialist. I'm Amy Myers and this has been Farm and Family. Have a great day.

Announcer: Farm and Family is a production of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.