I’d imagine that every one in this room would take it rather personally if someone came up and slapped you right in the face. Aside from the initial pain and surprise, the real hurt would probably come from the sense of insult and betrayal that goes with an unprovoked attack. I guess that’s why I’m here today, because after devoting over 25 years to a career that has successfully used livestock shows as a teaching tool for kids and the development of their livelihoods, I take the issue of show ring ethics very personally, just like a shot on the end of the nose. I take it personally when a steer at a stock show is found to be contaminated with drugs. I take it personally when a show lamb is abused prior to and during the show because its owner wants it to feel firmer and better conditioned in the show ring. I take it personally when I see a steer monkey defeat the purpose of the program by doing the fitting for the exhibitor, rather than showing them how to do their own work. And I take it very personally when I see stories about events like these and others like them reach the media. They create the perception that the livestock show that I run as well as every other one in the country is rife with countless violations of common-sense ethics rules.

I take it personally because each time it happens, I feel like somebody is destroying something that is very important to me; not just an outstanding program for young people that’s a major part of my life, but something that’s pretty important to me, my reputation. As a prominent member of my community, when something happens in a stock show somewhere that makes the media or better yet the rumor mill around home, a little voice inside me says we’re all going to get painted with the same brush. The same little voice says that this misguided activity by a few people means to the unknowing public that we’re all guilty of doing the same thing. I take that very personally, and if we don’t get a handle on the ethics issue, our programs will be gone because we didn’t step up and stop it.

Am I overly sensitive about these incidents? I hope so, and I hope that many others like me are getting sensitive enough about this that they are willing to say enough is enough, too. My sense of outrage is based on more than protecting the image of livestock shows and fairs, and my own reputation, it’s directed towards those who would destroy a very powerful teaching tool. It’s actually quite simple when you correctly perceive the role of the agriculture teacher and county agent as one of educating young people. We use the infrastructure of the stockshow to teach real-life skills that have value in the work place, like responsibility, teamwork, sportsmanship, money management, planning and a myriad of the other attributes of a successful adult. If we do what we are supposed to do properly, every kid in our program wins. How much they win depends on where they were when we started to work with them. A student that comes to me with nothing; no experience, no parental support, no goals and no self-esteem and that ends up with a blue ribbon on a project that he selected, fed and prepared for show, may learn far more than someone who repeatedly dominates as a champion. Is that our job or is it to teach kids to win buckles and banners and the other trappings of the big "championship?" Is it our job to provide activities that allow adults and others to use children as pawns of their egoes by letting them relive their own childhoods? Is it our job to promote and participate in a mentality that says winning is the only reason to do this, or the only reason you do this is because of the big sale price you’re going to get? I say no!

We are where the rubber meets the road. We are the leaders of the programs. The way that we conduct ourselves sets the example for the way the parents and members of our programs conduct themselves. If we initiate or condone unethical behavior, how can we realistically expect it not to be found in our programs? If we look the other way, or find that it’s easier to say it’s a fair management problem, or blame it on the parents, what does that say to the kids that look upon us as their leaders, role models, and in some cases, their heroes.

As leaders of the youth program, we are obligated to protect the interests of the honest kid that plays by the rules, that many times we ourselves have written. Why should the cheaters have their way with our good kids, just because we can’t deal with their desire to win at all costs? I see this as a job responsibility. If there was a police officer in your home community that continually looked the other way on illicit drug use and assault on kids, I suspect he’d be fired. What’s the difference with us? If it’s more comfortable to remain uninvolved or worse, condone this behavior, I’d suggest a career change is in order.

In my own state, there are a few of my colleagues that just don’t get it. They look at the rules from the standpoint of finding the most creative way of interpreting them, rather than the holistic intent of the rule. They lie about possession dates; their kids may or may not own or even manage the animal they’re showing. They know about the unethical behavior that goes on with their kids behind the barn or in the stock trailer, but they’re ready to file a protest at the drop of a hat. Some can’t be trusted near a scale come weigh-in time, because you never know where their toe may end up and they can rationalize it all with some garbage about winning making them look like they’re doing a better job. They’re the best alright, but at what, and at what cost to the program? Rules that are written to improve the show or to protect the interests of the participants become mere impediments to their goal of winning. It all becomes a game that has nothing to do with our job of educating kids; and if we allow it, it becomes a process of feeding the egos of people who are only fulfilled with the big "win." I take this self-serving behavior very personally, especially when they claim to be a professional like me.

What does it mean to be the advisor or agent of a "winner?" Does it mean that you play a major role in that young person’s success? Do you help him or her by advising about selection, feeding, and health care so that they can learn from the experience or do you do it for them so that it will get done right? Do you show them the basics of fitting and preparation so that they can do their own work and learn from their mistakes, or do you do it for them so you won’t be embarassed by an animal that doesn’t look just perfect? Do you emphasize that a winning animal wins because it performs to its genetic potential because it has been properly fed and shown or do you improve upon the genetics or a poor management program by using short-cut methods that are potentially harmful to the animal or its consumer?

As a teacher or agent do you teach your members that winning carries huge responsibilites? Responsibilities like serving as a role model for other kids and remembering that what they do many times represents the rest of the kids in the show.

Do you remind them that even though proper preparation usually bears fruit in the ring, many times winning is a large measure of luck rather than any great skill? That winners need to be able to look the kids that they beat right in the eye, because they’ll know if it wasn’t right. That winning a large premium or sales price obligates you to prudent use of the money so that sponsors don’t feel like the money they spent to support a good kid and program was used on a frivolous spending spree. I believe that we have a real and oftentimes ignored personal obligation to help our kids understand the baggage that goes with being a winner.

I submit that we as advisors and agents can play the major role in solving this problem. We know the kids, we know the families and if we’re doing our job, we know what goes on with the projects before and during our fairs. We need to hold our members to a zero tolerance of behavior that is unethical or illegal. I guarantee that if we figuratively shoot a few, the others will find a new sense of inspiration. We owe it to the districts and counties that we work in to do no less. When you consider that we are personally entrusted with the most valuable commodity produced in this country, the youngsters that will be the next generation of leaders in business and government, our personal stake is not only awesome but absolutely clear - we must make sure that the examples we set and the standards of expectation that we have are never misunderstood or compromised. In my career of teaching, I’ve learned that students will do whatever it takes to rise to my level of expectations. As a profession, we owe it to them to have the highest expectations ever. We need to make every kid sign a Showman’s Creed or Exhibitor’s Code of Practice, along with their parents, so that everyone understands what we expect and demand. I have every confidence that when each and every advisor and agent takes this issue personally, and not only understands but more importantly believes in his or her role in coming to grips with the issue of showring ethics, that our youth stock show industry will return to its well-deserved level of prominence as a teaching tool.