If we are being honest, showing livestock is for crazy people. Late nights, early mornings and little time for social lives. But I think most stock show families would agree they live for summer to do just that – chasing the show circuits, heading out to junior nationals, prepping for the state fair. 

Admittedly, those pursuits don’t come without sacrifice. Showing livestock requires financial investment, lots of energy and attention to uncontrollable circumstances, and a sacrifice of social life…unless your friends enjoy late evening strolls with pigs, sheep, goats or cattle.

As a mom, there are times I wonder if we are doing it right. Do we spend too much time in the barn, away from the “real world” of baseball, swimming pools and summer BBQs? Or are the crockpot meals and card games in the tack pen and the golf-cart rides around the state fairgrounds with stock show friends worth the sacrifice? 

One of my daughter’s friends competed in a Little Miss county fair pageant this summer and was asked to tell the audience about her best friend. Her 9-year-old response melted me. She said, “My best friend is Harper Shike because she shares my love for animals.”

I’ve thought about her answer a lot since then…how a love for animals can bring two people together as friends. Of course, it’s not just about loving animals. It’s about loving the stock show life of choosing an animal to be “the one,” feeding it, caring for it, picking apart its strengths and faults, working long, hard days to help that animal be its best. 

All of that and more just for a few minutes in a show ring. It’s not lost on me that this in itself isn’t enough. What makes the stock show life so special are those who stand by you in the ring and cheer from the sidelines. People who know the sacrifice of time, energy and money you’ve made to be out there with your animal, and respect you for it. 

I think that’s why the friendships formed at stock shows are so unique. It’s not easy to be stock show friends because you don’t get much time to spend together at a show. You’ve got to make every minute count in between rinsing, watering, feeding, cleaning, etc. 

But stock show friends get it. They aren’t afraid to get their shoes dirty lending a hand. They know the heartache when an animal gets sick. They appreciate the feeling of joy when an animal is named grand champion. They understand cranky parents and short tempers after a short night of sleep and a long day of showing. They just get you.

I think another thing that makes stock show friends unique is the competition and respect that happens day in and day out in these friendships. It’s true that your stock show friends likely want to win as much as you do. But they also take pride when you win and are the first to tell you congratulations. 

It’s true that stock show kids may be small in numbers, but they are mighty in strength. Those bonds formed in the barn will last long beyond the junior show experience. Those bonds will last a lifetime because there’s just something about a stock show friend. 

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

The Stock Show “Prize” We Need to Talk More About

Unpopular County Fair Opinion

The Company You Keep Matters