NCWJLS kicks off livestock show season
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | May 6, 2026 2:29 PM
MOSES LAKE — Young animal growers started the season March 19-21 at the North Central Washington Junior Livestock, held at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake.
“We are the first (show) of the year,” said Michelle Farrer, show manager for the NCWJLS. “So we’re the first opportunity for kids to get their animals in the show ring and work those jitters out and practice for larger shows around the area, including county shows.”
The sale is a three-day affair, Farrer said. The exhibitors weigh in Thursday afternoon, show their animals all day Friday, and then they’re judged on Saturday morning.
Also Saturday morning is a meat judging contest, Farrer said.
“An ag advisor for Quincy FFA goes and gets different cuts of beef, pork and lamb, and then the FFS students judge it for quality,” she said.
About 155 exhibitors showed animals, Farrer said, and 41 of them came away with a ribbon.
Market classes are for animals raised specifically for food, and are typically sold at the event. Fit and show focuses on the exhibitor as well as the animal, Farrer said. The student is evaluated on how they handle and present their animal.
In addition to these, the NCWJLS lets youth enter bonanza classes, which examine the animal as a work in progress, rather than ready for the butcher.
Prospect class is for the younger animals that aren’t ready to show yet, Farrer said. Judges are looking at how the animal is expected to develop over time, giving the exhibitor feedback and a chance to improve. After the show, the animals go back home with their owners, Farrer said, and may return at a later show to be sold.
Heifer, ewe lamb and yearling ewe classes are also focused on the future: the animal’s potential for breeding. These animals also go back home, usually to a breeding program.
“The judges we have are all super great about providing feedback to these kids,” Farrer said. “They’ll ask them, ‘what kind of feed are you feeding your animal?’ ‘What’s the protein content of this feed?’ … If it’s like a grooming thing they’ll tell them, maybe try this kind of brush or washing them on a more regular basis.”
Like any things, the livestock show was hit hard by COVID-19, and organizers are trying to regain some of its pre-pandemic numbers, Farrer said. Much of her effort this year has been concerned with adapting to new technology.
“I’ve really worked to make things more user-friendly, taking electronic payments,” she said. “(Formerly) everything was USPS. You wrote a check, you sent it in, you filled out your entry form, you mailed it in,. With snail mail being so unreliable these days, (we’re) really trying to move with the times.”
The NCWJLS is very much a grass roots effort, Farrer said, with local sponsors and volunteers.
“Our buyers and supporters continue to show up and show out every single year,” she said. “They believe in these kids, and that support is what keeps this program going. These kids understand that we don’t always have the same level of support as a large county fair, but this is their sport. They show up ready to compete, they give it everything they’ve got, and they take pride in what they’ve raised. Sometimes they break even, sometimes they don’t, but that’s part of the lesson. They’re learning real-world responsibility, resilience and what it means to work toward something bigger than themselves. This program builds confidence, accountability, and grit. Those are lessons they’ll carry with them for life.”
2026 results:
GC = Grand Champion
RGC = Reserve Grand Champion
Beef
Fitting & Showing
Intermediate
GC — Sydney Betes, 4‑H
RGC — Landon Williams, 4‑H
Junior
GC — Nolan Niehenke, 4‑H
RGC — Alexander McGregor, 4‑H
Senior
GC — Hannah Smith, 4‑H
RGC — Charley Casey, 4‑H
Freshman/Sophomore (FFA)
GC — Maggie Olsen
Junior/Senior (FFA)
GC — Kashley Brown
RGC — Luke Wade
Bonanza
Heifer
GC — Sydney Betes
RGC — Hannah Smith
Prospect Steer
GC — Landon Williams
RGC — Luke Main
Goat
Fitting & Showing
Intermediate
GC — Nora German, 4‑H
RGC — Austyn McKay, 4‑H
Junior
GC — Hallie Kerr, 4‑H
Senior
GC — Tessa Hausken, 4‑H
Freshman/Sophomore (FFA)
RGC — Scarlett McGregor
Junior/Senior (FFA)
GC — Tessa Hausken
Bonanza
Prospect Goat
GC — Hagen Tippett
RGC — Hallie Kerr
Sheep
Fitting & Showing
Intermediate
GC — Nora German, 4‑H
RGC — Darby Watt, 4‑H
Junior
GC — Gracie Wade, 4‑H
RGC — Hallie Kerr, 4‑H
Senior
GC — Mollie Isaacson, 4‑H
RGC — Drew Sagaser, 4‑H
Freshman/Sophomore (FFA)
GC — Ladd Baser
RGC — Levi Morales
Junior/Senior (FFA)
GC — Madilynn Pruneda
Market Lamb
Market Lamb (4‑H)
GC — Levi Sandoval
RGC — Jonathan Sandoval
Market Lamb (FFA)
GC — Payton Johnson
RGC — Easton Dreher
Bonanza
Ewe Lamb
GC — Molly Isaacson
GC — Gracie Wade
RGC — Drew Sagaser
Prospect Lamb
GC — Molly Isaacson
RGC — Tatum Wiser
Yearling Ewe
GC — Levi Morales
RGC — Madilynn Pruneda
Swine
Fitting & Showing
Intermediate
GC — Colton Currey, 4‑H
RGC — Livia Lynas, 4‑H
Junior
GC — Aria Silva, 4‑H
RGC — Alijah Silva, 4‑H
Senior
GC — Hunter Gomez, 4‑H
RGC — Felix Villa, 4‑H
Freshman/Sophomore (FFA)
GC — Wade Palmer
RGC — Jack Baser
Junior/Senior (FFA)
GC — Tyler Hinnekamp
RGC — Cooper Watt
Market Hog
Market Hog (4‑H)
GC — Rylee Reser
RGC — Hunter Gomez
Market Hog (FFA)
GC — Maddoc Finch
RGC — Madoc Finch
Bonanza
Prospect Hog
GC — Cade Wolf
RGC — Wade Palmer
Youth exhibitors showed sheep, goats, cattle and pigs at the North Central Washington Junior Livestock Sale in March.COURTESY PHOTO/NCWJLS
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