Renee Beahm, like Zachary, is a veteran of livestock

Renee Beahm, like Zachary, is a veteran of livestock competition. Beahm has been preparing the steer she plans to show this year since last September. Seventeen-year-old Renee has spent 90 minutes a day the past 10 months caring for the animal and getting it ready for the big day. Like Zachary, she wakes up bright and early each morning to make sure the steer has fresh food, plenty of water, and fresh hay. In the weeks leading up to the fair, the amount of time she spends with the animal will double. Jeremy Dorrough, 13, has been showing hogs at the fair for the past four years. He says the weeks leading up to the fair are the most important. “This is when you make sure the animal knows how to respond to you,” he said. “With hogs, not only do they have to have a certain look, but they also must be trained,” he said. Jeremy makes sure his hogs are taught how to react to the judges. “You want them to be under control when the judges are looking at them ... you want them to get no closer than 10 to 15 feet of the judges,” he said. Jeremy has been very successful in his endeavors so far. He was also a Junior division winner at last year’s fair.