Clemson Spring Dairy Show and Junior Dairy Weekend

September 7, 2021

The Clemson Spring Dairy Show and Junior Dairy Weekend was held April 22-25, 2021, at the T. Ed Garrison Arena.  The hopes of the show committee composed of local dairymen, Clemson Extension personnel, 4-H Dairy Club leaders, and dairy industry representatives when re-organizing the event was to make this weekend a cornerstone for our dairy youth programs across the state and a standout youth event across the Southeast.  With hard work and dedication from the committee, the event has surpassed all expectations.   The first show in 2018 had a total of 248 head from five different states and 72 youth competing in showmanship alone.  The show has continued to grow, and our 2021 show encompassed 316 head from nine different states and 108 youth competing in showmanship. Our show was seen this year on a larger stage with live feeds from Dairy Agenda Today.  Through this addition, we were able to highlight our show, our youth, and our South Carolina Youth Dairy Heifer Project.

In addition to exceptional dairy breed shows, the showmanship classes provided our South Carolina youth the opportunity to compete with some of the best youth showman in the Southeast.  The focus of the eight showmanship classes was beyond just the placings.  Providing a learning opportunity and enhancing the skills these youth had in the show ring was a priority.  Other learning opportunities for the weekend included our judging and showmanship clinics.  Because of the success of the show, we were able to provide 8 exceptional classes of cattle to be judged by over 30 youth in a dairy judging clinic.  Forty-five youth also participated in our showmanship clinic led by several of the top adult showman in the region.