Amanda Kammerer admits she still can get attached to the animals she shows at the Western Junior Livestock Show, even though she's an eight-year veteran.

"They kind of become your pet," Amanda said as she gave a bull calf a wash Tuesday afternoon in preparation for the 72nd annual show, which runs today through Saturday at the Central States Fairgrounds.

"They're fun to work with after they've tamed down," Amanda said. This guy's really tame," she said about the bull calf she's dubbed "McLovin."

Amanda, 16, said it can be difficult to sell an animal if you get attached. "As you get older, you learn you've got to let stuff go."

She is among about 220 youths from South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana who will be showing about 1,000 exhibits at the show.

One contingent is bringing sheep from southwest Wyoming, according to show manager Jackie Maude of Hermosa.

The show will feature beef cattle, sheep, dairy and swine.

The futurity beef show has 31 animals entered. Those were calves the youths signed up last year.

After a year of feeding the futurity steers, the youths bring back their animals where they are judged live, then ultrasounded for carcass judging, then slaughtered.

The futurity competition has overall, live and carcass championships.

The futurity heifers are judged on their live conformation and judged via ultrasound for carcass merit, Maude said.

This year is the second for the futurity heifer show.

Youths win prize money and buckles for championships in each division.

Highlights include a benefit supper Thursday night for Mike and Kori Lehrkamp of Highmore, who lost their home in a fire a few weeks ago. Mike Lehrkamp is a member of the Western Junior board of directors. The potluck dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Fine Arts Building on the fairgrounds.

At 6:30 p.m., the group will roast Lyndell Petersen, a board member who has been a volunteer with the Western Junior since 1953.

A family dance will follow from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. with live music by Carlene and Alan Sack of Rapid City.

On Friday, the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee will host the annual burger bust, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The show will be capped with the sale of beef, pork and mutton Saturday afternoon at the Soule Building on the fairgrounds, between Centre and San Francisco streets.

The show typically draws a total of about 800 people, with relatives and friends of the youths who compete, along with area volunteers and supporters, Maude said.

Amanda Kammerer will be joined at the show by her sister Jessica, 13, and brother, Jake, 11. Amanda is showing two bull calves, one bred heifer and one heifer calf. Jessica and Jake are each showing two calves, two pigs and two sheep.

Amanda has acted as a mentor to her brother and sister. "It feels good, I guess, knowing that you can help somebody learn different things," she said. She belongs to the Four Corners 4-H Club of Meade County.

The siblings, all children of Matt and April Kammerer, competed earlier this year at the Meade County Fair and the Central States Fair.

Amanda has learned about genetics and feeding from her dad on the family ranch north of Rapid City. A junior at Central High School in Rapid City, she hopes to stay in agriculture, possibly studying veterinary science.

"I'd like to have my own herd someday," she said.

Meanwhile, she's learning a lot about raising the best quality livestock to compete at shows like the Western Junior.

Amanda said good genetics, the proper feed and hard work are the key to winning. "If you work hard, you come out with a good product."

Contact Steve Miller at 394-8417 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com

Show set for Friday and Saturday

The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service will host the Western 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences Show on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, in Rapid City.

The event is held in conjunction with the Western Junior Livestock Show at the Central States Fairgrounds. The show is open to 4-H and non-4-H competitors.

Contests and displays include home living, public presentations, place setting, ingredient measuring, bread baking, meat identification, Family and Consumer Sciences judging, family life photography, vegetable identification and judging, Family and Consumer Sciences Skill-a-Thon and fashion revue.

Meat to be sold from 4-H livestock

The Western Junior Market Livestock Sale will again offer a chance for the public to stock their freezers with meat from livestock raised by area 4-H members.

The sale begins at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Soule Building at the Central States Fairgrounds.

Cattle, lambs and hogs will be sold live on the hoof.

Beef buyers can arrange to purchase one-quarter, one-half or a full carcass, according to a news release. Through the use of ultrasound, sale organizers will be able to provide potential buyers with an estimate of quality grade, rib eye area and fat thickness.

Lambs and swine will be sold only as full carcasses.

The live animals purchased will be delivered to a Rapid City-area processor of the buyer's choice at no cost, where it will be cut, wrapped and frozen to the buyer's specifications. Cost for processing is about 60 cents per pound of carcass weight, plus a kill charge.

Hogs will be sold first, beginning at 3 p.m., followed by sheep about 3:30 p.m. and beef about 4 p.m.

Western Junior Schedule

Following is a partial schedule for the Western Junior Livestock Show and Western 4-H Consumer and Family Science Show.

All livestock events are in the Soule Building at the Central States Fairgrounds, unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

Noon. Futurity Beef Show, followed by Open Market Beef and Futurity Heifer Show.

3 p.m. Beef Showmanship.

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Non-livestock exhibits entered in the northeast corner of the Soule Building.

Thursday, Oct. 8

8 a.m., Swine Show

11 a.m. Breeding Beef Show

1 p.m. Sheep Show

2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Grass and Range Plant Identification Contest, northwest corner of the Soule Building. Open to 4-H members and adults

5:30 p.m. Benefit dinner, Fine Arts Building

6:30 Roast for Lyndell Petersen

8 p.m. Family dance, Fine Arts Building

Friday, Oct. 9

8:30 a.m. feeder cattle

11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Burger bust, Fine Arts Building

1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Western Family and Consumer Sciences bread Baking Contest, Walter Taylor Building

1:30 p.m. Dairy Show, Captain Glenn Building

3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Meats identification contest, Creative Arts Building

3 p.m. to 6 p.m. WFCS, Family Life Photo, Home Living, Trip Interviews, Walter Taylor Building

3 p.m. to 6 p.m., WFCS Place Setting, Fine Arts Building

Saturday, Oct. 10

7:30 a.m. to Noon. WFCS Fashion Revue Judging, Walter Taylor Building

9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. WFCS Place-Setting Contest/Cloverbud Event, Fine Arts Building

8 a.m. to noon. WFCS Measuring Contest/Cloverbud Event, Vegetable ID and Judging Contest, Creative Arts Building.

8 a.m. to noon. WFCS Public Presentations, Walter Taylor Building

8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. WFCS judging, Creative Arts Building

8:30 a.m. Junior/senior livestock judging contest begins

9:30 a.m. Beginner livestock judging contest begins

10 a.m. to one hour after sale. 2010 Futurity Heifer Registration, location to be announced.

10 a.m. to noon. WFCS Napkin Folding Workshop, Walter Taylor Building

11:30 a.m. to noon. WFCS 4-H Jeopardy Contest Registration (contest to follow), Walt Taylor Building

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Preview of sale animals, Soule Building

Noon. Release all exhibits except sale animals

1 p.m. Livestock sale, Feeder heifers, feeder steers and junior heifer calves

1 p.m. 2010 Futurity registration, location to be announced

3 p.m. WFCS Public Fashion Show & Awards Presentation, Walter Taylor Building

3 p.m. Sale of market hogs, market sheep and live futurity beef, Soule Building.