LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas State Fair is back in full swing this weekend with lots of rides, food and something to make some livestock competitors work harder than before.
People lined the fences one by one to watch the competition they wait for all year… the Arkansas State Fair.
“It takes commitment to get here, and it takes a whole year, as well as a whole summer to get here, you don’t go from day to night where you don’t walk your animals, you have to walk them and work every day,” said the young woman who showed lambs at the fair, said Caroline Walker.
It all starts months before they enter the arena.
“In the spring you buy your animal, and then over the summer you work with them and go to the jackpots. Then before the fall, in September, you go to the county fair. You just have to work really hard to get here. a lot of work,” said the young woman who showed lambs at the fair, Lexi Paton.
Putting in blood, sweat and a lot of extra money compared to last years.
“Everything is a lot more expensive now, like the supplements you buy, the food you buy, it’s a lot harder to get. And then the things for your show like blankets, brushes, sprays, it’s a lot harder to get and it’s almost double, well. .. much more expensive,” said a young woman showing lambs at the fair, Hayden Parker.
These four young ladies are showing lambs at the fair, and they say a lot of work has gone into it.
“Honestly, the competition is high, you have to work hard if you want to make it. There are a lot of families that work really hard, like this is all they do. So much dedication, thousands of dollars that go into this,” Parker stated.
Some even said it was hard to find food this summer.
“At one point my teacher couldn’t find food for our animals, so it was quite difficult,” Paton said.
That’s while inflation continues to send prices skyrocketing.
“Feed prices have tripled what they were, and like the supplements they use, they’ve tripled,” Parker said.
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