It’s the time of year when Princeton FFA students trade their backpacks for feed sacks and their Chromebooks for lead ropes.
The annual Collin County Jr. Livestock Show, held Jan. 7-14 at the Myers Park and Event Center in McKinney, kicks off the busy show season for most of the students, who have been raising their animals for much of the past year.
Thickie Nicki, Creed, Rooster, Ty, Sir and Unihornless (better known as the PISD goat and sheep herd) thought they were being treated to a spa day when they arrived at the youth barn for fresh haircuts, showers, brushing, snacks and spiffy new designer jackets.
In addition to the sheep and goats, students show chickens, cattle and pigs, as well as their ag mechanics and floral projects.
Students estimate they spend at least three hours a day at the ag barn in preparation for the livestock shows.
“We have to feed them every morning, and every night,” Lovelady 9th-grader Brighton McFarland said. “We have work sessions where we walk them around the barn or use treadmills and walkers for muscle development. There was also halter breaking, which I thought was the hardest.”
But that’s all on the easy days.
“We are at the barn more hours when we are getting ready for shows,” said Chloe Jones, who is also a freshman at Lovelady. “It takes quite a bit longer when you are washing and drying and clipping the animals.”

The FFA students always need supporters who can visit the livestock shows to see all the animals and spend time in the auction barn, where they are invited to be a bidder on a winning animal or project. Any 

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