On November 5th, 2022, the Bulloch County Agricultural Complex held Statesboro's first Peach State Showout Texas Longhorn cattle show. This show is significant because it's not only the first Statesboro Longhorn show but also the first Longhorn show in all of Georgia open to the public.
Show host and local Longhorn rancher Cole Meeks explained why shows have typically been private in the past.
"With it being private, they try to say that the quality of the animals might be better," Meeks said. "If (people are) asked to come, you got a host who'd want to just make a good show. And so what they do is they make it kind of a private invitation."
But one of the benefits of having the show public is that it gives a lot of exposure to local breeders allowing them to advertise their hard work by showing up and showing off.
"This event is kind of, let's say, 'bring your best effort,'" Meeks said of the Showout. "Bring your best young bull that's going to represent your program and what you're doing with your pals at your house instead of doing auctions and a bunch of social media marketing."
The event kicked off at 9am, lasting for roughly two hours, and Longhorn cattle flaunted themselves in front of a panel of judges. Guests were allowed to watch in their seats, conversate with friends and family, and enjoy some humorous hijinks, such as some of the cattle showing stage fright and needing to be pushed just a little to show themselves off. Some cattle even brought their kids to work that day, although they hardly influenced the judge's decisions.
Judges considered how the cattle's hip udders, color, horns, and other features looked based on the age of the cattle being presented.
Before the winners were announced at the end of the event, guests were given a chance to win prizes. Two raffles were held, one in which the winner won $200 cash and a Peach State Showout plaque and another in which the winner won cattle semen that can be used to make the winner's own healthy cattle.
A Cow Patty Bingo game was played as well, where the attendants gambled on which square in a 4 by 16 grid a cow would "make a deposit."
Food was provided with a healthy selection of items like pork, bone-in chicken, stew, and more -- all healthy meat, low cholesterol.
The event culminated with the winners of each of the 13 divisions being announced and cheered for. Winners were given a check, a plaque, and a picture of them and their friends or family members who attended with them. Meeks and his wife Jessie Meeks accompanied the winners for photos.
A full list of winners is provided below.
For more information on Cole Meeks and his Longhorn operation, read Local Texas Longhorn breeder promotes healthier beef.
