Livestock Breeds
(Exhibitors may visit the Exhibitor
Premium Book
page for entry information)
Cattle
The Super Bowl of Cattle Shows, the National Western Stock Show hosts nearly
20 breeds of cattle during its 16-day run.
In addition, the National Western hosts: Prospect Steer
and Heifer Shows, Hoof & Rail Fed Beef Contest
and NWSS Commercial Heifer Show.
2013 Junior Livestock Updates
**Important Notice for Exhibitors From California, Michigan, Minnesota & New
Mexico: See TB Testing under Health Requirements for Important Updates
Bison
The
2013 Gold Trophy Bison Show and Sale (judging on January 26, 2013 and sale on
January 27, 2013) is sanctioned by the National Bison Association and is the
only bison show of this type in the world.
Although commonly called buffalo, the American Bison is not a true buffalo.
Its closest relatives are the European Bison (Wisent) and the Canadian Woods
Bison, not the buffalo of Asia or Africa, such as the Cape Buffalo or Water
Buffalo.
Bison were the center of life for the Plains Indians, providing them with
food, clothing, shelter, and spiritual aspirations.
Goat
The
Boer goat was developed in South Africa as a breed meant for meat production.
The term "Boer" refers to the descendants of the Dutch immigrants, most of them
farmers, who settled the country; thus, Boer goat simply means "farmers' goat."
Because of the intense selective breeding over the past 50 years or more by
South African goat breeders, the Boer goat is considered far superior to any
other goat for meat production. It is known for rapid weight gain, heavy
muscling and high fertility.
Because the Boer was selectively improved for its meat production ability
and its ability to pass on that trait to its offspring, along with other traits
including pasture hardiness, the addition of a Boer buck to a commercial meat
goat herd can improve the meat characteristics of the offspring without making
them too soft to be pasture grazed. The National Western's Boer Goat Show is
January 16, 2013 at 2 p.m. on the lower level of the Stadium Hall.
A junior meat goat show follows on January 16, 2013 at 8 a.m.. in the lower
Stadium Hall.
Llama
Llamas,
along with alpacas, guanacos and vicunas, are members of the camel family and
originated on the central plains of North America about 10 million years ago.
They were domesticated in the Andean highlands of Peru more than 5,000 years
ago.
Contemporary North American llamas are bred and raised for packing, wool
production, cart pulling, animal-facilitated therapy, companion animals,
exhibitions, guardians of other livestock, such as sheep and, increasingly, as
FFA and 4-H projects.
Grease-free and lightweight, llama wool is warm and luxurious. A valuable
commodity sought by fiber artists, such as weavers and spinners, the wool is a
marketable product for llama owners.
The llama show at the National Western is one of the oldest and largest in
North America. Don't miss it January 12, 2013 at 2 p.m. and on January 13, 2013
at 2 p.m. in the Stadium Arena.
Alpaca
Alpacas
are America's newest entry into the livestock industry. The initial animals were
imported from 1984 until 1997 when the government closed the quarantine facility
in Key West, FL. Since that time the industry has flourished and now
approximates 160,000 in the US.
There are two alpaca breed types: the suri and the huacaya. The main difference
between the two is their fleece production. The huacaya fleece has waviness or
"crimp," which gives huacayas their fluffy, teddy-bear like appearance. Suri
fleece has little or no crimp, so the individual fiber strands cling to
themselves and hang down from the body in beautiful pencil locks.
Alpaca breeders come from many walks of life. Increasingly, alpacas are becoming
an important source of income for many people. Entire families are often full
time breeders.
Virtually every alpaca is registered through DNA blood tests providing the
lineage and their country of origin. Alpacas offer an outstanding choice for
livestock ownership. They have long been known as the aristocrat of all ranch
animals. Most of all, alpacas have a charismatic manner, they do very well on
small acreage, and they produce a luxury product which is in high demand.
Shouldn't you consider alpacas as part of your livestock future?
The Alpaca show starts Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 2:00pm, with "An Evening
with the Llama & Alpacas" and the show will follow. The Alpaca show will resume
Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 2:00pm.
Poultry
A
popular National Western exhibit for visitors of all ages, poultry and rabbit
display is located on the third floor of the Expo Hall. More than 50 cages of
each species of these small farm animals are on exhibit for the duration of the
show.
Poultry is a major food product worldwide. The fowl display includes
chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and other feathered animals such as pheasants,
quail and guineas. The poultry show runs during the first weekend of the Stock
Show. The show takes place January 21, 2013 at 9 a.m. in the lower level of the
Stadium Hall.
Rabbits
Rabbits
are raised for meat, fur and wool. There are 41 breeds of rabbit in the United
States.
Sheep
From
wool shows and sheep lead contests to breeding sheep exhibitions, the National
Western Stock Show offers a variety of events to showcase one of the largest
segments of the western livestock industry.
Known for their ability to graze in poor conditions, sheep are popular with
farmers in the arid, almost desert-like, climates of the western United States.
In addition to producing two marketable products, meat and wool, they also are
raised with a lower overhead budget than most cattle.
A standard at the National Western Stock Show since it first years, sheep and
wool events continue to make up a major segment of the West's premier livestock
exhibition.
The 2013 National Western breeding sheep show features nine popular wool and
meat breeds exhibiting their best quality stock of rams, ewes and lambs.
Columbia, Corriedale and Rambouillet breeds show January 26, 2013 at 8:30
a.m. while Southdown, Dorset, Hampshire and Suffolk breeds exhibit January 22,
2013 at 8:30 a.m. Also included in the sheep competition are Natural Colored
Sheep and White Hand-Spinning Sheep, which are judged both on conformation and
wool January 27, 2013.
The sheep lead contest, where a sheep and its exhibitor are judged on
appearance, is January 26, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.
There will be a daily sheep shearing demo on the lower level of the Stadium Hall.
Dog
From backyard pets to a cowman's top assistant, dogs are man's best friend. And,
the National Western Stock Show takes pride in highlighting the relationship
between these amazing animals and their human counterparts.
National Western's dog pulls, agility games and stock dog trials are continually
some of the show's most popular events.
This year we will be offering our 4th Annual Stock Dog Sale. Preview of the This
year we will be offering our 4th Annual Stock Dog Sale. Preview of the Stock
Dogs will be available prior to the sale live at the Stockyards on January 24,
2013 at 9:00 a.m. The Sale will follow at 11:30 a.m.
The Dog Pull is held January 19, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. in the Stadium Arena. A dog
weight pull is a sporting event that consists of dogs pulling a cart on wheels a
distance of 16 feet within one minute. Dogs are hooked up in a specially
designed harness, which disperses the weight evenly.
Dog Agility games are scheduled January 17, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. in the Stadium
Arena. Dog Fly Ball Games are scheduled for January 22, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. in the
Stadium Arena.
Competition begins with the stock dogs January 26, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. Finals in
the cattle competition will be held January 26, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. All cattle
competitions are held in the Stockyards.
The working sheep competition for intermediate-level dogs begins January 27,
2013 at 9:00 a.m. The open sheep working competition is January 26, 2013 at 3:00
p.m. All sheep working competition will be held in the Stadium Arena.
Swine
As part of the National Western junior livestock competition, more than 500
market hogs from across the nation come to Denver to be shown by youth aged 9 to
18. The swine are judged on conformation, correctness of form and muscling.
The junior market swine show is one of the highlights of the National Western
Stock Show. Young exhibitors from around the U.S. participate in our competitive
arenas for prize money, national recognition for their achievement and a chance
at college scholarships.
For junior swine updates, visit the junior livestock
updates section.
Yak
Originally from the Himalayan Mountains, and a
center point of the Tibetan culture, yaks were first introduced to North America
in the early 1900s. Both a beast of burden and spiritual focus in their native
land, yaks have been raised here for their beauty and intelligence, and as a
source of fine fiber and lean meat..
For more information on yaks, visit the International Yak Association's Web site
at www.iyak.org.
Yak activities at the National Western in the stockyards (Yards) and the
Stockyards Arena include:
Yak Pen Show - January 24, 2013 - 2 p.m. in the Stockyards Arena
Yak Halter
Show - January 26, 2013 - 2 p.m. in the Stockyards Arena
(Exhibitors may visit the Exhibitor
Premium Book
page for more information)