Going out on top

Avery Cavett of House made her final year in 4-H a memorable one during the Quay County Fair.

Cavett, 18, swept the grand champion and reserve champion slots in the steer and heifer shows, plus showed a reserve champion goat during the five-day fair that wrapped Saturday night.

4-H members become no longer eligible after they turn 19 years of age. So this was her last hurrah.

"It was a great way to end my show career in Quay County," she said Saturday. "It makes me happy to know I finished so well, but sad as well because I've been showing for a long time."

Cavett didn't put any of her champion animals on the block during Saturday evening's fair-ending Junior Livestock Auction. She said she wanted to show them at the New Mexico State Fair next month.

Instead, she sold a second-place goat for $2,500.

Cavett made her last season in girls basketball a memorable one, too. Playing in a co-op program with Fort Sumner, she played a big role in the Vixens capturing a Class 1A title in 2022.

Other livestock champs at the fair:

- Egg layer chickens: Lilly Nials, grand champion; MiKayla Klinger, reserve champion.

- Meat rabbits: Elizabeth Kanapilly, grand champion; Aubrey Reed, reserve champion.

- Baker rabbits: Aubrey Reed, grand champion; Keira Black, reserve champion.

- Swine: Addie Lafferty, grand champion; Braeden Lightfoot, reserve champion.

- Goats: Peyton Merrill, grand champion; Avery Cavett, reserve champion;

- Lambs: Braeden Lightfoot, grand champion; Preslie Cavett, reserve champion.

Avery Cavett and Emma Elebario were recognized before the auction as 4-Hers who are aging out of the program. Elebario also received a $500 college scholarship.

Marsha Byrd also was recognized and given a bouquet of flowers after retiring from the fair board. She had served on it starting in 1999.

Fair board President Dallas Dowell and Quay County agriculture extension agent Jason Lamb each observed higher numbers of children showing livestock at the fair this year, especially goats and lambs.

"I think goat numbers are going up across the nation," fair board Vice President Justin Knight said. "And we had a couple of new families come into the area with sheep."

Those higher numbers also were reflected in those who participated in the auction. A total of 39 animals were sold Saturday night, compared to 32 a year ago.

The fair board two years ago lowered the minimum age to 6, and this year it allowed more exhibitors to participate in the auction - all in an effort to boost numbers.

Knight wasn't satisfied with this year's improvement. He implored auction attendees to get more children involved in 4-H and the fair.

"Let's get Quay County back to where it was," he said. "Let's get more kids to show here."

Bids at the auction totaled more than $141,000 on Saturday night, compared to $116,000 a year ago.

Addie Lafferty and Cade Lee's steers each fetched $7,000 to lead the night. Many animals sold for $3,000 and up.

"Quay County always comes through for the kids," Knight said. "It was a great sale tonight."

Kathleen Box, who has helped run a Watkins booth at the fair's exposition hall for about 10 years, said crowds at the fair were up this year - a sign it was emerging from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Thursday usually is a slow day, but Thursday was a good day, too," she said Saturday morning. "I'm pleased."

Box also observed the number of 4-H projects entered in the hall was "definitely up," save for one sector.

She said the number of produce entrants were "way down" because of a severe hailstorm in May, then a heatwave, that hammered area gardens.