Halter in hand, Kadie Patton leads her heifer into the judging arena.  The opportunity to excel in her organization lies before her with every stride before the judges.

On October 12th, sophomore Kadie Patton and junior Kevin Stockinger competed in the annual Houston Livestock Progress Show. Patton won grand champion while Stockinger was awarded first in the exotic division.

“The progress show gave me a chance to scope out my competition,” Patton said. “It showed me what I need to improve and how well I’m doing for.”

For months, both Patton and Stockinger worked to prepare for their heifer show season. The preparation included exercising their animals to providing daily necessities such as food and water.

“Everyday I had to go to the barn to exercise and feed my heifer,” Stockinger said. “The only way to be successful in show is to take care of your animal; the better you treat it, the better you will be in show.”

Placing first in the progress show allowed Stockinger and Patton to have the opportunity for scholarships. For Stockinger, both showing and preparing for the show gave him the chance to experience his prospective career field first hand.

“I want to do something in agriculture,” Stockinger said.  “[Showing] teaches me a lot about that field and parallels with my career field.”

Both Stockinger and Patton walked away from this competition with first place titles. This progress show turned out to be a positive experience for both.

“This experience was a definitely a learning experience,” Patton said. “I wouldn’t have changed anything about it.”