Released: March 14, 2005

K-State’s Little American Royal Slated For April 9

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State University will host the 77th annual Little American Royal April 9 in Weber Arena at 1 p.m. Admission is free.

The livestock fitting and showing contest involves more than 150 K-State undergraduates with diverse backgrounds.

The Little American Royal, nicknamed LAR, is held in conjunction with K-State's All-University Open House. Patterned after Kansas City's popular American Royal Livestock Show, the Little American Royal gives K-State students the opportunity to gain, or brush up on, livestock showmanship skills. The focus of the contest is on the way students present the university-owned animals and how they groom and train them.

K-State students of all majors are invited to participate in the contest. After registering for LAR, the students are assigned an animal. The species shown include beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep and swine. Participants spend about a month preparing for the show.

Specie awards include Champion and Reserve Champion Showman, Novice Showman, species herdsmanship awards and a team jack-pot award. The herdsmanship award goes to the contestant who shows outstanding leadership qualities, sportsmanship, teamwork and responsibility toward the animals.

Two scholarships will be presented to eligible participants.

This year the show will be dedicated to K-State professor of animal science John Shirley. Shirley has served as the dairy judging coach and dairy club sponsor for many years.

Past members of K-State judging teams and past LAR participants will be honored, as well.

The event is co-sponsored by the K-State Block and Bridle and K-State Dairy Science clubs. Committee members and faculty advisors Dave Nichols, Scott Schaake and Jeff Stevenson have been working since October on the event.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Mary Lou Peter
mlpeter@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News