Livestock Exhibit at Fair Highlights Importance of Local Agriculture

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The fair isn't just about food and entertainment; the "Live Local" theme has a lot to do with the animals.

"It's something that people who don't have animals, a lot of kids have never seen the animals and they enjoy it a great deal," says Jamie Burks, a livestock exhibitor.

"A lot of the kids that come there, they just have never even seen anything before besides a dog or cat," says exhibitor Gary Kennedy.

The people who show at the livestock exhibit at the Ozark Empire Fair have been working with animals for generations, like Jamie Burks and his son Josh.

"At this fair probably about seven or eight years," says Burks. "We moved from California about eight years ago. Josh started out in 4-H with chickens, and then we did pigs, and we finally graduated to goats and we've been doing goats for the last 12 years."

"I grew up on a farm," adds Kennedy. "I always had animals and I always will, as long as I can take care of them."

And there are many reasons why people come to the exhibit.

"The competition," says Kylie Ehlers. "I love being in the show room with my lambs, and really compete against the other showmen. But it's a friendly competition. There's nothing evil or mean about it."

Many of the people who show their livestock want the visitors to know how important agriculture is to southwest Missouri.

"They need to know where their food comes from," says Burks. "Where their milk comes from."

"A lot of people think they go to the store and buy it, one of these days if things continue like they are, they're not going to be able to," adds Kennedy.

That's why the livestock exhibit is such a big part of the Ozark Empire Fair. Exhibitors encourage people to pet the animals and learn something.

"A lot of the city kids don't know," says Burks. "They think their hamburger comes from the supermarket, their chicken from the freezer section."