By F.H. Jeter, Extension Editor, N.C. State College, Raleigh, as printed in the Wilmington Star on October 30, 1944
Civic leaders and business and professional men in Elkin have set about to make the town a center for a progressive farming system. The plan has been under way for about three years now, since the time when Garland Johnson, vice-president of the Bank of Elkin was appointed chairman of the Agricultural Committee of the Kiwanis Club, and then decided to do something about it.
When Garland makes such a decision, things begin to happen. But he never works alone. His first effort, therefore, was to solicit the interest of all his fellow citizens and then to start some definite planning. A second step was to get the support of the county farm agents of Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties and then to make Elkin the center for various farming activities.
No less interested has been Harvey Laffoon, able editor of the Elkin Tribune, and winner of more citations for community upbuilding than any other editor of a weekly or daily paper in North Carolina.
Working with the North Carolina Bankers’ Association, the Elkin folks decided last year to hold a district livestock show featuring finished beef steers and wool. The show was an immediate success and although only 22 steers were exhibited, Elkin became widely known for its support of the livestock program in North Carolina.
The second such show was held the other day, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it was one of the most successful events of its kind ever staged in the state. The affair got underway on Tuesday evening, October 17, when a banquet held for the youthful exhibitors was addressed by W.D. Halfacre, vice-president of the bank of North Wilkesboro. Ninety club members and their guests were present. Early the next morning, the judging was begun and the steers were placed by Dr. D.E. Brady, livestock and meat specialist from State College.
Once the animals had been placed, they were paraded through the principal street of Elkin, after which a luncheon was held in the local Y.M.C.A. auditorium when plates were prepared for over 1,200 4-H Club boys and girls and vocational students. L.R. Harrill, 4-H Club Leader at State College, and Fred Greene, secretary of the North Carolina Bankers’ Association, addressed the group. That afternoon there were judging contests in which Billy Miller, 4-H Club boy of Booneville, Yadkin County, emerged as the champion in the weight-estimating contest, and R.L. Southern Alleghany County won the trophy for best showmanship.
On the following day all the steers and wool was sold at public auction with Oscar Pitts, state superintendent of prisons, acting as auctioneer. The champion steer of the show, a Hereford owned by Sammie Lee Myers of Iredell County, and weighing 890 pounds, sold for 60 cents a pound, bringing the boy $534. This record-breaking price exceeded by two cents the previous high established at Asheville a few days before. The calf was the first one Sammie had ever owned, said Iredell Farm Agent Maury Gaston, and while the club boy needed the money, he cried when it came time to turn the steer over to the buyer. Maury said that Sammie’s father was dead and that he and his mother were running the farm with Sammie doing most of the work. The steer that he fed and finished was bought by a local grocery store in Elkin and the meat will be featured at a special sale.
The second prize or reserve champion steer was owned by a club girl, Ruby Hutchison of Wilkes County and sold for 40 cents a pound with the 870-pound animal bringing the club girl a net of $348. All in all, the 48 steers sold for an average of 24 cents a pound and thus broke another record for such events in North Carolina. The total weight of the steers was 38,265, bringing to the young people the sum of $9,183.40.
The first prize wool was purchased by W.A. Neaves, vice-president of the Chatham Manufacturing Company, who paid $1.50 a pound for it. Thirty entries of wool were made with most of it selling for $1 a pound.
One of the best things about the sale, however, was the crowd of rural people, mingled with business men of Elkin, taking an intense interest in the entire proceedings and watching to see why one animal sold above another. The sale was staged in a local tobacco warehouse and some 500 persons [were] present from the three counties.
The show was managed by W.A. Neaves, assisted by Neill Smith, county agent of Surry County. The North Carolina Bankers’ Association donated $500 to be used as prizes, and various other persons helped to defray the local expenses. T.C. McKnight, secretary of the Elkin Y.M.C.A., staged the banquets and luncheons and served all comers with efficiency. Mr. McKnight has a wide reputation for his chicken gravy and his coffee. The 4-H Club members who dined with him during the show said the reputation was well deserved.
On the final evening, following the sale, members of the civic clubs and the Junior Chamber of Commerce gathered for a joint banquet when plans were made for holding a better show in 1945. They also gave attention to the needs of the section in the past war era and made plans to continue the work with livestock, which even now is beginning to pay such handsome dividends.
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