PERRY, GA – House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta) recently won the title of Grand Champion at the second annual Legislative Livestock Showdown. This event was held Saturday, October 6 at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA.
“Showing a calf at the Georgia National Fair was an incredible experience,” said Rep. Abrams. “Working with John Reasor, my 4-H tutor, and the Department of Agriculture gave me tremendous insight into the importance of our livestock and agriculture. I am honored to serve in a state that is growing such wonderful young men and women committed to the whole life of Georgia.”
The Legislative Livestock Showdown pitted five teams from the Georgia House of Representatives against five teams from the Georgia Senate for a competition to determine which chamber of the Georgia General Assembly can best handle livestock in a showmanship ring of a livestock competition. Each team was comprised of one state legislator, one coach from Georgia’s FFA or 4-H program, and a steer. After receiving lessons from their experienced livestock show FFA and 4-H coaches and preparing their steers for show, the ten legislators took turns showing their livestock in the showmanship ring. The Georgia National Fair livestock judges then ranked the legislators from one to ten based on how well they handled their animals, and the resulting points were tallied to determine the winning team. Rep. Abrams and her steer won the first place ranking with the assistance of Mr. Reasor.
The Legislative Livestock Showdown was cosponsored by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia National Fair. In addition to providing fun competition between the state House and Senate, the event allowed state legislators a unique opportunity to work with and learn from Georgia’s FFA and 4-H students.
The House team in this year’s competition was composed of Representative Tom McCall, who served as team captain, Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, Representative Allen Peake, Representative Amy Carter, Representative Darlene Taylor and Representative-Elect Patty Bentley. The Senate team was led by Senator John Bulloch, and included Senator John Wilkinson, Senator Lindsey Tippins, Senator Rick Jeffares, Senator Steve Gooch and Senator Jason Carter.
With the outstanding showing of Rep. Abrams and the other participating state representatives, the Georgia House of Representatives won the Legislative Livestock Showdown for the second year in a row. In last year’s competition, the team from the Georgia House of Representatives, led by Representative Lynn Smith, also captured first place.
House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams represents the citizens of District 84, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and currently serves as Ex-Officio on the Rules Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations, Ethics, Judiciary Non-Civil, and the Way & Means committees, as well as the Special Joint Committee on Georgia Criminal Justice Reform.
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