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Fairs & Expos Magazine |
Ethics in Showmanship - What Do the Kids Have to Say? And What Does It Mean for All of Us?
By: Heather Leavens August The only thing more symbolic of “Americana” than the county fair might be mom and apple pie, but not by much. The exhibits, the carnival, and the fair food all make up the ambiance. And seeing the 4-H kids show their animals at the livestock show is a major part of the draw to any county fair. The kids work hard all year and bring their animals to compete against the other animals raised by kids who also worked hard all year. Then the animals are auctioned off at the livestock sale, paying for all that hard work. All my friends said the money was going into their college funds, but they always seemed to have the nicest trucks! The money in showmanship is a curious thing. The better the animal does in the show, the more money they tend to make in the auction. It never takes long to figure out that there are ways to do better in the show, without putting in the hard work and long hours. Although I had been involved in 4-H for many years, had shown horses and done cooking and vet science projects, I had never raised market animals. Growing up in California’s 4-H program, I was frustrated when I showed my horse against kids whose parents groomed the horse while they got dressed in their 4-H whites. The horse was worth thousands, and the trainer (yes, there was a trainer!) was giving the kid tips after having sized up “the competition” — me. My parents believed, as I do now, that the raising and showing is up to the kid. My parents never touched my horse. My “trainer” was my 4-H leader. Her only advice was, “You know what to do. Go do it and have fun!” My parents watched from the bleachers while I showed what I could do. I had a great time. There was no money involved, and my horse was going home with me. I hold those in the livestock arena to a higher standard. Don’t get me wrong; unethical is unethical and should never be tolerated. But the market animal division is raising an animal for money and for human consumption — something to think about as you dig into that next New York strip. While in graduate school, I conducted a study on the Meat Quality Assurance (MQA) program in Colorado’s State 4-H program. The MQA is the program that teaches members how to raise the animal in good health, conformation, and carcass structure. They are given, among other things, information on feeds, veterinary practices, knowing what you can do yourself and what needs to be done by a veterinarian, and showmanship practices/ethics. The study focused on three areas. I asked senior 4-H members these questions: 1) did they know the material, 2) did they practice what they knew, and 3) what were their perceptions of their peers? In other words, what did they see or know about their peers and their animals. We asked for firsthand knowledge only, no rumors. According to many of the senior 4-H members who have been through the MQA program, aside from being terminally boring, it was largely a waste of time. They felt it was a waste of time because much of this information they already knew. And we found in the study that this was largely true. Boring or not, the kids knew the material. When tested on various aspects of the content of the MQA, very few of the 108 senior 4-H respondents missed the mark. In section no. 2, we asked, “Do I follow what I know?” For the most part, yes they do. The largest discrepancy was in the area of documenting the veterinary care of the animal. Most left it up to the vet or their parents. But in the area of perceptions of their peers, these competitors have a lot of frustrations. Members talked about altered documentation, parents buying animals from out of the county or the state to get a superior genetic stock than what was available locally, drenching an animal to make weight, beating animals, misuse of drugs, surgically altering the animal to change its appearance, and many other practices that not only fly in the face of any showmanship code of conduct, they are also flat unethical. Before I go on, I want to make a point about the scope of this problem. Let’s put this in perspective. Dr. Jeff Goodwin, now head of the state 4-H program at Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, has spent much of his career putting a face to this problem. He estimates that those not following the rules are less than 5%. But that 5% has a greater influence on the other 95% than any of us would like to admit. One of the interviewees in my pilot test called it the “Common Sense of Cheating.” He said, “If the other guy cheats and gets away with it and wins, that means I will have to do the same thing to beat him.” And, as Goodwin observed, “There’s a big bunch of that vast majority (who aren’t employing questionable practices) who would rather look the other way than ensure that things get done right. You’ve got to stand up and do what’s right, or there’s no telling where we’ll end up, and it’s a tough thing to do sometimes. I was always of the opinion that if I chose to look the other way, I became part of the problem.” But who wants to rat out their friends? The average high school kid, for whom “coolness” is critical to social position, is not going to turn in another kid and risk getting labeled a snitch. It’s the rare child of character that will see the ethical forest for the trees. For that reason, character education curriculum development is an area that has really taken off in recent years to help all of us, not just kids, get back to the core concept of “doing what’s right.” In a study of 12,000 high school students, researchers at the Josephson Institute of Ethics found that 74% admitted they had cheated on an exam at least once. Ninety-three percent said they had lied to their teachers, and 39% said they would be willing to lie to get a good job. Ironically, this same study showed that 95% of this group agreed with the statement “It’s important that people trust me.” These senior 4-H members in my study are part of the demographic in the Josephson study. Having said that, the following is what the subjects told us when given the promise of confidentiality. Figure 1 shows results from sections 2 and 3 of the survey. Below the figure are the numbers that match the question pairs listed below. We asked exactly the same questions from two viewpoints. The set of data shown in white shows “what I do.” The set of data shown in black shows “what I’ve seen.” Questions were based on a 6-point Likert scale. We sent out 350 surveys all over the state of Colorado, by zip code. All respondents were between the ages of 14 to 20 and represented all market species except rabbits and poultry. We received 108 viable surveys back. Those 108 senior 4-Hers seemed to have seen a lot back in the barns.
Below are the question pairs that match up with the graph, and subjects they ask about: The last question on the survey asked the respondent, “Are there other topics that are not currently addressed in the Meat Quality Assurance program that you feel should be?” The responses were sorted according to those that were general comments and those that were suggestions. There are 17 general comments. They are as follows: There are 11 suggestions: These 4-H members had some great suggestions. But now it begs the question: Who is responsible for making sure the barns are cleaned up? The parents? Most parents I know are very concerned about this and what they have seen alongside their kids. But the participants in the study indicated that some of the problems stem from some parents and leaders. As one parent put it, “It’s not the kids coming up with the ideas of using drugs, bleaches, and high protein feeds.” I would add that the kids didn’t come up with use of the surgical methods to alter an animal’s conformation, or paying a professional fitter to work with the animal. So can the problem be solved only at home by parents? No. While most of the parents involved with the program want their children to have the opportunity for “healthy competition,” there are some who cross the line into the realm of “the ends justify the means” and making sure their child wins at all costs. I think of them as the 4-H version of “Little League parents.” And despite the fact that the huge majority of the leaders in the 4-H program are caring, knowledgeable people, there are a few that are willing to help those unscrupulous parents. It’s a very bad combination. And where does that leave that teenager? Can this “clean up” be the responsibility of the 4-H program? The 4-H program is designed to bring volunteers in, not weed them out. When it has become obvious that some weeding needs to be done, I have been told that “we don’t ask volunteers to leave.” I don’t believe that is always true with all programs, but when a volunteer is asked to leave, one can figure it’s for good reason. However, the recommendation for this study came from a 4-H Extension agent. He felt there needed to be data documented that demonstrated just what the scope of this problem is. And he was right. Nationwide, Cooperative Extension has done a tremendous amount to address the issue of ethics, as has the livestock industry. Much of the most recent curriculum has been developed by Cooperative Extension in many states. Cooperative Extension has taken a lead role in this effort. Can they do it alone? I don’t believe so. Traditionally, the response from extension has been to address the problem with more and better education, which has been incredibly helpful industry-wide, but it doesn’t do the dirty work. Cheaters have to be called out, and consequences need to be identified and enforced. As fair and exposition executives, we are held liable for everything that happens on the grounds during the event. So it stands to reason that we are also responsible for the validity of the results of our shows. If someone has cheated and won in one of our shows, that puts a pall over the results for all of the competitors. In essence, we all lose. The buck must stop with us. But can we do this alone? Not by a long shot. None of these groups can do it alone. But I believe that observation is something all of us can do. Superintendents, event officials, parents, leaders, and the competitors themselves, collectively, hold the ability to clean up the barns. But the ultimate responsibility is with the event organizers. For myself, if someone successfully faked out the judges and show officials at the livestock show with which I’m involved, I take that very personally. And I believe that is part of my job. Am I calling on the kids to rat out their friends? No, I’m asking all of the participants, adults and youth, to take greater ownership of their program. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to someone not following the rules, especially when it’s someone the accuser knows. And we all know that someone accused is not going to take it lightly. That is a big limb to go out on. One of the comments from the study indicated that there was no point to tell anyone when no one is going to do anything about it. So why shouldn’t someone cheat when there is no consequence? There is the crux of our problem. We have to know about infractions when they occur. But we must also act on them. This problem is out there and is very real. As we gear up for show season, let’s make sure our shows are fair and we make no room for the tolerance of any unethical practices employed by competitors or the adults around them, in the show ring or out in the barns. Consequences should be spelled out, documented, and enforced. All of us — parents, kids, leaders, and show organizers — have a responsibility to make sure that 5% becomes zero. I agree with Goodwin: If we are not part of the solution, then we become part of the problem. With that, let the games begin!
Heather Leavens August is the program coordinator for Choices and Consequences, which is produced by the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture. For eight years, she worked as a substitute teacher in middle and high school classes in California and Colorado. She also spent two years as a paraeducator in middle school math and science. While in graduate school, she worked as a grant writer and research assistant for the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture and Colorado State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Calif., and a Master of Agriculture from Colorado State University. Ms. August is a general partner in a citrus and avocado family farming operation in California. She is a 4-H leader, serves as secretary of the Boulder County 4-H Leaders Council, and is vice president of the Boulder County Fair Board. She also serves on the Accountability/Accreditation Committee for the St. Vrain Valley School District.
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