Johnson Earns Grand Champion Title

Market Beef Johnson Earns Grand Champion Title

Froid student Lilly Johnson wasn’t overly confident about her chances in the market beef competition heading into the Roosevelt County Fair.

She thought her steer was capable of earning honors, but she just didn’t know what kind of mood Guapo was going to be in during the judging.

“He’s a little stubborn sometimes, but he knows what he’s doing,” said Johnson, who is entering her sophomore year. “I’m always nervous about stuff that I care about.”

Guapo’s mood was certainly good enough at the fair. The result was Johnson winning the grand champion honor for market beef.

She was very happy about the accomplishment. “I know I’ve been working for it.”

Guapo, named after a character in the movie Ferdinand, had a starting weight of 691 pounds and an end weight of 1,405 pounds.

During the fair, the oldest daughter of A.J. and Kayla Johnson was senior reserve champion for round robin.

Lilly’s goals include having her own show steer herd and bringing her own calves to the fair.

Lilly was pleased that her younger sister, Ally, also enjoyed a successful fair including capturing a junior showmanship honor.

“I was very proud of her,” Lilly said. “She did really well.”

Other grand champions at this year’s fair included Tenley Berwick for goats and poultry, Jaylynn Bjorge for swine and Kalia Featherston for sheep. Reserve champions included Tally Berwick for beef, Kalia Featherston for goats, Jodi Albus for poultry, Holden Salivar for swine and Kaden Featherston for sheep.