BELLE — The Livestock Committee will host its sale and show during the abbreviated 72nd Annual Belle Fair July 24-25, but only Belle 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) will be allowed to participate according to Dawn Hicks, committee president.

Eligible participants were encouraged to attend the Belle Livestock Committee meeting on June 7 to better understand the changes to the event.

Hicks told meeting attendees that the committee has come up with new rules for the abbreviated show of which the main one is that only Belle FFA and 4-H members or area residents may show or sell at the fair.

“The open class shows are canceled,” Hicks said. “No one outside of Belle 4-H or FFA groups will show. No one outside of those groups will be bringing any animals.”

“However there will be a peewee version of the show for area residents who are too young to qualify for the 4-H and FFA.

“Let’s say McKenna is a member and has a little sister who also has an animal, but is not a member,” Hicks said. “Then McKenna’s sister may also bring an animal. But if McKenna has relatives outside of the area, in Rolla or St. Louis, they are not allowed to bring in theirs. They have to be a part of the 4-H or FFA here or live in the area.”

There will be a crossbred jackpot category for the show, also strictly for local members. The jackpot is $250.

An open gilt show for 4-H and FFA members or their siblings only will also be available. If someone sends Hicks a picture of a gilt they can enter it into the show and she will explain how the entry forms should be filled out if they want to do that

“Weigh-ins will be at 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. on July 23,” she said. “Under no circumstances should your animal be here before 7 a.m. on Thursday. If you arrive before 7 a.m. on Thursday, you might as well load them up and take them out of the park and go on home because you will not be showing. So if you think you are bringing it up Wednesday night, you are not. If you think you are bringing it up at 6 a.m. on Thursday, you are not. If you are here when we get here and your animal is in a stall, you might as well take it home. You will not be permitted to show and sell. That is all livestock.”

Hicks said they are not doing an ultrasound fee, so it will be $5 instead of $10 upfront. Also bedding will not be provided for goats or cattle this year.

“Bedding is required and it is on you to bring it because we will not be getting our shipment we normally get with a two day fair,” Hicks said.

The buyers banquet will go on as usual however, with the Belle Livestock Committee providing the meat and another organization will provide condiments, soda and utensils while sellers are asked to bring a dessert and paper plates.

“Be prepared to work it, you are going to have to dip food for your buyers,” Hicks told the group. “With COVID going on you are not going to be able to let them dip their own food. Make sure they have their drinks.”

Pre barn cleanup will take place July 18 before the fair and after the event participants are expected back on Aug.1 for the post-event cleanup.

“When you send out your letters to your potential buyers, let them know that we do have two processors whom we have guaranteed a certain number of animals,” Hicks said. “So where we said before that we would take absolutely no extras — that has changed because we have guaranteed these two processors a certain number of animals.”

Buyers receive first choice then sellers may have the option to process their remaining animals if they brought more than one. Hicks told members there is still a limited number of spots that participants may sign up for a processor, but they won’t take any more animals once all spots are filled. Anyone interested in processing their remaining animals must fill out a cut sheet for the processor.

Hicks said so far she has 71 pictures of animals for the event.

After the event, processors have agreed to various pick-up times. One processor will pick up animals on Sunday, July 26 and the other on Monday July 27. Then the same processor from the Monday morning hog loadout will take steers on Tuesday morning.

“Your fair is not over until your animal leaves out,” Hicks said. “That means if you sold a hog and it doesn’t leave until Monday morning or sold a steer and it doesn’t leave until Tuesday morning, you are here,” Hicks told the group. “Until they are shipped out they are your responsibility. You make sure they are fed, watered and cleaned and if they die on your watch, you don’t get your check, it has to go back to the buyers. They didn’t pay for a dead hog or steer.”

She said they have a month to work out what to do with the goats and lambs.

“You will be spot checked Sunday and Monday. The same rules will apply and you will still be docked 25 cents any time somebody has to feed or water or clean your pig. Make arrangements,” Hicks said.

While all animals except the hogs are weighed in on arrival, Hicks told members they still have to know what hogs they are selling.

“When you guys bring them in on Thursday morning the minute they come off that truck they are going to be weighed and tagged,” she said. “Then I am going to write down your tag number.”

Entries must be turned in by July 1 to be shown or sold.

“Your hogs don’t have tag numbers right now,” she said. “On the entry form, you are going to write both hogs down here and when you send it in just enter ‘market hog.’ You don’t have to tell me which one you’re selling — when you find your entry, write the tag number down.”

After the weigh-ins are done, she sorts the animals and if the market animal is not tagged she said she would pick one for the seller.

“Everything will be set out for you to do as soon as the auction is over,” Hicks said. “After the auction is done I will have slots for each processor and then you are welcome to sign up.”

She expects the auction to be over by 5 p.m. and by 6 p.m. members can fill out their own forms to have their remaining animals processed if they choose.

Hicks advised that the written rules she handed out were not right, the ones that she just talked about were correct. Members could call, text, email or Facebook her if they had questions about the new rules.

Showtimes for the events have also changed to the following order:

• Market Lambs at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 24

• Showmanships 13-years-old and under

• Showmanships 14-years-old and older

• Market goats

• Showmanship13-years-old and under then 14-years-old and older

• Livestock judging 4-H

• Break at noon resume at 1 p.m.

• Crossbred Heifer Livestock Show for 4-H and FFA members only

• Replacement Heifer Show

• Market Calf Show

• Showmanships 13-years-old and under

• Showmanships 14-years-old and older

• Break at 6 p.m. and resume at 7 p.m.

• Peewee Show 7 p.m. in-county only

• Open Gilt Show for 4-H and FFA members only — no jackpot

• Market Hog Show

• Showmanships 13-years-old and under

• Showmanships 14-years-old and older

• Bed animals down until the Buyer’s Banquet at noon on Saturday, July 25

• Saturday, July 25: awards at 1:30 p.m.

• Auction at 2 p.m.

“All of this is on contingent that the fair still goes,” Hicks said. “At any time they could say ‘Belle Fair is canceled’ and then we have not decided what we are going to do. Don’t assume that because the fair is canceled that the Livestock Show and Sale is canceled. I don’t know what we are going to do yet.”

Hicks told the group if they are not following the Belle Livestock Committee on Facebook then they need to do that. Any changes to scheduling, rules or future meetings will be posted on the page.

“If you know somebody that wasn’t here today, it is very important that they know these rules,” Hicks said. “I’d hate to see if Peggy wasn’t here and she brought her hogs on Wednesday night and we sent her home on Thursday morning.”

Hicks said she would be available at the sale barn for five hours during weigh-in and arrival and encouraged members to take their time unloading each animal. She added that once animals are assigned a number, it is up to the individual to get the index cards, which will be provided, and mark the animal.

The hog show will proceed as normal, one animal at a time and each individual is responsible for their numbers.

“We are hoping nothing else changes and we can still go on as planned,” she said, referring to restrictions brought on by the novel coronavirus COVID-19. “The information I got was by the end of June they are going to release us to a crowd of 50 people.”

The state is currently in Phase 1 of reopening, is expected to be released to Phase 2 by June 15, and Hicks said she is unclear about when Phase 3 will begin, but thought it wouldn’t be long, and that is an unlimited number of people.

“Just because these are rules that are in place right now, doesn’t mean that is what it will be at the fair,” she said. “We will have another Livestock Committee meeting to finalize everything. Hopefully it goes as planned, but I don’t guarantee anything. We are hoping that nothing happens.”

Hicks told members that she would not expect the high purchase prices they have seen in the past and there are no reserves on the animals.

“You may be closer to market price,” she said. “My understanding is that a lot of businesses are in a crunch, but my understanding is that a lot of them are still planning on buying. Don’t bank on that money as you have in the past.”