A double grand champion, again: Ag eduation major ends county fair career on high note

Saratoga High School graduate Corson Kerbs proudly roped in two first-placements for the beef and sheep categories at the 2013 Carbon County Fair.

Kerbs received the Grand Champion Market Steer award in the Beef Show for his steer, humorously named “Fluffy,” and the Grand Champion Market Lamb award in the Sheep Show for one of his five market-weather sheep brought along for show. During the Junior Livestock Sale, Kerbs sold the winning steer to Valley Oil and Perkins Oil for $9.50/lb.

“I placed grand in both market shows, so pretty good week and a lot of fun,” Kerbs said. “This year I just had one steer and brought five market-weather sheep, and the steer I showed this year is a full brother to the steer I showed last year. We call him Fluffy because that’s what we called the one last year, but the sheep don’t really have names.”

Kerbs said he felt his winning steer and sheep boasted good looks and healthy physiques for the judges. He also worked hard at training and grooming his animals during this summer.

“I guess I got lucky and had pretty decent stock, and I put a lot of hard work and effort into it all summer, which is about what it takes,” Kerbs said. “In the market show, they look at a combination of muscle and fat, and how well the animal puts it all together. How your animal looks has a lot to do with it.”

At the age of 8, Kerbs began actively showing steer and sheep at the Carbon County Fair, while also showing hogs for a couple of years afterward. A 2012 SHS graduate, Kerbs said 2013 was his last year participating at the fair, and he will head back to school at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas.

“I am an agricultural education major, and I plan to become a high school agricultural education teacher,” he said. “I’m also competing on the livestock judging team there.”

Kerbs said he will miss the good times spent at fair and hopes he can return to teach in the Platte Valley.

“I’ve loved getting to see everybody that you don’t see all year, and I have enjoyed the competition aspect,” he said. “I’ve always been kind of a competitive person, so it’s all a whole lot of fun and I’m going to miss it. I’d like to come back to the Platte Valley, because when you go so far away from home, you kind of realize what we have here and how it’s real special. I can’t imagine wanting to live my life anywhere else.”

Although this year was his last at fair, Kerbs said he’ll try to compete in other shows for as long as possible.

“I’ll be involved in some aspect, since I can’t see myself getting out of the livestock industry,” he said. “I’ll be involved at shows for as long as I can handle it.”