ATOKA, Okla. (KTEN) -- Every February, the Atoka County Livestock Show attracts high school students from all over the county to show off their swine, cattle or sheep.

"Staying calm" was Luke Thompson's motto. One of his pigs came in 3rd place overall.

"If you're nervous then your pig is nervous," the sophomore said. "With my bigger pig, I was getting more nervous and she started acting up."

Atoka FFA advisor Clay Edwards said students have been training and caring for their animals for up to a year.

"Constant day-to-day routine of being responsible enough to feed, to walk, to train them, to know how to drive... lots of time spent in the farm," he said.

A participant at the Atoka County Livestock Show on February 22, 2021.
A participant at the Atoka County Livestock Show on February 22, 2021. (KTEN)

First Place Winner Jacob Thompson said getting to this day has been a full-time job

"We've been preparing for a week-and-a-half now getting pigs cut, clipped and then getting them fed just right and looking right," said the senior student.

And that time doesn't only go towards preparations for the event.

"I love my cattle," junior Tabitha Boyd said. "They're just like perfect to me. They hold such a big place in my heart."

And that's what makes it all worthwhile in the end.

"You see them grow from this little bitty kid to now this... and just the things they learn how to do. They learn how to do things their own way," Boyd said.

Livestock show announcer Matt Sandmann said the best end result isn’t the buckle that’s won, but rather the character that’s built.

"Good adults that come out of this, and I think if more people were involved in livestock shows, I think the world would be better," he said.

Pigs on display at the Atoka County Livestock Show on February 22, 2021.
Pigs on display at the Atoka County Livestock Show on February 22, 2021. (KTEN)