Birthing barn offers insight into life

By Warren Black

What else says “Texas” like “rodeo”? The State Fair of Texas’ motto is, “Celebrate all things Texan by promoting agriculture, education and community involvement through quality entertainment in a family friendly environment.” This is new wording for a 138-year tradition. Texas and the livestock business are synonymous, and the Fair has a variety of events that cover all these bases, including rodeo. Many attendees have never seen a live rodeo. 

In 1886, the Fair started with a rodeo. For 100 years, the Fair rodeo events charged an entrance fee in addition to admission to the Fair area and its attractions. This was the regular process until the rodeo closed at the Fair in the late 1980s. In 2018, the Fair brought back the rodeo events to the coliseum in the weeks leading up to the opening of the Fair. The rodeo has gained popularity every year since. Many believe it is one of the greatest features during the Fair because the coliseum holds 6,500 spectators in air-conditioned comfort and its free.

The rodeo features many 90-minute events, including Pro Rodeo on September 27-28, Youth Rodeo Finals on September 29, SFT Ranch Rodeo on October 4-5, SFT Mexican Fiesta Rodeo on October 6, the Texas VS Oklahoma Showdown on October 11-12, the Cowboys of Color Rodeo on October 13 and the UPRA World Finals Rodeo on October 17-20. Visit bigtex.com for specific times for all the events. 

There is more than just the rodeo at the Fair to inspire your animal instincts. The Fair features five other daily events that are all free:

1. The petting zoo — Get up close and feed a variety of local and international animals in a safe, child-friendly environment.

2. Birthing Barn — The Fair works with local ranches to breed with precise timing for the live birth center. Families can observe live births of cows, goats, sheep, pigs and a whole lot of chickens. It is quite the educational experience. What is a baby goat called? What do you call a baby pig or a baby cow? 

Other fun facts? The pigs are raised at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to feed incarcerated individuals, and several pigs are bred to give birth during the Fair. Eggs from chickens are kept in incubators, and more than 24 chicks are hatched each day. Visitors can watch a chick peck its way out of a shell. The cow pens have signage letting you know exactly when they had their calves, noting how old they are to the minute. The baby goats and sheep are adorable. Don’t miss this!

3. Discovery Farm — By the lagoon with the swan boats. This is a live animal edutainment event showcasing where food comes from and how it gets to the family dinner table. 

4. Farm and Fork University — This is a talk show-style question and answer about animals, taught by the 4-H children and students from Texas Tech University, educating fairgoers how meat incorporates into lives with cooking demonstrations and animal diagrams. 

5. The Fair’s Livestock Auction — This year, the auction is on Friday, Oct. 4. The 4-H youth members from all around Texas bring their prized animals they have raised from birth to be featured in this grand event. Last year, the auction raised more than $2,250,000 and, this year, the goal is to raise more than $2.5 million dollars, which goes to scholarships for FFA, 4-H students, the Juanita Craft human rights scholars and six area high schools around Fair Park, including Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, North Dallas High School, Madison High School, James Madison and Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. 

The Fair is way more than rides, corny dogs, roasted corn and Belgian waffles. But don’t miss the rides, corny dogs, roasted corn and Belgian waffles. The Fair is a huge contributor to the rich Texas culture, talents and tastes of this great state. See you at the rodeo!

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