The 2020 Michigan Livestock Expo will still go on despite the State Fair being canceled.
The format, according to Michigan Farm News, will be “show-and-go.” This means exhibitors will show a single specie at a time while following proper distancing guidelines.
“I know how hard these kids work on these animals all year long and what showing at MLE means to them,” MLE manager Ashley Herman told Michigan Farm News. “This year has been crazy for schools and sports, and they’ve had a lot of things taken away from them due to COVID-19.”
Last year, over 500 students exhibited around 1,000 head of livestock.
Here is the tentative schedule:
July 14 – Market goats and showmanship
July 15 – Market lambs and showmanship
July 16 – Market beef and showmanship
July 17 – Crossbred market hogs and showmanship
July 18 – Purebred market hogs and market hog final drive
July 21 – “Sale-abration” location to be announced
“People have been extremely supportive,” Herman said. “They are beyond grateful that we have worked to find a way to still have it even if it’s not ideal for anyone, but the support for the committees, the board, and people being extremely grateful have been overwhelming. There are questions (about the event), but they’re just questions trying to figure out how they need to navigate the situation.”
Wisconsin made a similar decision a this week.