Perkins works toward continued success

County fairs across Wyoming are an annual summer experience with a long, rich history in agriculture, serving as a platform to showcase the talents of the youth in the community.

At the heart of a county fair are the exhibits, demonstrations and competitions to advance livestock, horticulture and agriculture, emphasizing educational activities such as 4-H, FFA and similar youth development programs in various livestock and non-livestock projects.

County fairs also provide exceptional educational activities to help today’s consumers understand the importance of farming and the food source on their plate. 

While enjoying time at a local fair, visitors can also see, hear, touch, smell and taste the richness and variety of what agriculture has to offer.

Celebrating this rich tradition, Lovell High School (LHS) Sophomore Addisyn Perkins, the daughter of Andy and Becky Perkins of Lovell, will be showcasing her talents July 29-Aug. 4 at the Big Horn County Fair in Basin.

“I have attended many county, state and national shows where I have been fortunate enough to find some success at,” Perkins states.

This fair season, Perkins will be competing for the grand prize in multiple livestock divisions showcasing her prized lambs, goats, pigs and breeding sheep.

Following her passion

“My family has raised sheep since I was little so I’ve been able to see many of the different challenges and successes that come along with agricultural life,” Perkins says.

“Along with my older brother Shawn and older sister Rylee, we have been raising show lambs with my parents since we can remember, running about 100 head of crossbreds, Southdowns and Dorset,” she adds. 

Consequently, Perkins has been in the show ring since she was able to compete within breeding and market shows.

She says, “When I became of 4-H age, I found a great liking to showing pigs and goats along with sheep.”

“Throughout my time in the show ring, my biggest success has been winning grand champion market lamb at the Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) Stock Show and Rodeo in 2023,” she states.

The NILE is dedicated to the promotion of the livestock industry, agriculture education and preserving the Western way of life. 

The premiere event is a week-long stock show and rodeo held in October each year where hundreds of exhibitors from across the U.S. and Canada bring livestock to Billings, Mont. to show and sell at the NILE.

In the same year, she won the title in 4-H sheep showmanship at the Wyoming State Fair in Douglas.

Perkins has been fortunate to be on the All-State Livestock Judging Team for the past four years.

“I am also involved in FFA at LHS, SkillsUSA and dance, and I hold the position of secretary for the Lovell FFA Chapter. I’m the parliamentarian for my SkillsUSA chapter as well,” she adds.

Recently, Perkins and 16 of her FFA teammates competed in team and individual events during the 2024 Wyoming State FFA Convention held in Cheyenne April 10-13.  

During the convention, Perkins earned the State FFA Creed title and will be representing the Cowboy State in October at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

She says, “I have many influential people in my life who have supported me along my ag journey and pushed me to be a better person while reaching success. A few of them include Kylee Fisher, Jalene Middlesworth, the West Family, my close group of show friends and, most importantly, my parents.”

What’s next

After high school, Perkins plans to continue her livestock judging career and pursue an education in law.

“In the future, I hope to be able to be a successful lawyer, continuing to be an advocate for agriculture, and I hope to still be raising show lambs,” she notes. “I would like to keep going to different shows and sales if I get the chance to.”

“If I could offer advice to the future generation of agricultural leaders, I would tell them to work hard and don’t forget where you started,” she adds. “There’s always an opportunity to work harder for what you want and sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to find success.” 

Perkins concludes, “Most importantly, make sure to thank people who helped you get where you are, as you wouldn’t be there without them.”

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.