Bo Bailey, a local youth who recently won a major junior steer show, was recognized for his achievements last week by Flint River Mills Inc. of Bainbridge.

Bailey, a freshman at Grace Christian Academy, won the Grand Champion Market Steer Award with his Charolais steer at the 2012 Georgia Junior Livestock Show held in Perry, Ga., on Feb. 25. Bailey also won best-of-breed awards for his Charolais steer, nicknamed “The Situation,” and his Chianina-influenced steer, nicknamed “B.A.”

FRM was especially happy about Bailey’s achievements because the steers were fed with feeds FRM designed specifically for raising show animals.

“FRM is very fortunate to have someone like Bo to represent us so well through his hard work,” FRM President Henry Metcalf said.

“Raising a champion steer is the culmination of a lot of things, but having a good feed is the main thing,” said Dr. Cliff Bailey, a local veterinarian who is also Bo’s father. “Bo put in a lot of work at home where our barn is, taking care of his steers early in the morning and late at night. You also have to have some luck.”

Bo Bailey, 15, who has been raising show animals since he was nine years old, said the story of his supreme champion steer, “The Situation,” is memorable.

“I had been looking at steers up for sale online with my dad one night,” Bo recalled. “I told one of my dad’s helpers to try and bid on him. My dad found out about the sale went through and was upset.”

“I told my son, you don’t just buy a $2,500 steer from Oklahoma over the Internet without looking at him first,” Dr. Bailey said.

Bo said he had relied upon tips his dad had given him to assess the young calf’s potential. But as it turns out, no one else had wanted the steer and when it arrived in Decatur County, it was really skinny and lost some of its hair—neither of which are desirable for a show animal, Dr. Bailey said.

Dr. Bailey said he was determined that raising the then-puny calf would be a learning experience for his son.

“I told him, ‘you’re going to take this calf to shows and whether you win or lose, your facial expression should be the same. You’re still the same kid who put in all the work to get him there.’”

In the end, “The Situation” was a one-of-a-kind steer. He weighed 1,553 pounds and took home top honors at the Perry show, where exhibitors showed more than 4,000 cattle, sheep and hogs. “The Situation” had lots of hair, his body had the perfect balance of meat and he had little fat, all signs of a healthy market steer, Dr. Bailey said.

“That’s definitely a reflection not only of Bo’s hard work and dedication, but the quality of the FRM feeds we used to raise this calf every step of the way,” Dr. Bailey said.

Raising show animals is not an easy task for the youth who compete in Georgia 4-H and FFA competitions. Dr. Bailey, whose daughters Ash and Brock have also shown animals in the past, talked about all the many hours the kids put in over numerous months to raise a healthy animal.

“This has absolutely nothing to do with any money the children might win at competitions,” Dr. Bailey said. “It’s a family thing—it teaches children responsibility, work ethic, how to win and lose with dignity and represent themselves and their animals confidently.”

What’s next for Bo? He hopes to take a steer he is currently raising to a major livestock show in Denver, Colo., this summer.

Anyone who would like to find out more about FRM’s animal feeds can visit www.frmfeeds.com or check out the company’s products at Stone’s Hardware Store.