The Montgomery County Fair Board received a huge donation from the Callaway-Montgomery County Cattlemen’s Association on July 20.

The association, which serves both Callaway and Montgomery counties, presented a $15,000 check to the fair board to help with the expansion of the steer barn and continued improvements of the livestock facilities.

“The Montgomery County Fair Board came to us and asked if we would be interested in helping them support the livestock facilities, specifically the expansion of the steer barn,” said Julie Deering, one of the association’s board members. “We already made a donation to the Callaway Youth Expo this summer. The association serves both counties. So for us, it only made sense because it directly impacts youth and agriculture.”

Deering, Caren Blaue, Mike Henderson and Jim Korman were the association’s representatives who attended the check presentation during the Junior Livestock Auction at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

“I think they’re happy to have all of the support that they can get because they’re certainly big undertakings and they require a lot of capital investment,” Deering said. “Anything we can do or the community can do to help offset and support what they are doing goes a long way.”

Justin Talley, president of the Montgomery County Fair Board, said the donation will definitely help update the facilities at the fairgrounds.

“In the past few years, we’ve seen the number of steer entries double from about 15 to more than 30,” Talley said. “We just completed a 50-foot expansion of the existing steer barn and look to continue improving the livestock facilities to further support local youth in agriculture.”

The fair board also plans to set permanent scales, add a new wash rack with better drainage and make improvements to the show ring and auction block.

The livestock auction on July 20 raised about $380,000 in total sales. Fair board officials said five percent of each sale goes towards the improvements of the livestock facilities.

Deering said the expansion of the steer barn will allow more young people to be involved and more animals to be exhibited.

“It makes such a big difference when you’re able to work in facilities that are modern and provide the shelter and the coverage that you and your animals need,” Deering said. “I think it creates an enjoyable experience for everybody involved. It takes a significant investment from the community. It’s not just a cattleman thing. It’s the entire community coming together to really support the youth in agriculture and the upkeep of the facilities.”