TIMONIUM, Maryland – Seventeen-year-old Carter Wickard heard his grandpa let out a celebratory yell as a livestock judge declared the teen the Overall Grand Champion at the National Junior Shorthorn Show and Youth Conference in Timonium, Md.
Nearly 40 junior exhibitors traveled from 29 states to compete in the show June 15-22, with just under 800 animals registered in 11 divisions.
In the end it was Carter’s heifer — Crystal Lucky — that was named the overall best short horn at the show.
It was a victory generations in the making.
Winning shorthorn Overall Grand Champion at the national level has long been a dream for Wickard’s multi-generational farm family.
His uncle and his mother, Leslie Wickard, both given it a shot.
So had his siblings – Paige, 22 and Ryan, 19.
But in the end, it was Carter – a recent Eastern Hancock High School grad – who would bring home the elusive title.
When he traveled to Maryland for last month’s National Junior Shorthorn Show – held June 15-22 – he was joined by his mom and dad (David) and his maternal grandparents, Rick and Sherry Lawrence.
“It was really cool having them there,” said Carter.
“My grandpa…me and him are working together on this, so he was pretty happy when I won. I was happy that he was happy,” he said.
In the photos taken after his big win, Carter is all smiles as he stands alongside his winning heifer, named Crystal Lucky.
Leslie Wickard said her son had good reason to smile, as competition is fierce at the national show.
“Most of the shorthorn industry comes to that show, and so he’s going against the best shorthorn in all of the nation,” she said.
The proud mom said it was a great moment for the whole family watching the livestock judge walk over to shake Carter’s hand in the ring after judging the finalists, indicating he was the chosen overall grand champion.
“We were shocked. It’s something that we’ve been trying to accomplish for years, and we’ve never had the chance to do that. It was an amazing feeling. It was wonderful,” she said.
She and her brother have both shown shorthorn cattle in the junior nationals, as have her other two kids.
Raising and showing cattle runs in the family’s blood, she said. Both she and her husband come from multi-generational farm families.
Carter, his siblings and parents are all 10-year Hancock County 4-H members and have devoted their lives to the cattle business.
Now that he’s graduated he plans to work on his family’s farm, but first he has his sights on winning big at the Indiana State Fair this summer.
His goal is making it into the grand drive at this year’s state fair, an event which happens to fall on Aug. 3, the day he turns 18.
Carter said winning his way to the grand drive would be an amazing birthday gift, as well as a great way to cap off his final year in 4-H.
He wants not only to make it into the grand drive but to land within the top five of the drive, “but there are seven national champion heifers going to the state fair, so it’s going to be tough,” he said.
His plan is to keep showing up to the barn bright and early each morning – by 7 p.m. – to work with his prize-winning heifer and coaxing her to win big one more time.
No matter what happens, he knows his family will be there cheering him on from the stands.
