Youth News
As 2016 Ends- Tyler Norvell and His Team Are Preparing for the 2017 Oklahoma Youth Expo
Fri, 30 Dec 2016 05:43:44 CST
As 2016 comes to a close, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays looked back and looked ahead with the Executive Director Tyler Norvell of the Oklahoma Youth Expo. Norvell says that despite the lackluster economy, the 2016 OYE was a great success, with close to two million dollars in prize money, scholarships and auction premiums invested back into the young people who show the animals. Over seven thousand 4-H and FFA students showed more than 13,000 animals last March in Oklahoma City.
And it appears, again despite the economy, the nominations of animals for the 2017 OYE are just as large as last year, with 22,000 nominations paid for in November and December for the upcoming show in March. Norvell says that he expects when the show arrives and the animals are hauled to State Fair Park- there will be around 13,000 animals again at the 2017 Oklahoma Youth Expo.
Norvell says he is amazed at the strong support for the youth who show at the OYE- the ag community steps up and supports the young people- but the real growth in support dollars has come from non ag companies. He says companies in Oklahoma City and across the region have told him "we want to be a part of your program- not only to help these kids, but more importantly when these kids graduate high school or college- we want those kids to know who our company is so they will come to work for us." He adds that the while there are lots of animals being shown and judged- the value of the program is about "let's teach these kids life skills, how to work, how to get along with each other and what fiscal responsibility is- something that we are struggling in society with. It's about making these young people better young people to serve our society."
Norvell says he is very proud of the $250,000 worth of scholarships that have been handed out annually the last couple of years at the OYE- and that the great thing to him is that for these young people to be able to use these scholarship dollars- they have to spend them at colleges and universities in state- keeping our best kids home so they can give back to Oklahoma as graduates in future years.
About the 2017 show- the biggest change will apparently be that the gilt show will now stretch over three days instead of two. The barrow show and the other species will have basically the same schedule in 2017 that they worked with in 2016.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear the complete conversation between Ron and Tyler- and be watching Saturday morning, December 31st, on KWTV News9 as Tyler Norvell appears on Ron's In the Field segment during the early morning news show at 6:40 AM.
Click or tap here for the OYE website to learn more about the 2017 show- and click or tap here for the 2016 FLICKR page of photos that Oklahoma Farm Report captured during the course of the 2016 show.
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