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Rocky's sons sweep top lamb positions at virtual county fair

Rocky & Sons Show Lambs consists of Rocky Morris and his sons Oscar Ledesma and Alan Morris. The two brothers swept the top four lamb awards at this year's San Diego County Fair market livestock show, which was a virtual show rather than a physical show due to the coronavirus quarantine, and Alan Morris also raised the supreme grand champion market goat.

"I was really surprised and excited when I heard about Alan and I both winning. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of hard work, but it really paid off," Ledesma said.

"Amazing," Alan Morris said.

Ledesma turned 16 years old Tuesday, July 28, and completed 10th grade at Fallbrook High School recently. Alan Morris is 10 years old and completed fourth grade at Fallbrook STEM Academy.

Alan Morris showed five lambs and a goat. Ledesma showed five lambs.

"Some of these lambs we were selling for other kids to bring," Ledesma said.

After the fair was canceled, the fair board opted to hold a virtual market livestock show and a virtual auction. Because National FFA Organization chapters are associated with a high school, many FFA members continued to raise animals as part of their projects although some likely raised fewer animals than would have been the case had the county fair been physical. Some 4-H Club members chose not to raise animals at all this year.

"They stopped buying," Ledesma said.

Ledesma and Morris showed some of those lambs themselves at the virtual market livestock show.

"They were leftovers that I ended up showing. We just ended up keeping them and feeding them," Ledesma said.

Showing additional lambs was a consolation for the physical fair being canceled, but Ledesma said he would have preferred the actual fair to have taken place.

"It would have been cool for my brother and I to be competing in person in the ring," he said.

Morris also would have preferred to have shown at the fairgrounds, which would have allowed him to gather with his friends from other 4-H Club chapters.

All of the lambs were Hampshire crosses. Morris showed five wethers, or males, while Ledesma showed three wethers and two ewes.

Ledesma received FFA grand champion and supreme grand champion market lamb honors for Sampson, a wether who weighed 125 pounds. He was in the mediumweight class. Sampson was born in January. Ledesma acquired Sampson in March and had raised him for three months by the time the virtual fair animals were shown.

"I thought he was really good, one of the best I've ever had," Ledesma said. "He was well built; he was a striking pretty lamb."

Ledesma had two lambs in the mediumweight class but felt Sampson was the better one.

"That was my plan, for him to win," Ledesma said.

The normal fair rules are that the FFA grand champion, the FFA reserve champion, the 4-H Club grand champion and the 4-H reserve champion must go to auction. The county fair board didn't make the decision to hold the virtual show and auction until May 19, and many FFA and 4-H Club members made arrangements before the show to sell their animals before the fair auction was finalized.

Students who pre-sold an animal were allowed to enter the virtual market livestock show and to win the top awards even if the animal would not be sold at auction. Also, this year, the limit of auctioning one animal applied regardless of whether an exhibitor won multiple top awards.

Ledesma and Morris only sent one animal apiece to the auction. None of the others were pre-sold. Ledesma will show Sampson at the upcoming Ramona Country Fair.

"I'm excited to take him to Ramona," Ledesma said.

Ledesma also raised the FFA mediumweight reserve champion. His ewe Hassy weighed 120 pounds and was bred by Rocky & Sons. Hassy was born in January.

"The judge said that was the toughest class of all sheep," Ledesma said. "The judge said it was the deepest set of animals in one class."

Chip won the super heavyweight class and became the FFA reserve champion. The wether weighed 160 pounds and was bred by Rocky & Sons. Chip was born in late December.

"He was just overall a very good lamb," Ledesma said. "Worked hard with him, and I'm glad how well he did."

Chip was sold at auction and was purchased by Richard Aeling of Escondido for $720. If a person wishes to donate money to a specific exhibitor but does not want to purchase an animal, they can contribute what is called an add-on amount, and Ledesma also received $100 of add-ons for Chip.

Rooster provided Ledesma with the heavyweight reserve champion award. The wether weighed 143 pounds and was born in early January. Ledesma began raising him in March.

"He's just an overall very good lamb," Ledesma said.

Becky was chosen as the FFA lightweight champion. She weighed 108 pounds and was bred by Rocky & Sons. The ewe was born in early February.

"Very good ewe," Ledesma said.

Morris won all four 4-H Club weight classes for lambs.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "It's amazing because I put a lot of work and effort into it."

Splash Mountain was the 4-H Club grand champion and was also the 4-H Club heavyweight champion.

"He's my favorite lamb. He was the first one I worked with before I trained the other ones," Morris said. "He wasn't hard to walk. He was really easy. He's friendly, kind."

Splash Mountain was born in January. Morris acquired the wether from Hassebrook in March and was 143 pounds when he was weighed for the fair.

Charlie won 4-H Club mediumweight champion honors before becoming the 4-H Club reserve champion. He was bred by Rocky & Sons and born in January. Charlie weighed 123 pounds.

"I think he's a good lamb," Morris said. "I'm happy that we raised him."

Charlie and Tanner are twins. Tanner, who weighed 102 pounds, won the 4-H Club lightweight class. Morris also raised the 4-H Club lightweight reserve champion; Crinkle was 103 pounds and was acquired in late March after being born in February.

The 4-H Club super heavyweight champion, Big Boy, was bred by Rocky & Sons and born in early January. He weighed 160 pounds.

Big Boy was Morris' lamb which was auctioned. Michelle Shiue of Lakeside purchased Big Boy for $560, and Morris received another $150 from add-on donations.

Morris wasn't surprised that Splash Mountain was chosen as the superlative lamb from his four weight class champions.

"I thought he was the best one, and I hoped he would win," Morris said.

The FFA grand champion, the FFA reserve champion, the 4-H Club grand champion, and the 4-H Club reserve champion compete for supreme grand champion and supreme reserve champion. Ledesma's lambs Sampson and Chip faced Morris' lambs Splash Mountain and Charlie.

"I was hoping to beat my brother," Morris said.

The results were announced June 25. Sampson gave Ledesma the top award. Splash Mountain was the supreme reserve champion, which gave Morris that recognition.

"I'm happy," Morris said.

Both brothers would have a supreme grand champion for the 2020 fair. Dibbles is a wether Boer goat who was eight months old when the virtual fair occurred. Morris acquired Dibbles in January.

"He is really good. I like him. He's a really good goat," Morris said.

Morris had expectations of Dibbles winning a top award.

"I was pretty confident," he said. "I worked pretty hard with him."

Morris worked five days a week with Dibbles.

"I would take him out and walk him, I'd get him up and walk him in a circle," Morris said.

That got Dibbles used to walking in a circle.

"The next day we'd do the same thing," Morris said. "He is a really good goat. He's really kind. He doesn't do anything bad. He's not that hard to work with."

Dibbles weighed 89 pounds and was selected as the 4-H Club heavyweight champion to place him in contention for 4-H Club grand champion and 4-H Club reserve champion along with the other 4-H Club weight class champions. Dibbles was selected as the 4-H Club grand champion and then chosen as the supreme grand champion.

"I'm excited," Morris said of raising the supreme grand champion goat as well as the 4-H Club grand champion and 4-H Club reserve champion lambs.

The Morris family moved from Orange County to Fallbrook in 2016. Ledesma was previously a member of the Trabuco Trailblazers 4-H Club chapter and had shown at the Orange County Fair. Ledesma raised the Orange County Fair's supreme grand champion lamb in 2016 and made his San Diego County Fair debut in 2017.

"I want to say thank you to all my ag teachers and my advisers for helping me for the whole year and to the fair for putting on a virtual show," Ledesma said.

"I want to thank all the buyers who supported me and my leaders," Morris said.

Ledesma and Morris were also appreciative of Jacky Eshelby, director of fair exhibits, and Jennifer Struever, supervisor of fair exhibit, as well as the other fair personnel who ensured that the exhibitors could show their livestock and participate in the auction.

Both brothers provided the same quote on the 2021 county fair being physical instead of virtual.

"I hope there's a fair next year," Morris and Ledesma said independently.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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