Businesses, individuals, families being encouraged to show their support

(Seguin) — After falling just a few thousand dollars short of a major milestone last year, organizers of the Guadalupe County Youth Livestock and Homemakers Show remain hopeful that support this year will push the youth organization beyond the $2 million mark.

Dustin Morgenroth, chairman of the board of directors for the Guadalupe County Youth Livestock and Homemakers Show, says the goal is within reach and represents a major step forward for the organization.

“Last year, we were within – I want to say – about $12,000 from hitting the $2 million for the youth of the county. It’s our goal, obviously, this year to finally get over that $2 million mark. This is my eighth year being chairman and I know when I first got involved, we were like around the $400,000 mark. So, we’ve grown a pretty big rate in just a few years so I know, my sales committee and the board are shooting to hit that $2 million mark,” said Morgenroth.

Morgenroth explains how reaching the $2 million total does not rely solely on the live auction held at the end of the show.

He says it’s more of the continued support that comes in after the auction wraps up.

“(Obtaining that goal) — that’s not in the live auction. The live auction will be a little bit less because we will get quite a bit of money as add-ons which is where a lot of businesses or families will send in the add-ons for the kids after the auction. So, usually in the live auction, it will be a little over a $1 million and then we get about $800,000 to $900,0000 in add-ons,” said Morgenroth.

Meanwhile, Morgenroth says there are options for those who may not be able to attend the auction in person or who are looking for another way to contribute to area youth.

“Those businesses that maybe don’t have kids that they know of and want to help support them, they can donate to our general fund for the youth show. What we do with that money — we actually have a pool of money that we raise and we help those kids — bringing them up to kind of where the average is if you will. For example, we will say we want everybody who sold a pig to be at least at $2,000 and we will go and see what it takes to do that. Anyway, if people want to help those kids out without having to spend all day at the auction, well, there are options for that because that’s what we do with those donations that we get because we know what these projects cost. Everybody who has done it or has kids who do it – we all know these projects are not cheap,” said Morgenroth.

In addition to financial contributions, organizers say community support is also accepted year-round through volunteer involvement, both during the event and throughout the planning process.

Donations to the Guadalupe County Youth Livestock and Homemakers Show or to individual exhibitors can be made online at gcys.org. Those wishing to give by phone may also contact Co-Board Secretary Megan Reiley at 830-660-2328.

This year’s youth show, which began on Monday, runs through Saturday at the Guadalupe County Fairgrounds. As reported earlier this week, the 2026 show includes 574 exhibitors and 1,607 total entries across livestock, homemaking, and Ag mechanics projects. Organizers say those numbers reflect months — and in some cases more than a year — of dedication by students involved in FFA and 4-H programs throughout Guadalupe County and surrounding areas.