Howdy CanyonAg77. Glad to share more info on this PanTex Buyers group! It's a non-profit my wife is involved in and another young lady from the panhandle. It is a group raising money for kids involved in 4H or FFA projects from the Panhandle and South Plains to help those that make the Jr. Livestock Auction at the San Antonio Stock Show. Every year about 1000 kids make that sale. Generally speaking, around 300 of them are from the Panhandle or South Plains. Those kids dominate the SA show and most of the other major stockshows. Problem is, they do not have the corporate buyers or buyers groups follow them down there and support them at the same level that kids from Central and South Texas or the Hill Country. This PanTex group started with a heart for these kids and was able to spend over $50,000 on them in their first year of existence (just this February).
Here is a bit more info:
Our Why:
Year after year, many of the champions, division and class winners in the San Antonio Junior Livestock Show hail from the Panhandle and South Plains. Though these hard working 4-H and FFA members are successful in the show ring, their junior market sale earnings don't often reflect their success. To help bolster the Junior Market Auctions at San Antonio Livestock Expo, the PanTex Buyers Group is committed to fundraising money to be spent on these successful showmen.
Our How:
Raising money by organizing fundraisers such as galas, silent and live auctions, clay shoots, dances, jack pot shows, casino nights, show clinics and more. For each event to be a success, we need sponsors, donors and of course, attendees. The "Power of the Panhandle" is a mighty force and we are putting it into action.
What we accomplished our inaugural year:
Gold Buyer Status! $51,000 spent on 185 kids
-(4) goats, (37) lambs, (106) barrows, (38) steers-Covered 44 counties in 2023 and added 5 more for 2024
Our plans for the future:
$100,000 to spend on PanTex kids at 2024 SALE
-Floor bid on every kid
Hardship Scholarship opportunities
The counties we cover:
Dallam, Sherman, Hansford, Ochiltree, Lipscomb, Hartley, Moore, Hutchinson, Roberts, Hemphill, Oldham, Potter, Carson, Gray, Wheeler, Deaf Smith, Randall, Armstrong, Donley, Collingsworth, Parmer, Castro, Swisher, Briscoe, Hall, Childress, Bailey, Lamb, Hale, Floyd, Motley, Cottle, Cochran, Hockley, Lubbock, Crosby, Dickens, King, Yoakum, Terry, Lynn, Garza, Kent, Stonewall, Gaines, Dawson, Borden, Scurry, Fisher We like to separate these counties into the "High Plains" and the "South Plains" for organizational purposes.
Find us at:
www.pantexbuyersgroup.com
Facebook:@pantexbuyersgroup
Thanks for helping get the word out and support these awesome kids who are the future of Agriculture!