Buckeye Valley alum Michael Riley poses with his champion turkey, which was awarded the top honor at the 2024 Delaware County Junior Fair.
Courtesy | Julie Riley
The Champion Meat Turkey at the 2024 Delaware County Junior Fair belongs to current Miami University student and Buckeye Valley alum Michael Riley.
Riley’s turkey, which weighed 35 pounds, was awarded as the best in the show, giving him his first grand champion bird in a six-year showing career. He joins his older sister, Ellen, who took home the top honor in the 2020 competition.
“It’s amazing,” Riley said of the honor. “My sister has also won before, so now I’ve kind of lived up to her standard. It was a great feeling. I just had a big smile on my face, and it was amazing to know that I actually raised one of the best turkeys at the fair.”
Riley, a member of the Powell Sew and Sows 4-H club, had been close to having his first grand champion in years past, showing champion turkeys in particular classes but ultimately falling short of showing a grand champion. Finally getting over the hump made this year’s win even sweeter, he admitted. “I was right there before but wasn’t close enough,” Riley said.
To accomplish the feat, Riley was more intentional about the kind of bird he wanted to show as it relates to the criteria the judges consider in selecting a champion.
“This year, I actually decided to measure the breast bone and breast width instead of just picking a random bird,” he said. “So I went around my flock and decided which one actually had those traits. I work at the poultry barn in Delaware, and there I get to know all the qualities I need to have in my bird for the perfect bird. So I just measured those features weekly to see which bird had the most growth.”
He added, “I ended up banding him a week before, knowing which turkey I had, and then double-checked before the fair and saw that his breastbone was really long and had a nice width to his breast. That’s what they’re looking for in judging.”
Raising a grand champion turkey doesn’t come without its fair share of work. Riley visited the birds upwards of four times a day to ensure they had water, which he said is the most important dietary need the birds have to grow. In addition to watering the birds, socializing with the birds is also important so they’ll remain calm during the showing.
He added that bathing and providing a constant source of clean bedding is also important for the bird’s physical presentation, as is knowing the various parts of the bird, which he’s studied in order to answer the questions judges typically ask.
Given the amount of work he’s put in, knowing it all led to the ultimate goal has only added to the satisfaction for Riley.
“That feeling you get when you win, it’s incredible,” he said. “And it definitely validates all the work. Going out those couple of times for maybe an hour a day, it doesn’t take too much because I also really enjoy turkeys and my animals. It’s a fun experience, but it all just pays off in the end with that excitement of winning.”
Riley has one more year left in his show career and said he hopes to be back next year because he “really loves the fair.” Still, he is well aware his show career is nearing its end, and he was increasingly motivated to break through this year.
“There was a sense of urgency,” Riley said. “I put (the birds) on different types of nutrients this year and different types of supplements and proteins to help them grow bigger. It really boosted his growth towards the end. And I was just driven to win this because I had been so close.”
While the win itself was gratifying, Riley admitted he took extra pleasure in knowing his sister would no longer be able to hold her win over his head. “She would always come to the fair and support me, but then she would say, ‘Yep, I’ve still got it on you,’” Riley joked.
Riley said it “took a minute” for him to realize he had rid himself of his sister’s bragging rights as everyone congratulated him, which he said was a “really good feeling.”
“Towards the end of the night, I was like, ‘Oh wait, now we’re both the same. I’ve got this now on you, too,’” he said.
Of course, sibling rivalry aside, Riley said his sister was as elated as anyone to see her brother finally show his own grand champion.
“She was really happy for me and gave me a big hug. It was really good,” he said.
Riley said he chose to show turkeys in part because he had limited space to raise animals at home. In doing so, though, he’s come to thoroughly enjoy being around the birds.
“I love their personalities,” he said. “They’ll just want to hang out with you 24/7 and it’s just really cool watching them grow from a tiny chick to a big bird.”
As his show career winds down, Riley said he’s really enjoyed getting to know the various people in 4-H. “It’s amazing how everyone comes together and everyone is so non-judgemental and nice to everybody. It’s just a really good community, and I’ll definitely miss all the people I’ve met throughout this time. I’ve probably made my three best friends from 4-H. I’d recommend anyone join a 4-H club.”
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on X @DillonDavis56.
