" I started my 1st livestock project to raise money for college when I was only 12 years old, but over the next 6 years, I had lost money on every project. This year, at the 2009 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, I lost several thousand dollars."

Buyers set the bidding on the floor of the auction, and I was fortunate enough to be in the top 10% of my category during judging. So, why did my steer sell for only $900.00?

Other students invested several thousand dollars to bring a yearling steer to the livestock show, most of them Seniors in High School trying to raise money for next years college tuition, but from the number of entries eliminated that lost money, figures run into $millions wasted on animal projects this year.

Other organizations like LULAC, PRCA & PBRA have members urging a boycott of HLSR, and we've worked with news stories for them, but Media Center Director Suzanne Brack said our organizations weren't "big enough" to make any difference with their 50,000/evening attendance during their 3 week event. Well, NFL athletes made organizational changes about hard concrete floors before (handler) was even born. If Rodeo athletes boycott next year, then maybe they could get some changes, too. The handlers think they risk their lives on that concrete.

So, how about you? Do you think your big enough to support a boycott of any particular evening at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo?

Most students sold restaurant quality grain fed prime livestock projects at bids so low, that they felt swindled. Even Sheriff Adrian Garcia declined an invitation as co-marshal of this year's Rodeo Parade in consideration of minority protests about inequality.

Sen. Mario Gallegos introduced a bill to regulate the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo's non-profit organization. So, (the contestant) asks, where is all the money they're raising going to anyway? It certainly has not been going to help me pay for my college education.

For more media coverage of the boycotts, you can visit some of the perspective news releases at the following web sites and browse archives of other articles:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/18818758/details.html

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/6285183.html

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&... (less info)