By ANN ALLEN
Indiana Correspondent COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. — If anyone attending the Whitley County 4-H Fair asks, “Where’s the beef?” he or she will be sent in two directions.
While there are two kinds of beef at almost every 4-H fair, the number of youngsters showing dairy beef in Whitley County increases every year.
“Back when I raised dairy beef 30 years ago, there may have been 12 or 15 steers in the show,” said Karen Blake, an advisory board member for Whitley County’s dairy steer club. “This year, we had 89 entries with another 180 feeder calves.”
The reasons for this are many – a Holstein steer costs less to purchase than an Angus or Hereford, and it usually tends to be more docile, making it easier to handle, a plus for younger members.
“Kids often start in the feeder calf class (calves born between Jan. 1 and March 31 of the current year and weighing less than 300 pounds at the April 1 weigh-in) and they fall in love with their animal,” Blake said. “Since they can’t bear to part with it, they bring it back again the next year. By that time, the calf has grown into a husky 1,000-1,700-pound steer and some have become pets.”
“It’s sad,” she added, “because eventually the kids have to sell the animal. It’s a moment they all dread.”
While numbers don’t equate quality, judge Ron Clauson found plenty of that in this year’s show. “You won’t find any better animals at the state fair,” he told participants. “This is an exceptional show.”
Clauson, superintendent of the Indiana State Fair’s dairy beef and feeder calf show and a judge at a number of county fairs, looks for animals exhibiting straight toplines, that are level from hooks to pins, have heavy muscling and display structural correctness. “I like to see them at the right market weight,” he said. “I don’t want them too light or too heavy.”
When it comes to showmanship, Clauson looks for kids who have worked with their animals, who dress properly and who show ring presence.
He was so impressed with Cora Saggars’ skills in the rookie showmanship contest that he asked her how much she weighed and how much her steer weighed. The reply: she weighed 54 pounds; her steer tipped the scales at 1,529 pounds.
“That animal could pull her all over the ring if it wanted to,” he said, “but she’s worked with it so much it does exactly what she wants it to do. That’s what good showmanship is all about.
“4-H is all about relationships and family,” he told the audience. “Parents should give their kids a hug and tell them they did a good job.”
Turning to the kids, he added, “It’s not important whether you win or lose. Go give your Mom and Dad big hugs and thank them for their help.”
Thanks to the other beef, more families have that opportunity, and more kids get a chance to win.
This farm news was published in the Aug. 22, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
