LA PORTE, Ind. — A northern Indiana woman could be viewed as the New York Yankees of prizewinning cattle trainers.

Bailey Rist has traveled as far as Colorado to come home with her cow declared the grand champion. It was no different at this month’s La Porte County Fair where her steer Mathers fetched $10,000 during an auction after being declared that fair’s grand champion steer.

The 18-year-old Rist plans to use those monies to help pay her tuition at Purdue University, where she plans to study animal sciences in hopes of becoming a veterinarian. "It’s been kind of a storybook year for her," said her father, Michael Rist, of Hesston, which is just a mile or so from the Michigan line.

The Rist family has about 80 cows, and their specialty is breeding prize-winning beef cattle through methods like in vitro fertilization to produce calves with strong blood lines.

Every day since October, the La Porte High School graduate washed, combed and carefully manicured the hair of Mathers, her light brown and white Charolais Cross who placed no lower than fifth place in 20 or so competitions, including several in Colorado, Ohio and other states.

Mathers, declared the grand champion about a half dozen times during that period, was helped by genetics, but it was tireless efforts from Bailey that gave him the winning edge on so many occasions.

Rist, starting before the rooster crows, not only trimmed and washed Mathers but gave him skin treatments and taught him how to walk gracefully and on command in the show ring.

She also put him in a 50-degree cooler, a technique often used to promote hair growth that when cut and trimmed just right helps bring out a cow’s outstanding physical qualities.

Rist said all of that effort was challenging sometimes but now she’s now reaping the rewards.

"It’s not easy to go out every morning – get up even though you want to go to sleep – and work on these calves," said Rist, who plans to attend Purdue North Central near Westville in the fall then later transfer to the West Lafayette campus to finish her degree work.

Among her half dozen or so victories since October was a steer competition in Indianapolis against 1,800 other beef cattle.

Vern Schafer, beef superintendent at the fair, said the market price for a steer is about $1,800, but the average sale price at the fair auction was around $2,500.

Bids under market value were not allowed in order to generate extra money for each of the 4-H members, who combined had more than 100 head of cattle on this year’s fair auction block.

"The bidders bid higher than that because they want to help the kids out," said Schafer, who lives in La Crosse.

Despite realizing what the fate of their cows would be at the start of training, many of the 4-H members with cattle at the auction struggled with their emotions.

Janelle Mitzner, 15, of Wanatah finished just behind Rist as the reserve champion with a cow named Jonah, auctioned off for $9,400.

She said becoming attached cannot be helped because of the amount of time spent with a cow leading up to the competition.

"I spent a year with Jonah, and it’s definitely hard because you put so much into it and then like that it’s gone," said Mitzner, who after seeing Jonah off went for a long walk by herself and cried.

"They’re like a pet,’’ she said.

Dillon Hunt, 14, of Rolling Prairie sold his cow Big Boy for about $2,500 at the fair auction.

He said a lot of patience is one of the key ingredients for raising cattle because the animals don’t always behave as desired or walk to where they’re being directed to go.

"They can be mean. They can be stubborn," Hunt said.