Fair Times

On Thursday afternoon, Chris and I left for Idaho to attend Merritt's (my nephew) fair. It was his first year showing a steer. I used to show a steer when I was in 4-H and FFA, so this brought back many memories. We got to my grandmother's house in Mackay where we stayed for two nights. On Saturday after the sale, we traveled to Challis where we spent the night with my parents and attended church on Sunday before we made the long trip back to Utah.

Because most people have been to fairs but have never seen a beef show, I will give an explanation of how they work. First of all a steer is a male that cannot reproduce. They are raised solely for their meat. In March, all steers are weighed in for an initial weight. The owners have about 4 months to tame them and get them to a good weight (at least 1000 pounds). They train them by putting a halter and lead rope on them and train them to lead and stop. This normally takes a lot of work. They also have to train them with a showstick. A showstick is a fancy name for a pole with a hook and pointer to make the steer stand perfectly square. They use the hook to pull feet forward and the pointer to push feet back. A steer should stand square so that it looks even.

There are two shows in a market beef show. The first one is showmanship. They have different four different categories depending on show experience. In this show the showman has to be watching the judge, controlling their animal, lining it up, following directions,and answerering questions about their project. It is a little nervewracking. The second show is quality, where the steer is judged on its quality of meat. They look at how balanced it looks, how they walk, and the thickness of its ribs. I used to judge cattle, but don't remember exactly how they judge them in this. Steers are placed in a class determined by their average daily gain. Each top two in four classes move on to the champainship round, where the top two are awarded. The next day, they have an auction of all the animals (sheep, hogs, and steers). People come from all over the state and bid on animals. On Sunday, when we are all asleep, the animals are butchered (some young 4-Hers don't know this). It can be a very traumtic experience selling your animal. I hope that explanation was not confusing and now you understand a little of how 4-H beef shows go.

Merritt got grandchampion showman in his showmanship class (there were only two showmen). He was still pretty excited. His steer was a baby and so gentle. Many people commented that they have never seen such a gentle steer. In his quality class, he got third. Overall, he sold 10th out of 16 steers. He sold his steer for $1.85 a pound, which means he earned roughly $22oo, plus any added money anybody gave him. Not bad for an 8 year old!

Here are some pictures of the fair. The one of Copper rearing up when he is getting washed is a great one(he hates getting his head washed). I am entering that into a contest. I think the one of Merritt and RJ being goofy is so cute!