Exhibitors reflect on week at the fair

The 2019 Greater Jefferson County Fair has come to a close.

A mild month of June gave way to a mid-summer heat wave during the week of the fair. It meant exhibitors had to keep a close eye on their animals' water supply, and make sure they were staying cool by giving them frequent baths or placing them near a fan.

Thirteen-year-old Maddi Woodburn participated in Saturday's beef show. As soon as the show ended, Woodburn made a bee-line for the water hoses near the Dairy Barn, where she bathed her heifer 'Midnight,” who was ready to rest after her competition.

Woodburn has been in 4-H for three years, but this was her first year showing animals at the fair. She said the experience of showing was fun, though it took some courage to overcome her nerves when she walked into the show ring for the first time.

Luckily, she calmed down soon after her entrance. The beef show judge, Kenton Lain, asked her a few questions about her heifer. Woodburn said the hardest part of raising 'Midnight” was breaking her, because she did not want to follow commands.

Woodburn said her favorite part of the fair was showing and eating fair food such as funnel cakes and lemonade.

Judging

Lain is a 2018 graduate of Iowa State University, where he participated on the school's livestock judging team. He lives near the town of Corydon, where he and his wife grow crops and raise cattle. The Ledger asked him how he judges cattle at the fair.

'For heifers [females that have not had a calf], you're looking at something that will go on to be a cow,” he said. 'I'm looking for heifers that are structurally sound, maternal-focused. I'm looking at their skeleton and amount of fat on them.”

Can exhibitors alter those characteristics of their animals in how they're fed or raised?

'To an extent,” Lain said. 'A lot of structure is genetics, but you can help it.”

Lain said exhibitors have more control over the bodily make-up of steers.

'For steers [neutered males], we're looking for muscle shape and fat cover,” he said. 'You can feed the fat onto them, and muscle shape, too.”

When judging exhibitors on their showmanship, Lain tests their knowledge by asking them questions. He asks young competitors about what their animal eats, how much it weighs and when it was born. He expects older competitors to know facts about the beef industry, such as the ideal finishing weight for a steer, or at what age should a cow have her first calf.

Lots of shows

Among those with a busy schedule last week was 12-year-old Sterling Spees, who showed horses on Tuesday, cattle on Saturday and submitted a few static exhibits that were on display in the Activity Building. One of the photographs he submitted is headed to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

'It's a bud that tried to bloom in fall but got iced over,” he said.

Spees said Saturday was much hotter than any day of the fair till that point. He said his cattle were handling the heat well because fans were blowing on them.

'We have to wash them once a day at the least,” he said.

Spees said his favorite thing about the fair is the suspense that builds just before the awards are announced. His favorite fair food is ice cream.

Addison Harris, 12, is in her first year of showing cattle at the fair.

'It went really well,” she said. 'I know a lot of people who've done it, so they give me tips about how to wash my calf and about when to feed it.”

Harris said the hardest part of raising a calf was teaching it to walk on a lead, and getting it accustomed to being bathed and dried with a blower.

'It didn't like that at first,” she said.

On the day of the show, Harris must clean her calf and, just as importantly, make sure it stays clean so she doesn't have to clean it a second time. She must clean its hooves, and give it plenty of water.

Harris named her calf 'Delilah” after the Plain White T's song 'Hey there, Delilah.” She said her favorite part of the fair is bonding with Delilah. Harris plans to bring her calf back next year, and the year after that once Delilah has a calf of her own. She said her favorite fair food is ice cream.

Harris said her favorite carnival rides were the Scissor and the Roundup.

Follow the leader

Harris's sister Adele Harris, 7, participated in the Little Miss Contest Wednesday, and showed her calf 'Waffle” during the Bucket Bottle Calf Show Saturday. Adele said teaching her calf to walk on a lead was the hardest part for her, too, just like it was for her sister.

'Sometimes it stays still, and sometimes it runs,” Adele said. 'One time I was dragged on the ground by my calf, and I started laughing a lot, though it hurt my knees and my hands.”

Apart from that one incident, Adele said she normally gets along with Waffle. She mentioned that she enjoys doing chores with her sister, feeding their calves together and tending to their pens.

Adele said her favorite fair food is corn dogs, and her favorite carnival ride was the Tornado. She was proud of winning her age division in the frozen T-shirt contest, where kids compete to thaw a frozen T-shirt as quickly as possible. The winner is the first person who can wear the shirt.

Brandon Gerleman, 13, has been in 4-H for five years, and has shown rabbits at the fair for seven years.

'The most fun part is seeing them grow up to be these humongous beasts,” he said. 'I love the joy of holding a big ball of fluff. It gives me something to do and calms me down. The least fun part is cleaning the cages.”

Gerleman and his brother Chandler take care of nine rabbits at home, and another 13 who live outside the house in a shaded enclosure. He said his family uses rabbit droppings as fertilizer on their family.

Gerleman said his favorite part of the fair is meeting and competing with a variety of people. The Ledger asked him what he talks about with the judge when they come by to inspect his rabbit.

'She asked me what I know, what I feed the rabbit, and what I do to prepare,” he said. 'I prepare by looking at whether [my rabbit] is trimmed, cleaned, and looks nice.”