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By ANGELA WEAVER
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — Seven of the new staff members, who will be gracing the halls of various buildings in the district, gathered for lunch Friday morning. |
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A family affair |
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Monday, 28 July 2008 |
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
WAPAKONETA — A Waynesfield brother and sister duo nabbed two of the three top honors Sunday night for cattle born and bred in Auglaize County.
Nathan and Lidia Turner said they did not know they had two of the top steers in the county, but each year they compete in Auglaize County Born and Raised Show and always try to find a steer locally when they are picking a 4-H project.
“We don’t go out all over and look for a steer,” said Nathan, 15, who showed the grand champion, Otis, a steer bred by Drew Sutherland. “We usually like to get them from people we know — that way we know better what we’re getting and we know they can come help, too if we need it.”
He said they try to look for tame steers with something that stands out about them.
Lidia, 12, who showed the overall third-place steer — Alvin — and placed first in her class, said she looks for a calf with a big butt and a lot of hair when she’s making her selection.
“I didn’t know if I’d have a chance but he’s pretty big,” Lidia said of her steer bred by Brice Turner.
Nathan said the county Born and Raised Show is one of his favorite’s for the week, but this year it will probably be the one that he enters that is most fun because he won.
Sarah Wireman took reserve grand champion with a steer, Palmer, she bred herself.
She and her sister, Laina Wireman, also make the competition a family act, not only showing, but breeding their own steers.
“It’s always a lot of fun even if you don’t win,” Sarah Wireman said after winning her class. “Any chance you can take to get them used to the ring you want to take advantage of to get them used to being calm and cool while they’re being shown.”
She said another reason she likes the show so much is because it’s something she can share with her family, not just the day of competition but for the 18 or more months leading up to it while they are raising the steers.
“It’s a great feeling that’s hard to compare knowing you raised that calf and it’s turned out this good,” said Sara Wireman, who is in her final year of showing at the Auglaize County Fair.
The Wiremans plan to continue to breed and raise steers hopefully for other Auglaize County youth to show after they are done this year.
With nearly 40 steers competing in the Auglaize County Cattlemen’s Association 2008 County Born and Raised Show at the Auglaize County Fair, organizer Paul Sidey said that number is typical of the competition which has been held for 16 years.
Rounding out the top five overall finishes in the show were a steer shown by Caitlin Schaub and bred by Michael Schaub, and a steer shown by Zeek Alexander and bred by M & D Limousine, placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
“The show basically is designed to promote the beef industry in Auglaize County,” Sidey said. “It encourages those showing to look at home first by checking out local breeders rather than looking all over and traveling up to several states away to find a champion.
“We have a lot of great calves right here and everything about the steers featured tonight, from conception to birth to now happened right here in Auglaize County,” he said. “The quality has just continued to increase since its inception.”
He said despite seeing the same families competing as showmen in the competition, the winning breeder seems to change each year.
“That’s what we want to see because that means everyone is very competitive,” said Sidey, who’s beginning to see some second generation competitors participating in the show.
Caitlin and Michael Schaub are one such family.
In her first year of showing an animal at the Auglaize County Fair, Michael Schaub said he wasn’t necessarily looking to pick out a champion steer from the calves he was raising, but rather he was looking for a smaller calf that might be tamer and easier for his 9-year-old daughter to handle.
“Buddy” walked out of the ring earning the first-year showman an overall fourth-place finish and her father his first ribbon as one of the top breeders in the county.
“It’s neat when local steers can do good,” Michael Schaub said of what winning a ribbon in this particular show means.
For Caitlin, she was most relieved that the steer didn’t get away from her. That was her biggest concern in showing.
“It’s a lot of work and takes a lot of time,” Caitlin said of showing an animal, adding that there are fun parts, too, like washing her steer.
Her father said it’s neat to have her follow in his footsteps, even if she’s already collected a bigger ribbon than he did 20 years ago when he was showing.
Judge Scott Clark of Covington said he was looking for steers with eye appeal when he selected winners of the born and bred show.
He said of course what makes the show special is all the steers were raised right here in Auglaize County.
“There are a lot of good calves here,” Clark said. “I’m looking for the complete package and several of them had that.”
You tend to see a bit more pride taken in something if they’ve raised it themselves, too.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )
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