COLUMBIANA COUNTY FAIR Showing steers is culmination of year of dedication, hard work

One teen showed the grand champion project steer at 1,260 pounds.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Showing steers at the Columbiana County Fair is the end of a long year of work for junior fair participants.
Samantha and Ben Steiner of East Palestine raised two Polled Hereford steers from calves weighing about 700 pounds each to "finished" steers weighing more than 1,200 pounds each. In between were long days and nights of school work, barn chores and training the steers for the show ring.
Samantha, 17, showed the grand champion project steer, which weighed in at 1,260 pounds for the fair. She explained that the project grand and reserve champions are determined by a composite of the exhibitors' showmanship and skill-a-thon and class placement results.
Class competition
Class competition rates the animal, how it performs in the ring and whether it meets physical standards for the breed. Showmanship is a test of the exhibitors' show ring presence and how they handle their animal. Skill-a-thon is a test of the exhibitors' knowledge of their animal, the characteristics of its breed, etc.
"You have to know the parts of the animal, what to feed them, where to give them shots, things like that," Samantha said.
Samantha has been showing steers at the junior fair for eight years. Her 1,260-pound steer weighed 750 pounds as a calf.
Ben's steer topped its class for weight, weighing in at the fair at 1,365 pounds. His steer was a 765-pound calf.
Ben, 14, is in his seventh year of 4-H. Both he and Samantha are members of the United Unity 4-H Club. He said he and Samantha picked out their calves last fall, weighing them in November. They have been working with them ever since to try to get them ready for the fair.
"You just want to put as much weight on them as possible," Ben said. "You have to be careful feeding them though, because the judges want a 'finished' steer. You want them to be filled out, but not too fat. The judges look for certain things on the steer's body, and if the steer is too fat it won't look the way it's supposed to."
Daily work
Ben said he and Samantha spend about five hours a day during the project year, taking care of their steers and training them for the show ring. They also write letters to encourage people to purchase their steers at the fair.
Most of the money Ben and Samantha receive from the sale of their steers each year goes into an account for college. Last year part of the money was used to buy a truck, he said.
"There's a lot to do, but it's fun," Ben said. "We have to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning to go to the barn before school. We have to feed and water the steers and make sure they have hay. Then we have to be ready for school by 7:45."
tullis@vindy.com