Best cows shown at fair

Various cow competitions will be held throughout the
coming week.

By LAURE CIOFFI

VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — If you want to see cows — lots of really good cows — check out the Lawrence County Fair.

Not only does it attract the largest number of bovine entrants of any county fair in Pennsylvania, the winners often go on to big-name success in the cow showing/breeding business.

Richard Martin of Volant found out just how successful in 1998 when his Brown Swiss cow, named Camp Swiss Supreme Faith, won top honors in Lawrence County. She went on to win the state fair in Harrisburg and top honors at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin — something akin to the Kentucky Derby of cow competition.

After that, Supreme Faith — who lived to be 14 years old and is buried in the front yard — and her progeny became big business for Martin.

“I’ve sold a tremendous amount of her offspring,” Martin said. One granddaughter, sold as a calf for $6,000 to a farm in Oklahoma, was eventually sold for $36,000.

Getting started

Martin, who is now semiretired, began showing pigs in 1954 at the Lawrence County Fair. He later added cows. Over the years, he said, its become one of the most respected competitions in the state.

He credits the fair with bringing in top-name judges from throughout the country and having a nice setup with ventilation and stalls for the animals.

This year’s fair, which starts Monday and runs through Saturday, will bring in 530 cows as well as a host of other animals, said Phil Dean, fair board president. The competitions run throughout the week.

But don’t think it’s all just animals.

Dean said they’ve expanded the carnival rides this year in an effort to attract more teens. “There will be more thrill rides for them,” he said.

They are also adding a motorcycle stunt show to their line up of nightly entertainment.

And, kids will have their fun, too, with the farm olympics.

Games that teach

Katie Wilson, who heads up the games, said all are farm-related and all children get a prize.

She said the games are geared to teach even children who don’t live on farms more about what farmers do. Last year they had 125 entrants.

One recent addition to the games is having the fair board members participate in the games with the children, she said.

Wilson, who grew up on a farm and started showing beef cows at age 11 at the fair, encourages everyone to attend.

“There’s something for everyone,” she said.

cioffi@vindy.com