ter Fanning, Saturday, January 7,1978
Champion 4-H steer exhibitor wilt try for two
By DIETER KRIEG
MILTON GROVE - The
owner of last year’s grand
champion beef animal at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show
says that walking and
training the steer are two of
the most important points to
remember in preparing an'
animal for show ring
competition. She offers that
advice to others who may be
striving for championship
performances. She also
practices what she preaches
and is looking forward to
defending her championship
next week.
Janice Kaylor, the 16-year
old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Shelly Kaylor of
Elizabethtown R 3, will at
tend this year’s Penn
sylvania Farm Show with a
Chianina-Angus steer and
two Charolais heifers. An
accomplished showman with
ambitions of becoming a
professional on the beef
cattle circuit, Miss Kaylor
takes her show preparation
duties seriously.
It’s a lot of work. But it’s
also a lot of fun, says the
blonde and bespectacled 4-
H’er.
Janice purchased this
year’s steer entry nearly a
year ago; soon after she sold
her 1977 champion for $7744
at last year’s Farm Show
sale. Weighing 1145 pounds
this past Tuesday and being
held back on feed somewhat
to help give him that com
petitive edge, Miss Kaylor’s
steer has undergone
“training” ever since she
has owned him. At first she
worked with him for as long
as two hours per day. Lately
it’s just been an hour each
evening. The steer, named
Archie, has responded well
to his walking and standing
lessons. He’s trim, firm, and
covered with a thick coat of
hair. In short, he’s ready for
the Farm Show.
Janice is ready too. She
looks forward to meeting
other competitors each year
and enjoys working with her
animals.
A member of the Lower
Dauphin Baby Beef Club,
Miss Kaylor will be going to
the Farm Show as an
exhibitor for the fifth year.
She remembers her first
»\
Janice Kaylor
experience in Harrisburg as
having been an occasion
which didn’t yield significant
recognition. The second year
went better, and the im
provement continued. This
year it’s a question of
holding on to her grand
championship status.
In order to fulfill her
dream of repeating as
champion, Miss Kaylor has
worked with her animals
every evening regardless of
the weather or day. Aside
from walking and jogging
her beef cattle, she wets
them down each evening to
stimulate hair growth. The
thicker coats will be easier
to work with and will
hopefully catch the judge’s
eye. The walking and
jogging firms the animaTs
muscles.
Leading and training the
animals are perhaps the
most difficult steps of the
preparation. It takes
patience to overcome the
initial difficulties, the ac
complished young lady
affirmed. “At first they’re
afraid of the show stick, but
with a little love and care,
they get used to it.”
The road to the baby beef
championship begins at
whatever farm the
prospective champion
animal is purchased. It’s at
that point that competitors
such as Janice try to find the
animal which they feel has
the traits the judge will want
to see. According to Janice,
the traits the judge is most
likely looking for include:
proper conformation, a
straight back, heavy bone ,
structure, trim and fleshy
body, and “something to
catch his eye” - like a
smooth hair coat, for
example.
At home on a Lancaster
County grain farm near
Elizabethtown, Miss Kaylor
became interested in cattle
shows as a result of her
cousin’s involvement with 4-
H activities. She has found
her work with beef cattle to
be enjoyable and remem
bers her first entfy to the
Farm Show as a “fantasy”
come true.
A junior at Elizabethtown
Area High School, Miss
Kaylor has a show circuit
and beef breeding farm
career in mind for the
future. To further her goals,
she’s considering taking an
8-week short course in
animal husbandry. Aside
from her experiences in the
show rings of Pennsylvania
(where she has come up with
several champion and
reserve champion animals)
the young lady is picking up
a few pointers through her
FFA chapter, of which she is
treasurer. She joined the Vo
ag program at the start of
her sophomore year at
Elizabethtown.
Showing and fitting beef
animals has meant a lot to
the defending grand
champion owner, including
the lessons and satisfactions
derived from tackling a
project, accepting
responsibility, depending on
one’s own abilities, and
coming up a winner. Her
achievements have helped
give her the opportunity to
serve as a junior leader of
her 4-H club. She and other
members are coached and
advised by Harvey Fisher, 4-
H leader, and Harold
Stewart; Dauphin County
agricultural agent.
Janice says she used to
really get upset about having
to sell her pet steers, but not
anymore. She paid $4OO for
last year’s grand champion,
and then saw him sell for
LARRY SAYS;
STOP BY AND
SAY HELLO AT THE
FORD EXHIBIT
PENNA. FARM SHOW
THE WIDEST RANGE OF
FARM TRACTOR POWER
IN THE INDUSTRY
ASK i ARRY ABOUT THEIR
FARM SHOW SPECIALS
LANCASTER
TRACTOR,
The New Home Of The Friendly People
1655 Rohrerstown Road
Ph; 717-569-7063
over $7700 at the sale a
has $4OO invested m«
year’s entry and is hot.
for a similar kind of
Archie was reserve gh
champion in Dauphin (V
last Fall. The pair
Charolais heifers have
record of success too 0m
fact, stood first overall n|
breed at the Keystonef
position.
Take Flory Mill Exit off 283 and go
V* mile toward East Petersburg.
FOW
IRC,