York County Shives are totally into Angus BY JOYCE BUPP Staff Correspondent SEVEN VALLEYS - Angus cows graze serenely across the hill behind the Gordon Shive family’s rancher at Seven Valleys El. In side, dozens of bright ribbons - heavy on the shades of blue and purple line the walls of the dining room. And just down the road, at his parents’ farmhouse, an at tractive sign announces “Shives Angus Farm.” Gordon Shive, his wife Diane, and their three daughters, Chris, 17; Cathy, 12; and Robin, 10, are totally "into” Angus cattle. In fact, the activities of the Shives are so mingled with the purebred black beef that the state breed association named them the Angus family of the year, at the group’s annual meeting during Farm Show week. Shive grew up on the Dan Shive family’s general farm, with its three milk cows, flock of chickens, steers and hogs. When he was 12 years old, Shive joined the 4-H program, raising steer and hog projects. ' “Actually, I did better then showing Berkshire hogs,” he remembers, adding that their daughters have done far better showing beef cattle than he did in his 4-H career. He and Diane, daughter of a Hanover-area farm family, con tinued exhibiting hogs after the couple had married. Chris was just six weeks old when she traveled along for her first York Fair visit, while the Shives competed in the Berkshire show. Gordon’s father, Dan, found his interest in beef cattle growing; and he and his son many years ago together purchased a couple of purebred brood cows. Dan Shive became a sort of “industry pioneer” back in 1964, when he was the first county beef producer to experiment with wintering his herd outside in the pastures, at the suggestion of the then-fledgling assistant extension agent Tony Dobrosky. The move Adding a few more Angus ribbons to the family collection are, from the left, Chris, Robin and Cathy Shive. Both Gordon and Diane Shive are active in the Pa. Angus Association he as a director and she as treasurer. initially earned Shive raised eyebrows from neighbors and headlines in farm publications. Grandpa Shive took his little grandaughter, Chris, along to a 4-H beef meeting one night, stirring her interest to the point that, just as soon as she was old enough, the youngster signed up as a member. That first steer might have discouraged a less determined rookie. He never tamed down, but remained so jittery and wild that Chris finally exhibited a heifer instead, winning two small rib bons. T wasn’t discouraged,” Chris says. “I didn’t know any better.” Today, all three of the Shive children "know better,” as their dozens of ribbons and rosettes, won each year attest. The family was the county’s first to exhibit at the national junior Angus show, beginning in Louisville in 1977. Since then, they’ve attended other national junior exhibits in Indianapolis, Nashville, and Georgia, where in 1980, Chris’ spirited brood cow, “Killer,” was chosen reserve champion bred and owned heifer. This past year’s junior successes put Cathy in the spotlight, with SAF Queen Dolly 42, a heifer from one of Dan Shive’s cows. She topped all heifers for the cham pionship at the state junior breeders show at Centre Hall, won both the junior and open class at the York Fair, and wrapped up the year by winning the junior show at the Keystone International. At the Farm Show, Cathy was again a winner with the mediumweight champion steer. Robin was out "helping” \yith the beef cattle when she could barely toddle around, and is considered by the family as their true “animal lover.” They vividly recall the scares she gave them by calmly standing under the older girls’ steers and playing near the legs one particular animal known for her quick feet. During her second year of 4-H, Robin showed her showring mettle Shive family conference is held to evaluate showring candidate. Looking over "Dixie, from the left, are Diane, Robin, Cathy, Chris and Gordon at halter. by winning the champion mid dleweight honors at the annual Adams-York roundup this past November, while Chris copped the champion heavyweight and reserve grand ribbons the same day. Now, the Shive family has added open class competition with the purchase of Clarimont Barbara 99C, an embryo-transplant heifer they call “E.T.” Owned in part nership with Pleasant Valley Farms of Lebanon, Bill Holloway and Dr. Joe Calderzaao, the typey heifer is housed at the Shive’s show beef barn, adjacent to their home on the farm. Last year on the show circuit, “E.T.” claimed numerous honors, including the open class heifer championship at the Keystone show, and summer and reserve grand champion at the Farm Show. Plans are to flush and transplant embryos from “E.T.,” possibly breeding her with some of the top young sires that have been winning at the Louisville and Denver national shows. Having started at the bottom of the Angus show competition, the Shives agree that competition within the breed is getting “tougher each year. ’ ’ To keep up with the constantly improving breed, calves selected for show must have good size, but be structurally correct. Purchased animals are generally selected at 10 to 12 months of age, and many of the bought 4-H animals in recent years have come from Rally Farms in New York. Slave msists on femininity in heifers, plus a long, clean neck and a good stride. Success with homebreds begins the moment they hit the ground. Each calf is weighed and measured, with follow-up measurements taken each month and added to individual records. At the seven-month weamng period, a first selection of potential show calves is made. Each calf is tied and fed in dividually, with feed weighed carefully so that records will reflect gain efficiencies. From the initial dozen or so calves selected as show candidates, about eight usually emerge for top con sideration as show season nears. While tied, calves are brushed and worked with regularly so that they become accustomed to being handled. Brushing daily goes a long way toward overall fitting of the animal, which the Shives feel plays a large role in showring ,e * “ , %. ** *%»*