E32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 11,1985
‘ Awesome 9 showman
BY JOYCE BUPP
Staff Correspondent
WINDSOR - Ease of handling is
what enticed John Eaton into
showing his first «4-H market
lambs. Now, after just three years
as a shepherd, the 16-year-old is
snagging awards at not only local,
but national levels for his sheep
production abilities.
As one of York County’s Farm
Show youth exhibitors, Eaton has
entries lined up in both Suffolk and
Dorset breeding categories,
market and carcass lambs, and a
steer packing plenty of showring
potential.
Eaton has been a familiar face
around York County beef shows for
several years, after entering his
first 4-H animal as a nine-year-old
rookie. It’s been a successful
project, earning the Red lion High
School junior several cham
pionship ribbons over the past few
seasons.
But three years ago he opted to
diversify his livestock activities,
adding the more maneuverable
market lambs to heavyweight
steer projects. Dorsets and Suf
folks were the breeds of his choice,
favored for their own type
characteristics as well as useful
qualities for crossbreeding.
‘‘The Suffolks have the size and
the Dorsets the meatiness,” claims
Eaton. “Those two characteristics
John’s breeding sheep get an extra measure of chow in the
final days before Farm Show gets underway.
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make a good cross for market
lambs.”
Market lambs headed for the
1986 Farm Show, though, will be
purebred Suffolks, with hopes for
possibly a repeat on an earlier
Suffolk success story. In
November, during the KILE
Harrisburg event, his Suffolk
market lamb tale finished with a
surprise ending.
Taking a placing of 27th out of a
class of 32 market lambs at KILE,
Eaton left the show, headed for the
Kansas City FFA convention, in
disappointment over a lamb he had
anticipated would make a better
showing. In fact, until he had
handled the lamb, the KILE judge
had initially put Eaton’s animal
next to last.
While the young man was at the
national FFA meet, the lamb went
to slaughter for the carcass portion
of the judging. Eaton arrived back
home to discover that his 27th
place lamb had been selected
champion on the rail. That award
put |3OO cash in his pocket, along
with a plaque, temporary guar
dianship of the revolving trophy,
plus a smaller replica for his
permanent collection.
It made a suitable finish for a
week in which the state FFA
livestock judging team, of which
he’d been part, had taken a bronze
placing at nationals, while Eaton
excels with
had won a silver medal for his own
efforts.
Foundation animals for his
winning Suffolks came from
Richard Ebert’s Pine Haven Farm
at Newville, and from central
Pennsylvania breeder Max
DeHart. Additional bloodlines
recently acquired from a Vermont
Suffolk breeder promise high
hopes for future shows.
Eaton’s Dorset showstring is
homebred and owned, with the
exception of a ram purchased from
breeder John Trostle of
Thomasville.
With limited space on their three
acres, the Eaton’s have built the
flock to about 15 ewes, raising
some two dozen lambs this past
year. While the numbers may be
limited, quality comes through at
ringside. In 1983, Eaton had one of
the county roundup champions,
and just this past season, exhibited
a reserve champion pair. In ad
dition, he was named this year’s
champion showman.
“I like working with steers a
lot,” says this busy young man,
who,waits his entry a mile every
day. “But the sheep are less work
once you get to the shows. You can
fit them once and then they’re
pretty much finished.”
Eaton will split his Farm Show
work time between his nine sheep
and “Awesome,” his tall, powerful
Angus-Chianina steer. The
growthy crossbred was acquired
through the November 1984 club
calf sale held annually by the
Donald Walter family, source of
most of Eaton’s winning project
beef animals.
“Look for a calf with the correct
structure, stylish and thick, but not
carrying a lot of extra skin in the
brisket and dewlap areas,” ad
vises Eaton on what he critically
eyes when selecting project calves.
ITien, the weanlings go home to a
diet of corn, oats and Calf Manna.
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York County exhibitor John Eaton believes that his Angus-
Chianina steer named Awesome is one of the best he's ever
had.
served up with double slabs of
mixed hay.
Eaton’s success with his calves
is impressive. Starting out in 4-H at
age nine, in 1979, Eaton claimed
the York Fair championship the
following year. In 1982 it was a win
at die roundup, 1983 followed with
his snagging top ribbon’s at the 4-H
fair, York Fair and the roundup,
and a repeat again the next year
with a full brother to the steer of
the previous season.
The 1982 championship was an
especially piognant one for then 13-
year-old, and for nearly everyone,
else at the sale that followed.
Eaton had just undergone serious
but successful leg surgery in the
days immediately before the
roundup. When his steer was
slapped as champion, his parents,
John Sr., and Janet, won the
surgeon’s approval to bring John,
via a wheelchair, into the ring as
his champion went across the
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auction block as the sale opener.
Now John’s looking toward
another livestock challenge after
stumbling successfully into the hog
business. When a market hog he
purchased for butchering looked
impressively stylish, he entered it
in the Maryland State Fair at
Timonium. The hog caught the
judge’s eye, won its class and then
sold for $1.75 to Hatfield Packing,
earning the youngster a quick $402
in the sale ring, plus a $4O class
cash prize.
This young man’s livestock
activities go well beyond ac
complishments on the tanbark
trail. He is currently president of
both the York County 4-H beef club
and his Red Lion FFA chapter, as
well as vice-president of the
county’s 4-H sheep club. Eaton also
participates in livestock judging in
both FFA and 4-H, and carries
projects covering the range of
livestock in both youth programs.
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