To Show Baby Beef BY LISA RISSER LITITZ “I guess it’s been bred into me,” said Angie Longenecker. “Daddy and Grand pa showed beef cattle. It was something I got interested in and got to enjoy because of them.” The 16-year-old daughter of Jackie and Barry Longenecker has been showing baby beef for six years and next week will be the fifth time she has exhibited atFarm Show. She has won many trophies including one for showing the top steer in its class in last year’s Farm Show competition. Angie’s father noticed her inter est in steers as she worked with a family friend’s son on his show animals. But Barry and Jackie waited to start Angie in steer exhi biting until she was 10 because of her small size. She joined the Lan caster County Red Rose Baby Beef Club and now also is a freshman member of the Manheim Central FFA chapter. Masa is the 1265-pound steer that Angie will take to Farm Show. She’s had him for about a year and already has won awards with him: the Manheim Fair Baby Beef Show and the showmanship con test at the Lancaster County Baby Beef Round-up for which she received money to purchase a sec ond steer, Justin. When Angie first got Masa she spend about an hour every day working with the steer. “It takes that long to get the animal tame, halter broke, and ready to show,” Angie explained. “If they’re not tame and ready to show, they’ll not do as well in shows.” Angie tries to tame her steers as combing them. Here she combs Justin, her newest steer. Born And Bred shin'irnnhii!!*!U Ano lf has won are several showman ship trophies and grand and reserve championships. quickly as possible. To do this, she handles them, leads them once they’re halter broken, combs and brushes them, and using the cattle stick, scratches their bellies and sets their legs. “It usually takes three to four months for the steers to become tame,” Angie said. “Of course, the amount of time required depends on the animal.” Now that Farm Show time is here, Masa is about as tame as he’ll get, according to Angie. She corn-, centrales mostly on working with him using the stick and in gradual ly clipping and shaving him for show-ready appearance. The time spent with an animal not only helps the steer to win, but also helps the shower to win. Besides winning the showmanship competition at the baby beef roundup, Angie has won it at local fairs. Being a 4-H’er and FFA mem ber has taught Angie many things. “I think working with the animals is the main part (of the clubs). You can get to know what animals are really like, and it shows how much work it takes to care for an animal. Steers aren’t a project that you just spend five minutes a day on.” Angie feels that she also has learned sportsmanship and confi dence. “It teaches you winning and losing; that you can’t always win and if you win-good—but if you don’t, just take a good attitude about itand maybe you’ll do better next time.” Not too long ago, Angie had an opportunity to demonstrate how well she’s learned that lesson. “Last year a lot of people thought I’d do well in Farm Show. I had a steer that had won championships at other shows. But it only won first in its class, and I felt t let peo ple down by not having done better than what I did.” Club members encouraged \ngie when her spirits flagged. ‘They told me that maybe next year I’d go on (to grand :hampionship)”. Thursday will be Angie and Vfasa’s day of reckoning. A lot of fingers will be crossed hoping for a jrantT champion steer blue ribbon. See your nearest NEW HOLLAND Dealer for Dependable Equipment and Dependabl Service: Annville, PA BHM Farm Equipment, Inc RD 1 717-867-2211 Beaverlown, PA B&R Farm Equipment, Inc RD 1, Box 217 A 717-658-7024 Belleville, PA Ivan J Zook Farm Equipment Belleville, Pa 717-935-2948 Canton, PA Hess Farm Equipment 717-673-5143 Carlisle, PA Paul Shovers, Inc 35 East Willow Street 717-243-2686 Chambersburg, PA Clugston Implement, Inc RD 1 717-263-4103 Davldsburg, PA George N Gross, Inc RD 2, Dover, PA 717-292-1673 Elizabethtown, PA Messick Farm Equipment, Inc. Rt. 283 - Rheem’s Exit 717-367-1319 Gettysburg, PA Yinghng Implements, Inc 3291 Taney town Rd 717-359-4848 Greencastle, PA Meyers Implement's Inc. 400 N Antrim Way P.O. Box 97 717-597-2176 Halifax, PA Sweigard Bros R.D. 3, Box 13 717-896-3414 Hamburg, PA Shartlesville Farm Service R.D. 1, Box 1392 215-488-1025 Hanover, PA Sheets Brothers, Inc 1061 Carlisle St. Hanover. PA 17331 717-632-3660 Honey Brook, PA Dependable Motor Co East Main Street 215-273-3131 215-273-3737 Honey Grove, PA Norman D Clark & Son, Inc Honey Grove, PA 717-734-3682 Hughesville, PA Farnsworth Farm Supplies, Inc 103 Cemetery Street 717-584-2106 Lebanon, PA Keller Bros Tractor Co RD 7, Box 405 717-949-6501 Loysvllle, PA Paul Shovers, Inc Loysville, PA 717-789-3117 - Lynnport, PA Kermit K Kistler, Lynnport, PA 215-298-2011 Mill Hall, PA Dotterer Equip RD #3 717-726-3471 New Holland, Pi ABC Groff, Inc 110 South Railroi 717-354-4191 New Park, PA M&R Equipment li PO Box 16 717-993-2511 Oley, PA C.J Wonsidler Bn RD 2 215-987-6257 Pitman, PA Marlin W Schreffli Pitman, PA 717-648-1120 Quakertown, PA C J Wonsidler Br< RD 1 215-536-1935 Quarryvllle, PA C E Wiley & Son, 101 South Lime S 717-786-2895 Rlngtown, PA Ringtown Farm Equipment Ringtown, PA 717-889-3184 Tamaqua, PA Charles S Snyder, R.D 3 717-386-5954 Weal Grove, PA S G Lewis & Son R D 2. Box 66 215-869-2214 Churchvllle, MD Walter G Coale, 2849-53 Churchville Rd 3ai-734-7722 Frederick, MD Ceresville Ford New Holland, Rt 26 East 301-662-4197 Outside MD, 800-331-9122 j Washington, NJ Frank Rymon 4 201-689-1464 Woodstown, NJ Owen Supply Co Broad Street 4 East Avenue 609-769-0308