Showmanship champions at Manhelm steer show. From
left, Laura Huber, fair queen; Blaine Brown, seniors; John
Hess, intermediates; and Chris, brother to John Hess,
juniors.
Donough Champion,
Groff Reserve At
Manheim Steer Show
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.) A lot of
adjectives can be used to describe Manheim
Farm Show’s supreme champion steer “styl
ish,” “well-balanced,” and “eye-appealing.”
The judge, an Angus breeder from Dover,
used all of them to describe a 1,277-pound FFA
champion steer, “Lonestar,” shown by Travis
Donough.
JoAnn Hausner, who works for the state ag
department’s Farm Show bureau and is an
Angus exhibitor with JDH Cattle Company,
chose the medium weight champion shown by
Travis, 17, son of Ed and Laßue Dqpough,
Manheim, for supreme champion Tuesday
evening.
For Travis, the steer is one of three champ
ions he has exhibited so far at the Manheim
Farm Show.
Travis showed a Maine Anjou/Angus
crossbred steer he obtained from Scott Hum
mel, Selinsgrove. Travis, a senior at Manheim
Central High School, is Manheim FFA student
adviser and county sentinel. He said that he
spends about an hour and a half preparing the
steer and works with it about 3-4 nights per
week.
He also walks the steer as much as possible,
he noted up to about a quarter mile a night.
Why all the work? Simple, he said. The exer
cise helps to tame them and, he said, to “try to
calm them down.”
Travis noted that Lonestar “is really hyper
he really pays attention to everything.” The
FFA member said that “baldies” like Lonestar
“are a little more wild, in my opinion.”
Reserve went to a '/• Angus and 7« Limousin
crossbred shown by Ryan Groff. Ryan Groff
showed a 1,292-pound heavyweight champion
shown in the 4-H division.
Ryan, 17, is the son of Richard and Rachel
Groff, Manheim. The Manheim Central High
School senior and Manheim FFA vice presi
dent obtained the steer from J.L.B. Limousin,
Adams County.
Ryan, a member of the Lancaster County
Beef Club along with fellow Manheim senior
Travis Donough, said he believes he is working
up to supreme championship at Manheim.
Ryan noted that two years ago he showed the
reserve champion FFA, then last year he exhi
bited the champion FFA steer at the show. This
year he was reserve overall.
Ryan spends a good deal of time grooming
the steer, including time the past weekends get
ting the steer ready. “The hair (on the steer) got
all nice," he said, trying to work on the animal
when he has time. Ryan said the steer was fed a
mix that included flaked com (which he said
worked really good to improve muscling)
along with a 30 percent protein.
Travis Donough, supreme champion,
showed a Farm Show preview steer, a Milking
Shorthorn, at Manheim.
Champions of the showmanship competi
tion went to juniors, Chris Hess; intermediates,
John Hess; and seniors, Blaine Brown.
There were 24 exhibitors and 25 steers at the
show. Following is a list of placings.
Supreme champion steer at Manhelm went to Travis Donough, far right, Tuesday
evening. From left, JoAnn Hausner, Judge; Ryan Groff, reserve; Laura Huber, fair
queen; and Travis.
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