A36-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 8, 2003
Somerset County Club Calf Sale Produces Champions
SANDRA LEPLEY
Somerset Co. Correspondent
SOMERSET (Somerset Co.)
The Somerset County Club Calf
Sale, completing its 21st year, has
some justifiable bragging rights.
It is Pennsylvania’s largest
club calf sale according to organ
izers. Last year’s sale alone re
sulted in several grand champi
ons at county fairs and festivals
this past year.
This year’s sale, in conjunction
with a morning show, was con
ducted Saturday, Oct. 11, at the
Somerset County Fairgrounds in
Meyersdale.
There were 67 steers and 20
heifers that hit the auction block
for a grand total sale of $98,575.
“This sale benefits the 4-H kids
because they don’t need to drive
around and look for top-quality
cows,” said Dave Brant, chair
man of the sale and a member of
the Somerset County Beef Pro
ducers. “These animals are all
broke to lead, wormed, vaccinat
ed, and started on feed. The
Jeff and Jerry Hull of Camden, W.Va., won reserve
champion steer during the Club Calf Show and Sale, con
ducted on Saturday at the Somerset County Fairgrounds
in Meyersdale. This animal sold for $2,400.
KILE’s Inaugural National Hereford Show A Success
CHARLENE M. SHUPP
ESPENSHADE
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The Large Arena of the
Farm Show Complex was abuzz
with activity as the first-ever Na
tional Hereford Show took place
at the 2003 Keystone Internation
al Livestock Exposition (KILE).
With more than 150 entries
crossing the tanbark in hopes of a
win, Judge Howard Fehlman
commended the exhibitors on the
quality for this first-year show.
Bringing a National Hereford
Show to Harrisburg took three
years of planning. But as the in
augural show demonstrated, it
was well worth the work.
“I’m pretty impressed with the
quality of cattle here,” said Fehl
man as he reviewed his class win
ners during his selection of the
champion of the heifer show. In
his decision process he stressed
that he selected cows that he
would use at home.
Fehlman named Tad Francis
of Brooklyn, Conn, with his win
ning entry, MCC Lexus 210, as
grand champion. To round out
the pair was Four-L Goldilocks
201, exhibited by Four L Here
ford Farm of Murfreesboro,
Tenn.
For the bull show, Fehlman
complemented this first-time na
tional Hereford bull show for
being “pretty impressive” and ex
pressed an appreciation for the
exhibitors.
steers are ready for next year’s
fair.”
According to Brant, some of
last year’s club calves ended up
being grand champion at the
Somerset County Fair, grand
champion at the Garrett County
(Maryland) Fair, grand champi
on and reserve champion at the
Buckwheat Festival in King
wood, W.Va., grand champion at
the Westmoreland County Fair,
and reserve champion at the
Cambria County Fair.
The 21st annual event began in
the morning with a show judged
by Terry Muir from Lima, Ohio.
The show and sale is sponsored
by the Somerset County Beef
Producers and the Pennsylvania
Cattlemen’s Association.
A father-son team near Well
ersburg who uses donor cows and
embryo transplantation in their
operation won grand champion
steer during the morning show.
Dave and Chris Koms had sever
al animals at the sale. Their
grand champion Maine Anjou
From left, Nicole Hess, Pennsylvania Hereford Queen;
Margeaux Firestine, National Polled Hereford Queen; Kel
sey Jergilewicz; Howard Fehlman, judge; Agriculture Sec
retary Dennis Wolf; Ray Cope; Audra Jergilewicz; Tad
Francis, leadsman; Jennifer Shultz, Pennsylvania Here
ford Princess; and Katie Shultz, Pennsylvania Hereford
Sweetheart.
“People went to a lot of time,
trouble, and expense to bring
these animals out here for this
first-time show,” said Fehlman.
To lead off the bull show
championship, Fehlman named
CS Bomber 6L, owned by Stock
dale Farms of Dayton, as the
grand champion. The reserve
grand champion bull banner was
given to Four-L Golden Eye 163,
exhibited by Four-L Hereford
Farm.
In his closing remarks for the
show, Fehlman stressed that al
though breeders were exhibiting
to promote their own herds,
shows like this help to promote
the breed as a whole.
A father-son team won grand champion steer and county bred champion during the
21st annual Club Calf Show and Sale on Saturday, Oct. 'll, at the Somerset County Fair
grounds in Meyersdale. K&K Cattle Co., owned by Dave and Chris Koms, Wellersburg,
are pictured in back, with Dan Miller, left of Meyersdale, who showed the animal during
the morning show. The Maine Anjou Simmental Angus crossbred steer, born this spring,
was sold for $5,000. The total sale of 67 steers and 20 heifers came in at $98,575.
Simmental Angus crossbred went
for $5,000 to an undisclosed
buyer during the evening sale.
John Spiker of Jane Lew, W.Va.,
was auctioneer.
The Koms also had another
steer that won county bred re
serve champion during the show.
That Maine Anjou Charolais
Angus crossbred steer went for
$2,400 during the evening sale.
Jeff Hull of Camden, W.Va.,
aided by his father Jerry, won re
serve champion steer, a Maine
Anjou Simmental Angus cross
bred animal that went for $2,400.
In the heifer division, the
National Polled Hereford
Queen, Margeaux Firestine of
Womelsdorf, was also on hand to
assist in the crowning of the
grand and reserve champions of
the show. Firestine has traveled
across the U.S. representing the
Dates Set For 2004 Grazing Conferences
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) - Three Pennsylvania graz
ing conferences have been sched
uled for 2004. Their dates and lo
cations follow:
• Northeast Pennsylvania
Grazing Conference: Troy, Brad-
Koms also won grand champion
and county bred heifer. Jeff Hull
of West Virginia won reserve
champion heifer. Sunset Farms
(Richard Sines) of Meyersdale
won reserve county bred heifer.
Overall, the average sale price
for each steer was $1,186.19 and
for each heifer was $955, accord
ing to Brant. Even though there
have been years-when the total
sale amount has been higher, the
average for each animal sold at
$1,033.04 was the highest in 21
years, explained Brant.
Originally, there were more
than 100 animals slated for the
From left, Jennifer Shultz, Pennsylvania Hereford Prin
cess; Margeaux Firestine, National Polled Hereford
Queen; Mark Ritche; Howard Fehlman, judge; Denny
Stockdale; Katie Shultz, Pennsylvania Hereford Sweet
heart; and Nicole Hess, Pennsylvania Hereford Queen.
Hereford breed, with Harrisburg
being only one stop in her very
busy schedule this year.
For Farm Show staff, the
Hereford Show and KILE were
successful. “KILE went well for
us,” said Larry Weaver, show
manager administrator. “(The
ford County; March 1, 2004.
Contact: Craig Williams, PSU
extension, (570) 724-9120.
• Northwest Pennsylvania
Grazing Conference: Dußois,
Clearfield County; March 2,
2004. Contact: Gary Swope, Nat-
sale bill, but some consignors
from West Virginia canceled be
cause of Hurricane Isabel that hit
a few weeks ago. However, there
were 23 breeders represented
from throughout Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and West Virginia.
“We had more steers slated for
the sale, but Hurricane Isabel
caused some of our consignors to
change plans,” said Brant. “Some
of the breeders from West Virgin
ia experienced severe rainfall
from the hurricane a few weeks
ago, and some even lost cattle
and had damage to their proper
ties. However, the sale all in all
was one of our best.”
National Show) increased the
number of Herefords here. I
thought the show went well and
the exhibitors were really
pleased.”
KILE numbers for the Here
ford Show were 116 heifers and
44 bulls.
ural Resources Conservation
Service (814) 375-2125.
• Grantville Grazing Confer
ence: Grantville, Dauphin Coun
ty; March 3 and 4, 2004, contact:
Marvin Hall, PSU extension,
(814) 863-1019.