The top two placers in Wednesday’s Junior Fair dairy beef feeder are separated in age by 5 years and in size by more than a few inches and pounds, but one thing they have in common is they both like to show cows.
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CALEB ALTSTAETTER
BRADEY ACKLEY |
In his first year of 4-H as a member of the Cool Clovers, Caleb Altstaetter showed Ralph to the grand champion spot.
“It’s so fun,” he said. “Showing is my favorite thing to do.”
The cow is from his grandparent’s Shelby County dairy farm, and Caleb thought Ralph was a perfect name for him.
“I thought he needed a tough name because he’s one of the biggest calves we had.”
When he’s not showing cows, Caleb likes to play baseball and was a pitcher and first baseman for the Washington Farm Team this year. He is a member of the Cool Clovers 4-H Club and completed a Science Fun With Kitchen Chemistry project for which he also placed first. His two dairy steers placed second and third in competition Wednesday.
He will be a fourth-grader at Indian Lake Elementary School.
Bradey Ackley, 14, of East Liberty, was the reserve grand champion winner with Poncho. He is going to be an eighth-grader at Benjamin Logan Middle School and is a member of Liberty Livestock 4-H Club.
Bradey detailed Poncho’s attributes: “He’s a nice looking calf. He’s filled out, looks good,” he said.
He enjoys the cows very much, he said, which is a good thing as he lives on a dairy farm. Their Holstein herd numbers about 50, and they grow grain and hay on their farm. Poncho was born on their farm.
When not farming, he likes to drive 4-wheelers, but his heart is with the Holsteins.
“Show day is what I like,” he said. He also showed a dairy heifer in today’s dairy competition.
For complete fair coverage and show results,
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