AREA 4-H, FFA MEMBERS SHOW LIVESTOCK FOR FUN, PRIZES

Clouds of sawdust floated about and the sound of cattle mooing echoed through the barn as Laura Ernst, 15, of Perryville sat in a lawn chair doing her homework assignment.

But the sights and sounds didn't distract Ernst, who had just finished showing her steer in the 4-H-Future Farmers of America show Wednesday afternoon. She is a member of the Biehle-Cloverleaf 4-H Club.

Livestock judging for all 4-H-FFA animals began Wednesday morning at the 140th SEMO District Fair. The market sale begins at 4:30 p.m. today.

"He's not used to all the noises, horns honking and the people around," Ernst said of her steer. "I was worried about that but he did OK."

Ernst isn't selling the animal at the market sale even though it weighed 1,240 pounds and could bring a good price.

"This year I got really attached and I'm going to keep him for another week and then sell at the East Perry County Fair," she said.

Growing attached is one of the biggest downfalls of raising the animals. Ernst also showed two hogs but didn't grow quite as fond of them.

"Pigs aren't my thing," she said. "They don't have any personality, but steers do."

And the personalities were evident at the "weigh-in" Tuesday evening. With some coaxing, prodding and pushing the steers entered a chute, while FFA officials weighed each animal and re-checked the tag and registration numbers.

"We figure the average daily weight gain," said George Kirchdoerfer, chairman of the sale committee.

Weight gains averaged at 3 pounds a day, but summer heat may have affected some weight gain. The larger animals could sell for 80 cents to $1 a pound, depending on the market value.

And FFA and 4-H members from around the area hope to make a substantial profit at the sale. To qualify for the market sale, each steer had to weigh at least 1,000 pounds.

Paul Lappe, 16, and his sister, Jackie, 14, of Friedheim each brought a steer to show and sell this year. They are members of the North Cape County 4-H Club.

Jackie's steer, Whitey, weighed 1,175 pounds and won first place in the 4-H heavyweight class. Paul's steer, Whiskers, won second place in the lightweight division.

Cheyenne Ruesler, 16, also of Friedheim, won two red ribbons for her steer, Blaze.

This is the second year that Ruesler has entered a livestock animal in the fair competition.

Last year, she "had one that broke its leg and you lose money because you have to have them butchered and can't show them," she said.

Showing animals is a big part of the FFA-4-H project.

"It teaches them the responsibility of feeding and caring for the animal, competition and fair competition, which means being a good winner as well as loser," said Denver Jones, FFA sponsor in the Delta schools.

Shawn Koch, 16, of Benton had some trouble breaking-in his steer this year but that didn't affect his showmanship. He won second place in the Brangus breed division.

"I think I'd start earlier," he said of breaking-in the steer, Chacho. "He got too big and was hard to break."

Koch, a junior at Kelly High School, worked with the animal almost every day to get him accustomed to a halter and lead line.

Showing swine is a little easier because the animals are smaller.

Scott Engelen, 16, of Leopold brought about a dozen hogs to show and sell at the fair. His entire family participates in the 4-H shows.

He has been showing at the fair for almost five years.

"At birth, we clip their ears so it's a numbering system," Engelen said, adding that the hogs aren't all from the same litter.