Faces of the fair: Father, son spend quality time showing cattle

On a cool, overcast Tuesday afternoon, cattle and handlers lined up in the youth show barn on the SEMO District Fairgrounds.

Lights aren't on overhead, and natural light doesn't do much to illuminate four black Angus cattle tied up in their straw-covered stalls.

Their handler, Blake Hager, 11, has been with them since they were born a few years ago, when they were less than 100 pounds each.

Now, the four cattle stand side by side -- Obi, Ivanka, Layla and Tank -- each standing not quite 5 feet tall at the shoulder.

"We picked them out of our little herd," Blake said as his father, Jeff, brushed them after their ride to the fairgrounds from Jackson.

"They get a little nervous on the ride over," Jeff Hager said, laughing as he worked.

Jeff Hager said they have about 54 head of cattle at their farm, raised mostly for meat.

"Blake has two steers and two heifers," he said.

The cattle were weaned when they were small, "and there was a big pile of them to pick from. We kept watching every day to see which ones were likely."

Blake Hager said Layla is in her second year being shown at the fair, and she'll give birth to a calf in a couple of months.

Blake Hager said he is with the Progressive 4-H Club in Jackson. His father said that club takes up most of the end of the show barn.

"Most of them just aren't here yet," Jeff Hager said.

Jeff Hager said he began showing cattle when he was about 7 years old. His grandfather, who always had cattle, got him started with it.

"I missed about six years showing when my kids were little," Jeff Hager said.

Blake Hager said he's been showing for two years. His younger sister, who's 7, will start next year.

Family togetherness is appealing, Jeff Hager said, especially in competitive showing, which can be unpredictable.

"It's kind of one man's opinion -- no two are the same, which is what makes the world go 'round," Jeff Hager said. "Not everyone agrees."

What one judge likes, the other might not, Jeff Hager said, and it's a gamble.

"That's what makes it interesting," Jeff Hager said. "Farming's one of the biggest gambles out there."

Blake Hager said his favorite aspect is the showing.

"The washing, not so much," he said.

But showing has a technique to it, he said.

"Sometimes they're nervous, need to be calmed down," Blake Hager said of his cattle.

First, the cow is taken to the ring, he said, usually led on a short rope.

He picked up a show stick, which is a few feet long with a metal hook on one end.

"That's to scratch their stomach, keep them calm," Blake Hager said.

The animal's feet must be picked up so the judge can check and rate them, Blake Hager said, and it's important to keep its head held high.

The cattle are lined up, and the judge picks first, second and third places.

Blake Hager said he's hoping to do better this year, and he didn't feel too badly about how he did in 2016 -- a first-place heifer and a third-place steer, "but no grand champion," he said.

"We'll find out Wednesday if we have a grand champion," Blake Hager said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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