By Ragnar Haagen

Cattle take center stage at P.A. Ex.

Aug 6, 2011 | 7:22 AM

Some of the finest beef cattle in the area were on display for the 2011 Commercial Beef Cattle Show at the Prince Albert Exhibition Friday morning.

Calves, yearlings, heifers and bulls from all around made the journey to the exhibition in order to be judged Supreme Champion of the show.

Most of the animals have been bred especially for the purpose of show – in some cases, the difference between first and second, or a champion and a reserve came down to only slight differences.

“In some of these classes, that’s what it comes down to,” said Harvey Welter, lead judge. “We need to get very nitpicky because the quality of animal that comes out to these shows is unbelievable. At times we have to discriminate (in order to choose a winner).”

Some of the criteria that judges look for included soundness and confirmation. They must also look at the animal’s current depth or thickness, but take future growth into consideration.

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“They must be sure to have sound feet and legs under them that are going to walk the pastures for a long time,” said Welter.

“The bulk of our judging is done on younger calves and yearlings, so we’ve got to look into the future a bit. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cow, heifer or a bull, if don’t have that then they aren’t long term.”

The handlers themselves came in every age group, boys and girls alike. Some were even smaller than the animals they led around the show.

One such young competitor was 12-year-old Davis Schmidt and his one-year-old heifer, Forbidden Pleasure.

Schmidt said he has been showing animals for five years and is confident in his abilities.

“You’ve got to work with her lots and keep her quiet,” said Schmidt. “And then if she gets away, you just give her a couple yanks and that will stop her and keep you in control.”

He also uses a pole to scratch her stomach which eases the animal.

“(It’s also used) to move the feet. You can press down on the back feet and in between the hooves, because that’s how you set (the animal) up for the show,” he said.

The young man must know what he’s talking about – Forbidden Pleasure came away as the grand champion of the female division.

rhaagen@rawlco.com