I stopped out by the Ossmanns to see what they’ve been up to prior to showing at the fair. The three siblings, Matthew, Emily, and Missy, all have a passion for showing.
First, I spoke with Matthew. He’s been showing at the fair for the past ten years! He brought up the fact that once the fair’s done, they’re already thinking about next year. “We will start getting ready for fair almost as soon as the next fair is done,” Matthew continued, “We will pick them out anywhere from September to June. We’re looking for how tall they are, and how wide they are in the front shoulders…”
Matthew said he’s learned a lot over his years of showing. For example, how training animals for the fair teaches you great time management skills. You need to know how to balance going to school, taking care of your animals, and training them. Also, how one of the biggest keys to having success is, first of all, getting the cattle accustomed to walking with a halter. Personally, I think that this can be a little more challenging than you’d assume and Missy agrees.
Missy has been showing for two years now and she’s bringing her heifer calf, Belle. Missy explained what she thinks of training the cattle. “If the animal is really tame and halter broke, it’s normally easy. But if it’s their first time on a halter, they can either be really jumpy or they can be really calm and they don’t move at all.”
She spoke on how she goes about training her animals. “I normally walk her, give her lots of attention, and we snuggle,” Missy said. Who knows, maybe that’s the secret to training cattle for the fair! Either way, Missy loves being a part of the county fair. “I like to show because it’s fun to bond with the animals…it’s a really fun competition because sometimes you show against your friends or cousins,” Missy explained.
Emily’s been showing at the fair for as long as she can remember. This year she’s bringing dairy, rabbits, and it’s her first year showing a steer. To say the least, she has her hands full.
She was explaining how everything goes down on show day. “It’s definitely a lot of work, but it’s amazing, it pays off,” Emily said. She brought up showmanship and how one of the most important things is knowing everything that you can about your animal. In showmanship, the judge will ask questions, maybe even have you switch animals with another exhibitor. This is all to see how good of a showman you truly are.
Emily talked about why she shows at the fair every year. “I like doing this because it’s really fun, and you meet a lot of new friends that you wouldn’t have if you didn’t go to the fair and if you weren’t in 4-H,” Emily continued, “It’s a really great experience to bond with animals.”
The Brown County Fair kicks off on Wednesday, August 19th.
