Feikert and Freeman stand supreme at Holmes County Fair Carcass Show

The annual Holmes County Fair Carcass Show produced some new faces in the winner’s circle as they battled a number of teens who have been to several carcass shows in the past.

As has been the case the past several years, the top-10 market steers and top-five dairy steers were included in the carcass show competition held at Sugar Valley Meats on Thursday, Aug. 17. And also as has been the case in the past, Holmes County’s 4-Hers received high praise from the judge for their effort to raise quality steer.

“It was an outstanding group of carcasses,” said Victoria Trbovich, graduate research assistant of meat science in College of Food, Agriculture & Environmental Science at the Ohio State University. “What I do is look for the amount of sellable meat that can be produced from each steer for the consumer.”

Trbovich said that includes focusing on the amount of back fat around the rib eye, the amount of muscle, marbling, among several other grades that factor into the equation that eventually crank out a number to determine the winning carcass.

Trbovich said there actually was a four-way tie for fourth place, an unusual circumstance.

Once again the carcass show continued to flesh out the fact that show animals that earn grand champion at the fair do not necessarily fare well at the carcass show. Each year it is a rarity for the grand champion to win the carcass show, and that was the case again this year.

“The ultimate goal of this event is to teach the kids how to properly raise an animal that is a quality product for the food system,” said Hallie Rutt, Holmes County Extension educator, 4-H youth development at the Ohio State University. “What is on the inside of the steer is really the most important part of the process for the handlers.”

Food quality and care with working the animal become crucial to the success of a steer when it comes to creating an animal that produces the top-choice carcass.

In the beef steer category, Taylor Feikert and Derek Straits, both members of Holmes County Livestock Club, may have come into the competition with the ninth- and 10th-ranked steer at the fair, but the duo went one-two in the carcass show, making Feikert the grand champion steer carcass winner and Straights the reserve grand champion.

Feikert, a longtime 4-Her whose family has invested heavily in hogs over the years, decided last year to raise a steer too. She finished fourth in her class then and didn’t qualify in the top 10, so making the top 10 this year was a huge goal, although her expectations coming into the carcass show were tempered.

“I was really excited to crack top 10, especially since I have been kind of a pig girl over the years,” Feikert said. “To take a steer and step out of my comfort zone was exciting for me, and to do well in my second year was great. I wanted to try something different, and I have always told myself I wanted to do as much as possible in 4-H. I knew raising a steer was going to be a big step out of that comfort zone for me.”

Feikert said she learned a lot in raising a steer as compared to a hog. She showed the steer as a calf earlier in the year and said she learned a lot over the course of the past year.

Coming into the carcass show ninth, she said it was a huge surprise to find herself hold the grand champion carcass banner. She will add it to her grand champion hog banner.

“I’ve always had that drive to win, and even though I didn’t win the top prize at the fair, I knew I still had a shot at the carcass show, and it happened."

The junior at West Holmes said it would be nice to climb the ladder from ninth place at the fair next year and to continue to climb over her final three years in 4-H.

As for Straits, the carcass show is nothing new to his family. His sister Gretchen owns a barn full of grand and reserve champion banners, and he said following in her footsteps is exciting.

He too raised and showed a Holmes County-bred animal, and that was something he was proud to accomplish.

“We took it right off the farm,” Straits said of his steer. “I think it’s great when you can raise an animal from right here in Holmes County. It takes a lot of work and dedication no matter where the steer comes from, and it is a huge commitment, but it is well worth it.”

Third place went to Ripley Ringleaders 4-H club member Channer Wells, who also placed third in the fair judging. Fourth went to Case Barton of Holmes County Beef Club.

The field was rounded out from fifth to 10th by Erik Hanna, West Holmes FFA; Chris VanSickle, Holmes County Beef Club; Hailee Carter, Classy Critters; Hayden Smith, Holmes County Hoof-N-Hide; Lance Troyer, Barnyard Buddies; and Carter Smith, Holmes County Hoof-N-Hide.

Hailee Carter’s steer was the grand champion steer at the fair while Carter Smith’s earned the reserve grand champion honor.

In the dairy steer category, the grand champion honor went to Wyatt Freeman of Winesburg Kids & Critters, who turned his grand champion steer at the fair into the carcass show’s winner. Second place and reserve grand champion honors went to Alyx Morris of Udder Ends.

Freeman did not attend the presentation of the carcass show awards, but Morris said it was fun being there for her inaugural showing.

“This is all new to me,” Morris said of the carcass show. “This was my first steer, so I am really pleased with the results.”

Her steer came from Open Road Farms, a Holmes County farm just down the road from where Morris resides. She said she took pride in raising a steer from Holmes County.

Seeing herself jump from fourth place overall at the fair to reserve grand champion status in the carcass show was a pleasant surprise.

“My expectations were a little different than the results from the fair, so I am really happy with the way things turned out. I learned a whole lot through this experience, including that I now know that it takes a whole lot of hard work and dedication to raise a steer for show.”

Rounding out the top-five dairy steer carcasses were Ian Schneider of Winesburg Kids & Critters, Derek Burke of Winesburg Kids & Critters, and Austin Jones, also of Winesburg Kids & Critters. Burke produced the reserve grand champion steer at the fair.