The Garden City Telegram
NEW E-Edition!
Subscription
Required
Add Your Comment | Read (0) Comments
Skills are put to the test in cattle working contest.
Published 6/4/2011 in Beef Empire Days-Industry
By JEROME P. CURRY
jcurry@gctelegram.com
Katie Welsh said she has been working cattle since she was four years old.
1
Brad nading/Telegram Jeff Hoffman runs the chute as he and others on a Lakin Feedyard team compete in the Beef Empire Days Cattle Working Contest at Finney County Feedyard.
2
Christina Quinones peers in through a doorÕs window to watch the competition Friday during the Beef Empire Days Catle Working contest. Quinones later competed on a team from L & S Processing, Liberal.
3
Katie Dinkel fills a syringe with a vaccine as she and other members of a team from Syracuse Cactus Feedyard prepare to compete.
4
Photos by Brad Nading/Telegram Mario Aguilar, right, applies a tag to a cowÕs ear as Noel Escamilla prepares a sample for virus testing Friday while competing in the Beef Empire Days Cattle Working Contest at Finney County Feedyard. The pair along with Dusty Penick were competing as a team from Reeve Cattle Company.
Her father, Matthew Welsh, agreed.
"She's helped," he said of his 8-year-old daughter. "She helps."
Katie was part of the youth team from Meade Feeders taking part Friday in the annual Beef Empire Days cattle working contest held this year at Finney County Feeders. She was pushing cattle down the chute with a rattling plastic paddle not much bigger than a fly swatter and then she would move up and spray the worming medicine across a steer's back, doing everything she could to help her brother and sister, Del-Rey, 13, and Payton, 11, and friend, Mitchell Gorman, 14, score points.
Welsh said Katie's cattle experience started earlier in life than his.
"I got to going in 1987," Welsh said. "I'm 38 now."
The events in which the youth take part basically are the same as the adult contestants, said Jeff Jones, an assistant manager at Finney County Feeders. Jones counted them off — vaccinations, ear tagging, ear notching, worming, implants and chute control. The young ones are there to learn and eventually in future years to take part in the adult silver buckle competition.
Lucas Regula, the ramrod of the cattle working contest, said it was moved to a feedyard this year to add real life authenticity, and Finney County Feeders was glad to be the host.
Regula, who works for Elanco of Garden City, an animal health company, said the competition pits three-person teams in the adult division. Friday there were 19 teams, a total of 57 working cowboys and/or cowgirls.
Fairleigh Feedyard of Scott was the big winner. Each member of the winning trio received a silver buckle and $100 cash. Each member of the second place team received a $100 gift certificate. That was PokyFeeders-2 of Scott City. Poky had entered several teams in the competition.
Elanco provided the implants for the competition; Temple Tag, the ear tabs; Gold Standard Labs, the PIBVR test; Pfizer, the vaccine and wormer. Lextron and Temple Tag donated the lunch for the competitors and spectators.
"The competitors demonstrate the proper way to handle animals," Regula said.
And the judges, the chair of the contest said, make sure of it.
He identified them and the areas in which they judged on Friday.
* Dr. Tom Portillo of Canyon, Tex., animal handling and chute operations.
* Marvin Hammon of Garden City, implant technology.
* Dr. Todd Stone of Garden City, ear tag and ear notch technology.
* Dr. Mel Metzen of Holcomb, vaccine and deworming.
Speed and precision are judged.
"Speed is not as important as technique," Jones said.
Regula noted speed was used as a tiebreaker in case one or more teams tie on points scored in the events.
"Good job, guys," the judges said in chorus as each team finished. "Good job."
The top finishers in the cattle working contest were: 1. Fairleigh; 2. PokyFeeders-2; 3. Cimarron Feeders-1 of Texhoma; 4. Finney County Feeders; 5. PokyFeeders-1 of Scott City; 6. Reeve Cattle Co. of Garden City.
When her youth team was done, Katie Welsh walked past the judges, shook their hands and thanked them.
What does she plan to do when she grows up?
"I want to be like my daddy and mom," she said, "work at the feed yard."
Found 0 comment(s)!