10 TheRoundup

At the start of your steer project, decide if you aregoing to show your calf in a livestock show orroundup at some point. If so, you need to planand prepare for the show.

ObjectivesAfter studying the materials and completing thesuggested activities for this section, you shouldbe able to:

1. Plan for a steer show from start to finish.2. Prepare a steer for show.3. Acquire basic equipment needed to show a

steer.4. Understand the basics of being a good

show person.5. Understand basic concepts of good sports-

manship.Showing your steer has several benefits. First,

you will learn a lot about yourself and your steer.You are sure to learn how to be patient with youranimal! Most 4-H’ers enjoy the fun and excite-ment of friendly competition in a show ring.Showing your steer will also give you a chance tocompare your project animal with those of other4-H’ers. However, you do not need to show yoursteer to complete the project requirements.

If you plan to show your steer, the first thingto do is get a copy of the rules and regulations forthe show you want to enter. This will give youthe proper dates to go by and the informationabout the show, including prize money you couldwin. Where you want to show your steer willaffect where and when you should buy your 4-H

project steer. The show rules will also tell you thefollowing information:

• Entry forms needed.• Animal health regulations and papers needed.• Required identification (some counties requirea weigh-in at the beginning of the project).

Besides continuing to feed, water, and keepyour steer clean, there are several items you needto prepare for before the roundup.

EthicsEthics means “doing the right thing.” It is yourresponsibility to behave ethically before andduring the roundup. Things you do or say, andthe way you behave toward your animals andother participants, reflect directly on the public’sperception of agriculture.

Many counties require roundup participantsto sign a code of ethics before the roundup (seepage 49). This code outlines ethically responsiblebehavior and practices, and has been used at thePennsylvania Farm Show. It may be changed orupdated, so make sure you have the most up-to-date copy available. Read the code and ask yourleader to explain anything you don’t understand.Ask yourself if you have followed the code ofethics while raising your steer.

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What Do You Need to Do and Have?You should start preparing for the roundupseveral months in advance. Be sure your entriesare submitted well before the entry deadline.Schedule a veterinarian to do any required healthtests and vaccinations. Arrange trucking to getyour steer to the roundup.

You will have to buy some equipment inorder to fit and show your steer. Maybe youcould borrow some of it from your parent orleader, or share it with another 4-H’er. The fol-lowing will be needed:

• Health papers• Proof of entry• Project book completed to date• Water and a hose• Feed pan• Bucket• Fan (if needed for hot weather ventilation)• Bedding (if not provided at the roundup)• Feed (hay and grain)• Pitch fork and broom• Clean rags• Rice root brush• Curry comb• Livestock soap• Rope and show halters• Show stick• Neck rope• Scotch comb• Blocking chute• Blower (optional)• Electric clippers• Extension cord• Grooming adhesives and foams• Adhesive remover• Hoof coloring• Clean rags• Show clothes (check show rules for what towear)• Registration papers (if required)

Loading and Unloading steersWell before the date of the roundup, arrange tohave someone truck your steer to the roundupsite. The vehicle (truck or trailer) used to trans-port steers should be well constructed, wellventilated, and properly bedded to keep steerscomfortable.

It is much easier to get cattle on and off atrailer than it is a truck. Check that the flooring isnot slippery when it gets wet. Give some thoughtto how you will load the steers. If your steer iswell broken, loading should be easy. When youarrive at the roundup, there should be a ramp orother means to get steers unloaded. Many steersare uneasy in new surroundings and may not beas calm as they were at home. Be sure to have aparent or other adult help you unload and moveyour calf when you first arrive at the roundup.

After unloading, your steer will most likelybe weighed and tagged. Your leader or extension

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agent may check your project record book, so besure it is up to date! Roundup officials will dividethe classes based on steer breed and/or weightand will post the classes before the show begins.

Tie your steer in its assigned spot, and bed,feed, and water it as soon as possible after un-loading. Water at the roundup location oftentastes different from the water your steer is usedto drinking. If your steer won’t drink the water atthe roundup, you may have to bring some fromhome. You can avoid this problem by addingsome flavoring to the water at home for severaldays before the roundup, then adding the sameflavoring to the water when you arrive at theroundup. Dry molasses works well.

You may also consider limiting the feed andwater to half of what the steer normally getsbefore you leave home. That way your steer willbe ready to eat and drink soon after he gets to theroundup. Even with all this extra preparation,sometimes steers will be excited by their newsurroundings and may not eat or drink at first.You are now ready to begin final preparations forthe show.

Fitting Your SteerYour purpose in fitting your steer is to accentuateits good points and de-emphasize its not-so-goodpoints. You are trying to make your steer appearmore heavily muscled and more nicely balanced.You can do this by manipulating the animal’shair. The amount of hair your steer has dependson genetics, the timing of your show (steers insummer shows usually have much less hair), andhow much work you put into stimulating hairgrowth at home. If your steer has very short orvery curly hair, some of the fitting techniquesdiscussed here won’t work very well.

Fitting begins at home well before the show.After your steer has gained your trust, begintraining the hair by brushing up and forward,starting at the hock and brushing toward the topof the shoulder. There are products available tomake training the hair easier and faster. In theend, you want the hair on the steer’s body tostand upright like a carpet.

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When the weather warms up in the spring,you need to make sure the old, dead hair is shedout. You can accelerate this process by brushingyour steer frequently. Some people body clip theirsteers at this time of year to remove all old, deadhair. If you decide to do this, clip in the directionthe hair lies naturally—generally, down.

After the old hair is shed or clipped, you canbegin rinsing your steer with water several timeseach week to aid in training the hair and tostimulate hair growth. Rinsing is best done in theevening before turning your steer out, or earlymorning when you first bring your steer in fromits lot. If you have a blower, dry your calf byblowing the hair up and forward. If not, use yourscotch comb to pull the hair up and forward andallow the steer to dry naturally. Every week or

two, you can wash your steer using a mild live-stock shampoo. Make sure you rinse all the sudsout when you wash your steer because soapresidue can cause dandruff.

About three weeks before the roundup, it’stime to begin preliminary clipping, or “blocking.”If this is your first steer project, get someone tohelp guide you and give you directions. If you’vehad steer projects before, you (not Mom, Dad, ora professional fitter) should do the clipping.There are four areas on the calf’s body thatshould be clipped at this time: head, neck, tail,and sheath.

Clipping is easiest to accomplish if the steer isrestrained in a blocking chute. The steer shouldbe freshly rinsed and thoroughly dry. Begin byclipping all the hair off the calf’s head. Somefitters leave the long hair at the top of the calf’spoll to be pulled to a point. This is optional, andmay be best left to more experienced fitters. Blendthe hair in around the base of the ears. You willprobably need to remove the halter to properlyclip your steer’s head.

Next, clip the top of the steer’s neck frombehind the head to a point where the steer’s neck

and topline come together. From this point, clip astraight line down across the point of the shoul-der to the inside of the front leg. Repeat on theother side. All hair forward of this line should beremoved. Always clip with the grain of the hairwhen clipping the neck. Blend in the line from theclipped portion to the unclipped portion. Ifyou’re clipping in a blocking chute, you’ll prob-ably need to back the steer out of the neck re-straint to have access to the neck.

The tail should be clipped upward from apoint toward the bottom of the twist to four orfive inches below the tailhead, blending at bothends of the clipped portion. Clip so that the sideview of the tail is a straight line. Also, most fitters“bob” the tail about one inch below the bottom ofthe tail bone.

Finally, clip both sides and the bottom of thesheath to make the steer look trimmer middled.

Commercial videos are available to help youlearn to be a better fitter. Perhaps your club canpurchase a set of these for all members to use.

About a month before the show, you shouldmake arrangements to have your steer’s hoovestrimmed. During the winter, your steer’s hooves

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have grown—just as your fingernails grow. Theyshould be trimmed before the show so that yoursteer stands and walks more correctly. You cantrim the hooves yourself, but it’s better to havethem professionally trimmed to make sure theyare done properly and to avoid injury to you oryour calf. Some 4-H clubs schedule a day andplace for all beef club members to bring theircalves for hoof trimming.

Within a couple days of the roundup, youshould do the final clipping. If you did yourpreliminary clipping correctly, the final clippingshould simply be a matter of further blending theclipping that was already done, and shaping andsmoothing the hair on the steer’s body.

You’ll also need to do two new bits of clip-ping. The first is to clip the steer’s quarter. You dothis to make the steer look wider and moreheavily muscled when viewed from behind. Yourtask is to make the quarter on either side of thetail look as flat as possible.

Begin by clipping a flat strip along each sideof the tail, very near but not quite down to theskin. The edge of the clippers nearest the tailshould be slightly closer to the skin than theoutside edge of the clipper blade. Then clipanother strip beside that one, blending it into thefirst strip on the inside, and to the natural hair onthe outside. Ask an experienced fitter to showyou if you’re not sure what to do.

The second new place to clip is the steer’stopline. You want the topline to look straightwhen viewed from the side, and wide when

viewed from behind. Clipping the topline can betime consuming and is one of the most difficultclipping jobs.

Final preparations should begin several hoursbefore the show. You should wash, thoroughlydry, feed, and water your steer before you beginfinal preparations. Place your steer in a groomingchute. If you want, you can use a “show foam”product to help hold up the hair on the steer’sbody. Pull or blow the hair up on the entire body.

Starting at the hoof, spray leg and tail adhe-sive on the legs and pull the hair up to slightlypast the hock, or the point where the hair starts tostand up naturally. Pulling the hair up on the legsmakes the steer appear more heavily boned. Thisprocess is called “boning.” Some steers lookbetter with unboned front legs. Use your clippersto even and shape the boned legs.

Next, use a small amount of adhesive to pullup the tailhead. Clip the tailhead to a 90-degree

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angle when viewed from the side. The tail shouldbe one side of the angle and the topline on theother side.

Clean any manure from the hooves anddewclaws with a wire brush or knife, then applyhoof dressing. If you left some hair on the calf’spoll, pull up the topknot and spray with adhesiveto hold it in place.

Put on the show halter, and get yourselfcleaned up and ready for the show.

Showing Your SteerShowing a steer is fairly easy. The best way tolearn is by watching someone else do it. Workwith an experienced show person, such asanother 4-H’er in your club. He or she couldpractice with you and show you how to moveand set up your steer the way you will need to.

At the show, you will be asked to lead yoursteer into the show ring with other show personsand their steers. Your job is to set up the steerwith its four feet positioned squarely underneathits body, then pay attention to the judge whilekeeping the steer between you and the judge.

What will the judge be looking for in you andyour steer? There may be three things:

• Type or conformation—how similar the steer isto the ideal animal for its purpose. For example, aclass of market steers would be judged on theirdegree of finish, muscling, and structure.• Showing—how well the show person controlsand presents the animal.• Fitting—how well the animal is cleaned andgroomed.

If you did your halter breaking and trainingto lead while your calf was small, preparing forthe show should be simple. Practice leading yoursteer in clockwise circles, stopping periodically toset it up with a showstick. Practice using theshow halter you plan to use on show day. To setthe steer’s feet, switch the halter from your rightto left hand, and turn to face the steer. Place thesteer’s right rear foot squarely under the body.Follow by placing the left rear foot, then the rightand left front feet. You may use your foot to moveand set the front foot closest to you. Space therear feet slightly wider than the front feet to make

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the steer look wider and more muscular from therear. You can push in the fleshy spot between thetoes to make the calf move its foot back. Pullingon the dewclaw with the hook on your showstickshould make the steer bring its foot forward.After your steer is set up, scratch its belly withyour show stick to keep it calm. It takes a lot ofpractice and repetition to teach your steer how toset its feet properly.

If the steer moves its foot, gently reposition it.Practice slowly moving in front of the steer as ifthe judge were walking in front of the steer.

During the show, the judge may want tohandle your steer to determine the amount offinish. Be courteous and allow the judge access toyour calf. Warn the judge if your steer kicks. Useyour scotch comb to reposition the steer’s hairafter the judge handles your calf. Practice byhaving a parent, sibling, or other 4-H memberhandle your steer at home.

Your job during the show is to present thesteer to the judge. You’ll need to keep the steerbetween you and the judge at all times except fora brief instant when the judge walks in front ofthe steer. You’ll also need to watch the steer andthe judge at the same time.

In the show ring, set up your steer even withthe steer ahead of you, allowing plenty of roombetween your steer and the others in the class. Ifyou can, place your steer’s front feet on a highspot in the ring. Steers look better if posed withtheir front feet slightly higher than the rear feet.Set up your steer and be ready to repositionyourself or your steer if the judge moves in frontof you or handles your steer.

Pay attention to the judge and quickly andsmoothly follow any instruction. If your steer actsup or gets out of position, walk it in a circle andreturn to your assigned spot to set up. Ask aparent, sister, or brother to act as a judge, andpractice showing the steer to them. If this is yourfirst steer, ask an experienced show person oryour leader to demonstrate good showmanshipand give you pointers.

During the show, the judge may ask youquestions about your steer or how you raised it.Be sure you know some basic information so youcan give an intelligent answer.

On show day, make sure you and your steerare both calm, well rested, fed, and watered.When you enter your steer in a show, you are alsoentering yourself. Keep yourself clean and neat,too. Wear clean clothes, clean boots or shoes, andbrush your hair. Some shows have dress codesthat must be followed. You should not wear a hat.Have your steer ready when your class is called.Be prompt! If you have time, watch a few classesbefore you bring your steer in. This will help yousee how the judge moves the class around fromthe time cattle enter the ring until they leave.Have someone help you get your steer to theshow ring and back to its stall after the class.

Always be courteous to other show personsin the class. Be pleasant and make eye contactwith the judge at every opportunity. Immediatelyfollow any instructions the judge may give. If thejudge asks you to move your steer or lead itaround the ring, do so at once.

After the show, be sure to wash out all theadhesives and other show products using acommercial adhesive remover. Soap and waterwill not remove these products. Failure to washadhesives out leaves the hair matted and in poorcondition.

Being a Good SportAlthough everyone may deserve a blue ribbon,only one first place can be given in each class. Ifyou win a blue ribbon, be proud but don’t showoff. Accept congratulations with thanks andcongratulate your fellow show persons. Even ifyou don’t win, be proud of what you did accom-plish. Most important, have fun and think aboutall the things you learned about yourself andabout market steers while taking this project. Tryagain the next year for a blue ribbon!

Questions from the PublicYou may be asked questions about your projectby interested visitors to the show. If you are, be

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courteous, honest, and direct with your answers.Sometimes animal rights advocates attend live-stock shows with the intent of creating a contro-versy worthy of news coverage. If you areapproached by someone who accuses you ofbeing cruel to your steer, be polite, remain calm,answer what questions you can, and end theconversation as quickly as possible. Report theperson to your parent or leader.

The SaleAfter the roundup, many counties hold a juniorlivestock sale where project steers are sold. Often,steers sold at junior livestock sales bring morethan the current market price. Buyers may pur-chase steers for many reasons—as an advertise-ment for a business, as a “thank you” for doingbusiness with them, as a source of freezer meat,or simply as a way to help young people. If youelect to participate in the sale, you (not yourparents, leaders, or county agents) need to dosome work ahead of time to ensure that yoursteer will receive the best possible price. Remem-ber, marketing is an extremely important part ofthe beef cattle business!

First, find out the rules for your sale. Howmany steers can you sell? What, if any, commis-sions are charged? Is trucking available for buy-ers to send steers to local custom butchers? Dobuyers have to keep the steer, or can they resell it?Many sales offer a buy-back program where, if abuyer does not want to keep the steer, he or shepays only the difference between the actual bidand the current market value. Generally, a localpacker or livestock market has agreed to pay thecurrent market value for steers bought, but notkept. Regardless of who takes your steer home,you receive the final bid price. Therefore, it paysto contact as many potential buyers as possibleabout attending the sale and bidding on yoursteer. The more bidders who attend the salespecifically to bid on your steer, the more yoursteer may sell for.

Begin by making a list of businesses in yourarea that may be potential buyers. Don’t limit

yourself to agricultural businesses. Restaurants,grocery stores, insurance companies, banks,lumber companies, trucking companies, andothers support junior livestock sales in manyareas. Next, compile a list of contact people foreach of the businesses. Ask your parents, leadersor neighbors if they know of anyone who isemployed by each of the businesses—preferablyin a management position.

Next, make plans to contact each of thepeople on your list. Many 4-H’ers write lettersasking for support at a junior livestock sale.Personal visits are better. Call the business andask for a meeting with your contact person. Atthe meeting, be prepared to explain why you areasking for their support, how buying at a junior

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livestock sale may benefit their business, and ifyour county has a buy-back program, how itworks. If your county has a buy-back program,make sure buyers realize they do not have to takethe steer home with them. Be sure to note thatany money they spend over and above the cur-rent market price is tax deductible. You may evenhave to explain how an auction works, so makesure you know!

Buyer contact should first be made a monthor so before the roundup. Follow up with a phonecall within a week of the sale to remind buyers ofthe date, place, and time. Expect some people youcontact to decline to participate. That’s OK; atleast you asked! Also, tell prospective buyers thatmost of all you want them to come and supportthe junior livestock sale. Second, you would likethem to bid on your steer.

On sale day, try to look up your buyers beforethe sale starts and thank them for coming. Imme-diately after the auctioneer pronounces your steer“sold,” listen carefully for the name of the buyer.Tie your steer, then ask your leader or a sale clerkto point the buyer out in the crowd. Go find thebuyer and personally thank him or her.

Within a week after the sale, send a thank-you note to the buyer and ask that they considersupporting the sale next year.

Suggested Activities• Visit a beef cattle show to see how others showcattle.• Attend a fitting and showing clinic.• Train and fit a steer for show.• Show your steer at a show.• Give a presentation or talk on how to fit andshow a steer.• Discuss fitting and showing with an experi-enced show person.• Make a poster to advertise your 4-H show orauction.• Invite a person who is interested in 4-H toattend your 4-H show or auction.• Write a thank-you note to the person who buysyour steer at a 4-H auction.

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Ideas for Presentations and Talks• How to prepare a steer for show day• Equipment needed to show a steer• How to fit a steer• Your experiences showing a steer• Contacting buyers for a sale

Things to Talk About• What steps must you take if you want to showyour steer?• How do you show a steer in a ring?• What equipment do you need to fit and showsteers?• How does a good show person act?

Year Event Buyer Name Buyer Address Buyer Phone Price

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CODE OF ETHICS

Exhibitors of animals shall at alltimes deport themselves withhonesty and good sportsman-ship. Their conduct in thecompetitive environment shallalways reflect the higheststandards of honor and dignityto promote the advancement ofagricultural education. Thiscode applies to junior as well asopen class exhibitors whocompete in structured classes ofcompetition. This code appliesto all livestock offered in anyevent at the livestock show.

All youth leaders workingwith junior exhibitors are underan affirmative responsibility todo more than avoid improperconduct or questionable acts.Their moral values must be socertain and positive that thoseyounger and more pliable willbe influenced by their fineexample. Owners, fitters, train-ers, and absolutely responsiblepersons who violate the code ofethics will forfeit premiums,awards and auction proceedsand may be prohibited fromfuture exhibition. Exhibitorswho violate this code of ethicsdemean the integrity of alllivestock exhibitors and shouldbe prohibited from competitionat all livestock shows in theUnited States and Canada.

The following is a list ofguidelines for all exhibitors andall livestock in competitiveevents:

1. All exhibitors mustpresent upon request of showofficials, proof of ownership,length of ownership, and age ofall animals entered. Misrepre-sentation of ownership, age, orany fact relating thereto isprohibited.

2. Owners, fitters, trainers,or absolutely responsible per-sons shall provide animalhealth certificates from licensedveterinarians upon request byshow officials.

3. Junior exhibitors areexpected to care for and groomtheir animals while at the show.

4. Animals shall be pre-sented to show events wherethey will enter the food chainfree of violative drug residues.The act of entering an animal ina livestock show is the giving ofconsent by the owners, fitters,trainers, and/or absolutelyresponsible persons for showmanagement to obtain anyspecimens of urine, saliva,blood, or other substances fromthe animal to be used in testing.Animals not entered in an eventwhich culminates with theanimal entering the food chainshall not be administered drugsother than in accordance withapplicable federal and statestatutes, regulations, and rules.Livestock shall not be exhibitedif the drugs administered inaccordance with federal andstate statutes, regulations and

rules affect the animal’s perfor-mance or appearance in theevent.

If the laboratory report ofthe analysis of saliva, urine,blood, or other sample takenfrom livestock indicates thepresence of forbidden drugs ormedication, this shall be primafacie evidence such substancehas been administered to theanimal either internally orexternally. It is presumed thatthe sample of urine, saliva,blood or other substance testedby the approved laboratory towhich it is sent is the one takenfrom the animal in question, itsintegrity is preserved and allprocedures of said collectionand preservation, transfer to thelaboratory, and analysis of thesample are correct and accurateand the report received fromthe laboratory pertains to thesample taken from the animalin question and correctly re-flects the condition of theanimal at the time the samplewas taken, with the burden onthe owner, exhibitor, fitter,trainer, or absolutely respon-sible person to prove otherwise.

At any time after the animalarrives on the show grounds, alltreatments involving the use ofdrugs and/or medications forthe sole purpose of protectingthe health of the animal shall beadministered by a licensedveterinarian.

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5. Any surgical procedureor injection of any foreignsubstance or drug or the exter-nal application of any substance(irritant, counterirritant, orsimilar substance) which couldaffect the animal’s performanceor alter its natural contour,conformation, or appearance,except external applications ofsubstances to the hooves orhorns of animals which affectappearance only, and except forsurgical procedures performedby a duly licensed veterinarianfor the sole purpose of protect-ing the health of the animal, isprohibited.

6. The use of showingand/or handling practices ordevices such as striking animalsto cause swelling, using electri-cal contrivance, or other similarpractices are not acceptable andare prohibited.

7. Direct interference withthe judge, show management,other exhibitors, breed repre-sentatives, or show officialsbefore, during or after thecompetitive event is prohibited.In furtherance with their officialduty, all judges, show manage-ment, or other show officialsshall be treated with courtesy,cooperation, and respect and noperson shall direct abuse orthreatening conduct towardthem.

8. No owner, exhibitor,fitter, trainer, or absolutelyresponsible person shall con-spire with another person orpersons to intentionally violatethis code of ethics or knowingly

contribute or cooperate withanother person or personseither by affirmative action orinaction to violate this code ofethics.

9. The application of thiscode of ethics provides forabsolute responsibility for theanimal’s condition by an ownerexhibitor, fitter, trainer orparticipant whether or not he orshe was actually instrumentalin or had actual knowledge ofthe treatment of the animal incontravention of this code ofethics.

10. The act of entering ananimal is giving consent by theowner, exhibitor, fitter, trainer,or absolutely responsible per-son to have disciplinary actiontaken by the show managementfor violation of this code ofethics. The act of entering ananimal is giving consent thatany proceedings or disciplinaryaction taken by the show man-agement may be published withthe name of the violator orviolators in any publication ofthe International Association ofFairs and Expositions, includingFairs and Expositions and anyspecial notices to members.

11. The act of entering of ananimal in the show is the givingof verification by the owner,exhibitor, fitter, trainer, orabsolutely responsible personthat he or she has read this codeof ethics and understands theconsequences and penaltiesprovided for actions prohibitedby the code. It is further aconsent that any action which

contravenes these rules and isin violation of federal and statestatutes, regulations, or rulesmay be released to appropriatelaw enforcement authoritieswith jurisdiction over suchinfractions.

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