Cattle

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Travis Byers was all smiles Friday night. Byers, 17, of Shippensburg, Pa., won both the senior class and Grand Champion honors at the 4-H/FFA Dairy Cattle Showmanship competition at the Franklin County Fair. Dressed in all white, as is customary for dairy shows in the state, Byers settled his prize-winning Holstein named Qiana down in her stall inside one of the dairy barns after the competition. Byers said it felt good to win, especially after not doing so well in other shows this year.

HAGERSTOWN -- The lead longhorn danced down a sloping passageway, followed by a dozen other cattle forming an undulating river of beef. With their massive bodies and curling horns, they slid through a wooden gate and into a show ring, where people greeted them with respectful nods. The Texas Longhorn -- symbol of the American West -- had made a grand entrance. A durable legend, it still can turn heads. But this wasn't a town along the Chisholm Trail. It was East First Street in Hagerstown.

While there's not a whole lot to celebrate in the dairy industry these days, for several local dairy producers there are some things to feel good about. For those of you outside of agriculture or the dairy business, each fall there are several major dairy industry gatherings, including one in Harrisburg, Pa., and another in Madison, Wis. These gatherings are known as the All-American Dairy Show and the World Dairy Expo, respectively. They are part trade show, part cattle show, part youth contests and part social gathering.

Cats Young DSH, gray, found on Interstate 81 between Cearfoss exit and Maugans Avenue exit. Young DSH, black, found on Fairview Church Road. Young DSH, black, found on Garlinger Avenue. Young DSH, gray, found on Lockhouse Drive. Young DSH, beige, found on Lockhouse Drive. Young DSH, black, found on Goldizen Lane. Young DSH, gray and white, found on Humane Society property. Young DSH, black and white, found on Virginia Avenue. Adult DSH, buff and white, found on West Church Street.

4-H Beef Showmanship 1st Year Champion -- Scott DeBaugh Junior Champion -- Ashley Wiles Intermediate Champion -- McCall Griffith Senior Champion -- Ryan Burcker Grand Champion Challenge -- Karlie Hose Reserve Grand Champion -- Ryan Burker 4-H/FFA Market Steer Show Champion Angus -- Shane Heizer Reserve Champion Angus -- Dylan Coulter Champion British Cross -- Lonnie Thomas Reserve Champion...

Karen Holloway, Darlington, Md. Judge for beef cattle show Karen Holloway has seen some of the best cattle in the state of Maryland, but this year was her first as a judge for the beef cattle show at the Washington County Ag Expo and Fair. Holloway said judges look for well-structured and healthy cattle. "The females have to look feminine and pretty like a female, and the males have to look masculine," she said Wednesday. Holloway said the hope is the traits they are looking for will be passed on to the cattle's young.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- These days, the Pennsylvania Farm Show hardly is about the countless competitions that are held throughout the week. While a ribbon always is nice, there's a sort of understanding between the entrants to the show. "It's basically just about being here with other people -- cattle people -- and we share our ideas," said Steve Upperman, 49, of Chambersburg, Pa. "A lot of people think it's about the best animal, but it's also about communication and talking about what's going on around the show.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Carla J. Kitchen has sold fruit since she was big enough to bag a half bushel, but too little to hand the bag to the customers. "We sold on the Baltimore market when I was little," the Berkeley County third-generation orchardist said last week. "You packed everything Saturday night and put it on the truck, ... left Sunday afternoon and you went to the market. "My granddaddy did the same thing. " These days, Kitchen, 51, is being recognized for doing things differently at Kitchen's Farm, which she has run since 1987.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A 39-year-old man accused of selling a man's cattle and pocketing the money was arraigned Monday on one count of grand larceny in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. Robert Mitchell Boyd of Bunker Hill, W.Va., was released on personal recognizance after Magistrate Jim Humphrey set a $10,000 bond, according to court records. Boyd is accused of selling at least five animals between June 2006 and May 2007 when he was a caretaker of Mill Creek Farm in Bunker Hill, according to a complaint filed by Berkeley County Sheriff's Department Deputy Lt. D.S. McGown.

You can hardly have a farm without cows, can you? Of course not, although it would certainly be less stressful. At least it's stressful if you get some of those cows that, in my view, are high maintenance, always having to be milked. Or sheltered, or fed, or watered. My job is demanding enough, I don't want my livestock to be the same way. So I set out to discover the least labor-intensive breed of cattle in existence, and my research led me to the "Belted Galloway," one of a number of interesting heritage breeds that are outside of the Angus/Holstein mainstream.