By Lisa Allmendinger
When Aubrey Davis enters the feeder calf ring with Holsten on Wednesday, it will be her first time showing at the Chelsea Community Fair.
The 9-year-old from Grass Lake says her calf “loves to love on you,” rubbing his head on Aubrey when she works with him.
She’s gotten a lot of help learning how to show her calf from cousin Ashlyn Fletcher, who used to be her babysitter, as well as from family friend Raegan Vargo, who successfully showed feeder calves until she aged out.
Youth ages 6-12 are eligible to show feeder calves.
Fletcher will show her steer, Polar, that can sometimes be a bit stubborn, while Vargo will show Stanley, that can sometimes be a bit feisty.
Vargo said she chose to move up to handling steer because she didn’t want to stop showing at the Chelsea Fair.
“Aubrey is really good at catching on,” to the tricks of showing her calf, Vargo said, even though sometimes “it can be frustrating.” When that happens, Vargo will work with Holsten and let Aubrey take a break and regroup.
Fletcher of Grass Lake said Polar “walks pretty good,” but likes to scratch on round bales and eat grass. He likes to cuddle, too.
Also showing feeders is Eliam Wagner, 11, who will lead Theodore into the ring. “He loves the wash rack,” Eliam said of the spot where the livestock are bathed.
Theodore is also “really sweet,” he said, and is easy to train.
This will be Eliam’s last time showing feeder calves so he’s prepping for a big steer next year.
Eliam isn’t the only Wagner showing a feeder calf at fair; Emery Wagner will show Simon, and Edison Wagner will show Alvin.
Yes, their calves are named for the chipmunks: Simon, Theodore and Alvin.
Hadley Powers, 8, of Chelsea will show Oreo. It’s the 8-year-old’s second time showing a feeder calf at fair. She will also show two pigs.
“The feeder is more fun,” she said when asked about which species she likes to show more. And she enjoys showmanship, which is judged on the showman, more so than the market class, which is judged on the quality of the animal.
Wyatt Powers, 7, of Chelsea will show Lightning Bolt. He said his calf is cute and he likes that he can pet him a lot. He, too, said showing his calf is more fun than his pigs.
His favorite things about fair: winning trophies, getting food and riding the rides.
Also showing feeder calves are Darlyn Trinkle, Ellie Trinkle, and Wade Trinkle.
The nine youth and their feeder calves show Wednesday in the multipurpose building at noon.
