Teens engage in 'salon for steer'
<p>Ocala Muth of the Rowdy Ropers 4-H Club washes the face of a steer during the 4-H and Future Farmers of America Beef Fitting Contest during the Northwest Montana Fair on Thursday. </p>
<p>Kali Brubaker of the Rocky Mountain Blue Ribbon 4-H Club brushes a steer's face during the 4-H and Future Farmers of America Beef Fitting Contest on Thursday. </p>
A crowd of teenagers gathered around four muddy steers at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo on Thursday morning and got to work.
They poured buckets of water over their roughly 650-pound subjects and dried the animals with towels before giving shape to their hair — all while a woman held a timer that counted down when the steer had to be show-ready.
It was the 4-H and FFA Fitting and Showmanship Contest.
The teenagers, though familiar with working with animals, were handed four steers they had never worked with and told to make them ready for show in a matter of minutes.
“It’s basically like a salon for steer,” Cody Bartholomew said as she watched her 15-year-old son work with a comb to shape his steer’s hair in a way that made the animal’s body look larger.
“It’s all about showing the steer’s structure,” Bartholomew said. “I started doing this at nine years old, in a building where the fair keeps llamas now. Now, you have to be at least 11, but other than that it’s not too different today.”
Like many of the parents in the crowd, Bartholomew had competed showing steers for nearly a decade when she was a 4-H student. Now she was watching her children do the same.
For Bartholomew, it was just another experience caring for an animal. She grew up on her family’s working cattle ranch just outside of Kalispell and had her barn chores memorized.
But today, her family’s home is in a Whitefish neighborhood with a little bit of property. The only experience her children have working cattle is tied to 4-H.
“I sometimes wish they had they the childhood I did, but with 4-H they get most of that,” she said. “It teaches them how to take care of something beside themselves. They have to teach a baby that grows into hundreds of pounds how to walk with a halter. And when it’s below freezing, they’re out there feeding their steer.”
She said the program also teaches youths about business — they invest by putting money into getting their animal and caring for it. By the end of the season, they make that money back and then some by selling the animal — if all goes well.
After the competition, Suzanne Tutvedt watched her 19-year-old daughter pose with friends for the champion’s photo.
“For my kids, this is college money,” Tutvedt said. “We’re blessed by a community that pays more than the animal’s worth when it comes to sell time.”
Her daughter, Megan, said she spent most of her teens showing and raising steers.
“I started with pigs and horses, but I enjoy the competition with steers more,” she said. “And, there’s a lot more money.”
By “a lot,” she explained she makes between $4,000 to $5,000 per steer she raises. In the past, she would make $1,000 or so for a pig. She said she switched to steers 11 years ago.
Her mom said for every steer sold, Megan keeps about $300 for fun — the rest goes into a savings account for college.
Megan said while the money helps, showing animals is something she’s always been drawn to.
“It’s competitive and fun,” she said. “I haven’t thought about whether or not I would keep doing it — it’s just a part of life.”
Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.