VALLEY CITY, N.D. -- March is a busy time for cattle farmers who participate in the 78th annual North Dakota Winter Show, says Cathy Schmitz, a farmer from Oakes, N.D., who shows livestock with her two daughters.
"The shows are getting smaller because a lot of people are calving," she said. "We have cattle calving now so we're multitasking."
Among the classes the Schmitz family was participating in at the Winter Show is the International Performance Steer Classic.
"This show is rewarding because it shows the feed efficiency of the animals," Schmitz said. "They are judged on weight per day of age and carcass quality."
Steers in the Performance Steer Classic are nominated in October and shown at the Winter Show in March. After the show, the animals are harvested and the carcasses are judged for meat quality and yield.
ADVERTISEMENT
"For us, it is the prestige of seeing the genetics and the feed coming together in the final product," Schmitz said.
Levi Elliott, of the Tri-E Simmental Ranch near Blanchard, N.D., said weather conditions should make for higher weight gains this year than last.
"This year's was a good year with good gains," he said. "Last year was too darn cold."
Schmitz said the steers her daughters were showing weighed about 1,200 pounds each and were approximately 10 months old.
Schmitz's daughters, Lacey, 17, and Lynsey, 13, are also showing market hogs and will participate in the youth cattle shows later in the Winter Show.
The family tradition of showing livestock has its roots with Schmitz's husband, Paul, who died in a farm accident in 2009. He was an active livestock showman and the family continues showing in his honor.
"It is kind of a family thing," Schmitz said. "We don't go to Disneyland. This is what we do."
The North Dakota Winter Show was held March 5 to 8. March 5 events included an antique show all day at the National Guard Armory, a pony pull and a draft horse pull.
ADVERTISEMENT
March 6 events included 4-H hippology, a competition based on knowledge about horses, crop judging and a concert in the evening. The weekend featured the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association rodeo and the "home, play and getaway" exhibits.
