- 4-H participants from Lehigh, Northampton and Berks counties competed in livestock shows at the Great Allentown Fair
- Youth ages 5 to 18 compete during the six-day spectacle
- The fair runs through Monday, Sept. 4, at the Allentown Fairgrounds
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Eight-year-old Olivia Brozman held onto the rambunctious bull's lead line as he jerked his head up and down.
As they approached the judges, he wrestled free and ran over to the gate where her older brother Ethan Brozman, 10, waited by a chorus of black cattle that mooed on cue.
The siblings are members of the Lehigh County 4-H Livestock Club.
The club consists of 25 young farmers, ages 5 to 18, who brought their sheep, goats, pigs, and cows to compete in livestock shows at the Great Allentown Fair, now in its 171st year.
So far, the brother and sister duo have collected close to 15 ribbons with their cattle from Just Enuff Angus farm in Upper Nazareth Township.
Winning ribbons, dissecting body parts
In preparation for the fair, the 4-H members work year-round with their animals to get them ready for the exhibits and competitions.
That includes tasks such as bathing, brushing, feeding, training and walking.
Those who compete on the fair-level get a chance to take home a first-place purple or blue ribbon, which they can hang on their respective stalls throughout the six-day fair that ends on Monday, Sept. 4.
Danica Rhoads and her black-and-white Holstein, Believe, proudly displayed their winnings on a sign above the young cow's stall.
The 14-year-old won her first-place ribbons early, and took home the Grand Champion Dairy Showman and Junior Champion 4-H opening on Wednesday.
Believe's temporary quarters are right next to her sister cows, Sunset and Schatzi, who also won ribbons.
The sisters will go on to compete in February at the Great American Show in Harrisburg — known as one of the prestigious 4-H events in the state.
Rhoads saved her allowance and bought Believe in March when the calf was only eight weeks old.
"I got her from a farm in Illinois. It's been really nice to see her grow up and win awards," she said.
In 4-H clubs across the state, young farmers like Rhoads, who belongs to a 4-H club in Berks County, meet monthly where they're taught how to educate the public about farming and agriculture.
They also learn how to take care of their livestock — everything from ordering products online to medical and health concerns.
"The most disgusting thing we ever did in the club was dissect a cow's eyeball. It was dead, but a vet came and showed us how to do that. That was gross, but fun," Ethan Brozman said.
The Brozmans compete with their cattle all over the state, many times with their cousin, Davin Boyle, in tow.
Boyle, 10, is a member of the Northampton County 4-H club, and is already an expert at herding cattle and giving them belly rubs with a show stick.
In between the daily duties of mucking stalls and feeding cattle, they act like any other boys their age.
"The furthest we've ever gone is Mad Jack in North Virginia," Ethan Brozman said. "I love that time when we have sleepovers because we get to stay up to 3 a.m. to help load the animals and it's always a fun party."
Strong work ethic, educating the public
Rhoads' young heifer's horns were not amputated correctly, which seems to garner the sweet-natured cow a lot of attention.
"A lot of people will ask me why Believe has horns and assume she's a bull," Rhoads said. "But mostly, they'll ask me about why cows are different colors, what they eat, how they sleep."
Her parents, Darren and Sandy Rhoads, bought their family farm in Barto, with the hopes of developing a strong work ethic in their daughters.
"They have to get up before school, bathe, take care of their animal. It was to teach them that there is something more important than focusing on themselves," Sandy Rhoads said. "It helps with self esteem and overall personality and character. They know that if they don't water or feed their animal, their animal is going to suffer and that's not OK."
Life lessons, costume contests
On Thursday, 10-year-old John Schopf dressed up his prize-winning goat, Nashville, in a homemade get-up inspired by Keith Urban, who is headlining the fair Sunday night.
"We won one-fifth of the Mardi Gras contest which is kind of like a Halloween for goats," Schopf said. "Nashville has also won a couple of second- and third-place ribbons."
Schopf is in his second year as a member of the Lehigh County 4-H Livestock Club.
As a farmer-in-training, he is learning valuable lessons about life and loss.
"This is my first year raising goats," he said. "I've learned that they are very playful and that they're very big knuckleheads. My other goat died from bloat, which is a sickness that goats often get when they can't digest their food properly."
With the guidance provided by the 4-H program, he plans on tackling sheep farming soon.
"4-H has taught me responsibility to goats and to many things," he said. "It has taught me how to care for and vet animals. It taught me a little bit about managing money. I know how to buy straw or feed and hay and medicines, vitamins like B12."
For a schedule of the livestock shows, click here.
