Six young Pike County beef calf exhibitors will vie for championship honors at the 69th Annual Pike County Steer and Heifer Show at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cattleman Park.

Joshua Graham and Morgan Graham from the Tennille community, Colton Johnson from Little Oak, Katelyn Johnson from Troy and Clay Powell and Jonathan Thomas from Goshen will compete first in showmanship and then in the steer and heifer show.

Thomas will compete in the Pike County Steer and Heifer Show for the first time and Powell will compete for his last time.

“Whether they are competing for the first time or the last time, these six young people have made a tremendous commitment in time and effort to this show,” said Tammy Powell, former Pike County Extension coordinator and now volunteer with the show. “Most of them have had their calves since September and their commitment has been a daily one. They started working with their calves by breaking them to the halter. That means working with them every day to get ready for the show. They walk their calves daily and feed them twice a day. They have to groom their calves and they also must learn about feed and feed rations and what certain feeds do for certain animals. They won’t all use the same feed.”

Powell said a great deal of time is spent with the animals working hard to make sure that the calves can be handled in the ring and also with other animals and behave. If they don’t work with their animals every day, they won’t be able to handle them at show time.

“These young people have to be able to handle themselves in the ring and that takes work, too.”

First, second and third awards will be given in three-age division in Showmanship.

In the Steer and Heifer Show, the calves will have been weighed and classified according to weight and age or breed in divisions. First and second place in weight and age or breed divisions will compete for Grand and Reserve Champion.

Record keeping is another part of showing calves and that, too, takes time and effort. Special awards are given for the best records, best daily rate of gain and second best daily rate of gain.

“We encourage any young people who are interested in showing calves and any parents who are interested in having the children participate to come to Cattleman Park Saturday night,” Powell said. “The young people who show calves like to have an audience when they are washing and grooming their calves and preparing them for the show. So, come early, eat supper with us and visit with our Cattlemen and Cattlewomen and then stay for the 69th Annual Pike County Steer and Heifer Show.”