Four-year-old Nicholas McMorrow of Warman, Sask., has spent three-quarters of his life parading around the show ring with his dairy calves.
His mother, Allison, said he started in the peewee event at 18 months.
Most recently he participated in the Western Canadian Livestock Expo in Saskatoon April 16-17, where his father, Bernie, showed five dairy cows.
Nicholas’s two-year-old sister, Olivia, also participated in the showmanship class.
“My husband grew up with farming and wants his kids to be involved,” said Allison. Bernie works as a herdsman and owns 30 dairy cattle.
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Peewee class judges examine animals but do not rank them. Instead, the children learn the basics of how to move around the ring with their months-old calves. For their efforts this day, the peewees left the ring with gifts such as brushes and halters.
Allison expects her children will eventually join 4-H, where they will hone their skills raising, grooming and showing cattle.
The McMorrow siblings were two of 12 who participated in the peewee category, an annual event at the dairy and hog expo.
“What better introduction into the show world,” said Brenda Sapergia, livestock manager at Prairieland Park where the expo was held.
“It’s a good experience to get a foot in the show ring and gain a little confidence.”
She said the children generally return in later years in junior and senior categories.
If needed, friends and family can help the peewees lead animals around the ring.
Sapergia said the show lends itself to these pint-sized classes because of the gentle nature of dairy calves, which are accustomed to being handled by humans.
This year’s show featured 120 Holsteins and 34 Jerseys. Jersey numbers were likely down because of the recent sale of a large herd in Saskatchewan.
Numbers were down marginally in the trade show, which attracted 107 display booths representing 65 companies. This year’s show featured a super cow and breeders’ herd competitions in addition to a 30-head Holstein sale.
The speaker’s gallery featured presentations on the Transport Quality Assurance certification program for hogs and crossbreeding in the dairy herd.
In addition, 600 Grade 5 students visited the show to learn more about animal agriculture.
