Sublette County Fair hosts inaugural youth cow/calf show
Most western Wyoming cattle ranching families make their livelihoods selling trailer-loads of yearling feeder steers and heifers each autumn.
Many factors go into building a nice solid herd of stout bulls, fertile cows and springtime calves, with emphasis on birth and carcass weights as well as the final quality of the steaks marketed to consumers.
Show debut
On July 24, during the 2025 Sublette County Fair, two years of planning, support and a lot of hard work led to the first-ever Green River Valley Select Producers’ show, highlighting last year’s top heifers and this year’s calves.
Last year’s debut heifer show, sponsored by the Green River Valley Cattlewomen/Cowbelles and the Green River Valley Cattlemen’s Association, brought a variety of replacement heifer livestock projects by Sublette 4-H and FFA youth members.
The members whose heifers produced their first calves in the spring continued their intensive program through 2024, right up to fair time, caring for their cows and first calves while keeping extensive record books.
First, this year’s judges,Marsha Barlow, Eric Marincic and R.J. Thompson assessed the class of potential replacement heifers, interviewed participants and judged the young livestock. They reviewed record books and consulted with each other after comparing growth, conformation and condition suitable for Sublette County.
Winners announced for the two shows were for the animals themselves, with more awards pending for interviews and log books.
Young heifers
Participants in the heifer show were Treyven Rouge, Daisy Rogers, Shane Rogers, Colter Siems, Virginia Bousman and Mesa Landers.
Coke Landers and Wayne Barlow manned the mics and former Pinedale Ag Teacher Anna Hays and Leah Zupan helped collate judges’ paperwork and tally points.
Rouge’s heifer won the top honors – a belt buckle and $500. Ciara Grimes took second, winning $350, and Mesa Landers placed third, earning $250.
Cow/calf pairs
The next show – featuring the new cows and their calves – was another lengthy process for the judges.
After much deliberation, Jolien Robertson’s docile Black Angus cow and calf took top honors, earning her a buckle and $500. Also participating were Matazi Landers, whose cow/calf pair took second place; Maddi Landers who landed in third and Treyven Rouge.
Joy Ufford is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
