Montana

Handlers put best steer forward in high-stakes competition at Northwest Montana Fair

Published

2 years ago

August 15, 2024

Handlers put best steer forward in high-stakes competition at Northwest Montana Fair

The grassy lawn outside the Flathead Fairgrounds’ Trade Center occasionally turns into a steer spa.

Competitors gathered Wednesday morning hours before they were set to walk their calf before a judge to wash, blow-dry and apply adhesive to the animal’s hair, making them look their best. It’s called fitting the calf, Brady Boll said.

The process of raising and showing an animal is integral to the Northwest West Montana Fair, where hundreds of young people — often through 4-H or FFA — gather after months of hard work in hopes of winning a blue ribbon.

“It’s not just a big part of the fair though,” said 18-year-old Boll. “It’s a big part of my life.”

Boll, a graduate of Flathead High School, has been showing steers for the past eight years. This year, her steer, Stetson — with a filled-out belly and a black coat — won grand champion.

Showing an animal at the fair teaches a kid, early on, how to take constructive criticism and apply it to their lives, she said. Boll looks forward to taking those lessons and applying them to her work at a private trade school in the future.

“Any kid that goes through 4-H or FFA makes the world a better place,” she said.

Boll stood outside of the Trade Center early Wednesday morning, washing Stetson and preparing to show him in front of Sierra Meyers, the judge of the beef show, who is also judging other events this year.

There are two main aspects for judges to look for when it comes to steers, Meyers said. The first of those is showmanship, or a judgement based on the individual showing the animal themselves. Things like maintaining eye contact and intentionally setting the animal up well are good things.

The second is how marketable the steer is. Muscle equates to meat, Meyers said, so the more muscle the better.

One of the coolest aspects of the fair’s showmanship events is the advocation for agriculture, according to Kaitlyn Bennett, the beef and dairy superintendent of the fair. It is sentimental knowing that the kids today are the upcoming generation of agriculture, she said.

Ryder Clouse, a 15-year-old student at Flathead High School, was also preparing his steer outside of the Trade Center. This year is Clouse’s third year showing steers; he previously would bring pigs to show at the fair. Every year, however, he was drawn to bovines, and now gets opportunities to raise them.

“It’s been an adventure,” Clouse said.

Genetics also play a big role in the success of showing, said Carly Tranel with her steer Alan.

“My favorite thing about him is his conformation and his genetics,” Tranel, 17, said on Wednesday. Conformation is the desirable muscular and skeletal structure of an animal.

Tranel, who is part of Glacier Stars 4-H, started showing animals when she was 8 years old and has shown steers for six years, the inspiration coming from her family and their own history of raising animals on their land.

Last year, Tranel won the grand champion steer title.

While it is a lot of hard work, Tranel said, the competition aspect is a lot of fun. She hopes to bring a calf that she breeds herself to the fair next year.

“It’s great to watch them have success,” said Jannell Plummer of Glacier Stars 4-H. Born and raised in the valley, Plummer has three children of her own — all three are showing a steer this year.

Six classes entered the show ring. Competitors walked their calves around, making sure their chins were pointed up, adjusting their feet to stand square. The event is a series of walking, stopping and setting up.

Come Saturday, buyers come in and bid on the animals while the competitors bid them farewell. In 2023, the Flathead Livestock Market Sale Auction surpassed $1.2 million in sales.

“Stress is high, the animal is big, but sometimes, the payoff is amazing,” said Plummer.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.

Carly Tranel shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Ione Plummer shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Madison Brist shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Beau Siderius speaks with judge Sierra Myers during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Jayla Wise speaks with judge Sierra Myers during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Brady Boll shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Boll won grand champion in her division. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Rylee Glimm shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Grace Holtmeyer shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Carly Tranel shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Madison Brist shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Samuel Plummer shows his steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Alexis Johnson shows her steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Samuel Plummer shows his steer during senior beef cattle showmanship at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

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Related Topics:4-H animals competition fair Featured ffa Flathead County judging northwest Montana fair showmanship steer

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Montana

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

Published

9 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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Montana

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

Published

21 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

HELENA — You probably have goals and plans for 2026—the Montana Department of Agriculture does too.

“We’re really focusing on innovative agricultural practices,” Montana Department of Agriculture director Jillien Streit said.

It’s no secret that agriculture—farming and ranching—is not easy. There are long days, planning, monitoring crops and livestock, and other challenges beyond farmers’ and ranchers’ control.

(WATCH: Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026)

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

“We have very low commodity prices across the board,” Streit said. “We still have very high input prices across the board, and we have really high prices when it comes to our equipment, and so, it’s a really tough year.”

But innovation, including new practices, partnerships and technology use, can help navigate some of those challenges.

“We can’t make more time and we can’t make more land, so we need to start putting together innovative practices that help us maximize what our time and land can do,” Streit said.

Practices range from using technology like autonomous tractors and virtual fencing—allowing rangers to contain and move cattle right from their phones—to regenerative farming and ranching.

“It is bringing cattle back into farming operations to be able to work with cover cropping practices to invigorate the soil for new soil health benefits,” Streit said.

The Montana Department of Agriculture is working to help producers learn, share, and collaborate on new ideas to work in their operations.

The department will share stories of practices that work from farms and ranches across the state. Also, within the next year or so, Streit said the department is hoping to roll out technology to help producers collaborate.

“(It’s) providing a communication platform where people can get together and really help each other out by utilizing each other’s assets,” she said.

While not easy, agriculture is still one of Montana’s largest industries, and Streit said innovating and sharing ideas across the state can keep it going long into the future.

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Montana

Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

BUTTE — MSU-Northern and Montana Western pulled a pair of upsets Saturday at the Butte Civic Center to wrap up the quarterfinal round of the Frontier Conference women’s basketball postseason tournament.

The fifth-seeded Skylights started the day with a red-hot shooting performance to down No. 4 Rocky Mountain College 82-74. Western, the sixth seed, used a third-quarter surge to defeat No. 3 Carroll College 65-56.

MSU-Northern (17-11) and Western (14-13) now advance to Sunday’s semifinal round, where the Skylights will play No. 1 seed Dakota State at noon and the Bulldogs will face No. 2 Montana Tech at 2:30 p.m.

MSU-Northern 82, Rocky Mountain College 74

MSU-Northern sizzled in the first quarter, making seven 3-pointers to take a double-digit lead, and put together a crucial third-quarter run to get past Rocky and advance to the semifinal round.

Becky Melcher splashed four 3s in the first 10 minutes, and Taya Trottier, Canzas HisBadHorse and Shania Moananu added one apiece as the Skylights built a 29-13 lead. Melcher scored 14 first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 30 on 10-of-19 shooting (7 of 15 from 3-point range). She added 11 rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals to her stat line.

Rocky battled back to tie the game at 36-36 in the second quarter on a Brenna Linse basket, but MSUN responded with consecutive triples from Trottier and Melcher and took a 44-38 lead into halftime. The Bears eventually stole the lead back in the third quarter following a 9-0 run capped be an Isabelle Heggem bucket.

But the Skylights again answered — this time with a 13-2 run to take a 60-51 lead. MSUN led 66-59 going to the fourth and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way. The Skylights trailed for less than two total minutes of the game.

As a team, MSUN made 14 of 26 3s in the game. Ciera Agasiva was 3 for 3 from behind the arc, and Trottier was 2 for 3. Trottier had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Agasiva had 13 points.

Paige Wasson led Rocky (20-9) with 29 points but was 0 for 10 on 3-point attempts. Heggem had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Montana Western 65, Carroll 56

After neither team led by more than five points in the first half, Western broke open a 25-25 tie game by outscoring Carroll 20-9 in the third quarter.

Bailee Sayler scored 10 points in the quarter, including making two 3-pointers, to help the Bulldogs take control. They led 45-34 going to the fourth, and Carroll wouldn’t get closer than six points the rest of the way.

The Fighting Saints were just 18-of-65 shooting (27.7%) for the game.

Sayler scored an efficient 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She was 2 for 3 from 3-point range and 6 for 7 at the free throw line. The Missoula native also had nine rebounds.

Isabella Lund added 16 points for the Bulldogs, and Keke Davis had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Carroll (19-10) was led by Kenzie Allen with 12 points. Willa Albrecht and Meagan Karstetter scored 11 points apiece for the Saints.

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