BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- There are more than 1,400 livestock animals at the Bloomsburg Fair. Most of them are here to be judged on their looks, personality, posture, and more.
The people who handle these animals in the show arenas have a lot of practice. Many 4-H kids have been doing this their whole lives.
"It's kind of always been in my family. My family showed when they were younger. I just grew up wanting to show," said Courtney Shuman of Bloomsburg.
Last year, I learned what it was like to show a goat. I even got third place. This year, I wanted to show a cow in the large arena. First, Mark Shultz of Jerseytown showed me how to get the cow ready.
"It's not a beef animal. It's a milk cow, so you want it to look thin. The beef cow you want it to look fat," Shultz explained.
Shultz showed me how to style the cow's hair. He used a quart of hairspray.
Next, Shuman showed me how to brush the cow. Her cow Margo is who I would be walking in the show. After that, it was time to start walking.
Kate Dent of Berwick showed me where to put my hands.
"You just kind of coax forward. They're usually like puppy dogs," Dent said.
A 400-pound puppy dog! And Margo was smaller than many of the others in the show.
In the end, Margo really was like a calm puppy dog. We did not place in the top six, but we had a great time.