Des Moines Register
08-11-07
Livestock cheating rare, but rising
Champion steer disqualified at Warren County Fair
By ABBY SIMONS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
State 4-H officials have confirmed that a reserve grand champion steer at the
Warren County Fair was disqualified last month when fair officials discovered air
was injected under the animal's skin to make the steer appear more muscular.
The disqualification, which state 4-H officials described as rare, is among a
growing number of cases nationwide prompting more scrutiny of livestock
entered in fair competitions, where a blue ribbon can translate to thousands of
dollars when the winner is auctioned.
At least one former Warren County 4-Her said the high stakes have changed
what used to be a friendly competition.
"You basically have to jump through hoops to show now. ... It seems some
people will manipulate the situation," said Holly Illingworth, 18, of Indianola, who
showed livestock at local and state fairs for nine years. She said cheating is
uncommon, but it happens. And it can sour what is supposed to be a labor of
love.
"It's no longer a 4-H project, it's a ribbon and a trophy project, it seems,"
Illingworth said Friday. "Sometimes it's not the children showing, it's the parents
showing."
The crossbred steer was shown by Warren County 4-H member Lexie Smith of
Martensdale, said Mike Anderson of the Iowa State University Extension
Service, which organizes many youth livestock programs. Neither Smith nor her
parents could be reached for comment Friday.
Anderson said Smith has been banned as an exhibitor at the Warren County Fair
and Iowa State Fair through 2008. He said a syringe was likely used to inject air
between the steer's skin and muscle to make it appear more defined.
"The whole idea behind it is to enhance the physical appearance," Anderson
said. "Most times, in the case of this animal, it was injected into a couple of
different areas, usually in the rear quarter, to make it look fuller and appear more
muscular."
The process does not harm the animal, Anderson said, and the air eventually
escapes. A volunteer official who "toweled" Smith's steer to check for artificial
color in the coat noticed the abnormality.
"He felt something funny with his hand," Anderson said. "He got the vet, who
inspected it along with the champion, and found that air was injected into it."
Warren County's fair director, Jo Reynolds, declined to comment.
Beef superintendent Steve Piffer said that "more or less, the problem took care of
itself."
The 2007 Warren County Fair was July 25-30.
"It's one of those things where the family admitted to the wrongdoing and
appropriate action was taken," Anderson said. "It wasn't meant to be a big hushhush or broadcast to the world. It was one of those rare occurrences where the
public perception could be that 4-H is a bad program, when this is so rare."
Probably the most well-known case in Iowa involved Pickles, a steer stripped of
its grand champion ribbon two days after the 2002 State Fair when questions
arose about the steer's identity. Fair officials say original nose prints taken in
Scott County in 2001 did not match those taken after Pickles' victory. There was
also a notable discrepancy in weight between two livestock shows, officials said.
The fair board later enacted requirements that all 4-H market beef, sheep and
swine entries must have hair samples taken for DNA tests and beef and sheep
entries must have nose prints taken.
Colton Paul of Laurel was one of four lamb exhibitors given two-year bans in
2002 after the identity of his lamb was questioned and drug residue was found in
the animal's system. He was allowed to return to competition one year later.
Cheating in other states has led to tighter oversight:
- County fair officials in Arkansas made DNA samples mandatory for all steers,
lambs, goats and hogs entered into competition. Testing is required for those
advancing to the grand champion stage.
- The Ohio State Fair next year will use eye-scan technology to identify animals.
Anderson said the Warren County incident is the first of its kind this year in a
state where an estimated 30,000 youths exhibit livestock at 99 county fairs as
well as the Iowa State Fair. Random drug tests are part of the competitions and
are required of grand and reserve champions.
"If someone's trying to do something illegal, they're usually caught," he said. "It's
very, very rare and we've made big strides in the 4-H program as far as trying to
take care of this stuff."
Reporter Abby Simons can be reached at (515) 284-8136 or
asimons@dmreg.com