Cows take center stage at Westmoreland Fair

Dante Frescura was excited to take home a blue ribbon from the Westmoreland Fair on Thursday after not stepping in the show ring the past two years.

The 2021 Greater Latrobe graduate walked his heifer — which is pregnant and set to give birth in a couple weeks — in front of a judge during the dairy cattle showmanship competition.

“It really has nothing to do with myself” but more about how well the animal is being presented, he said afterwards.

Frescura, 18, competed in his age group with six other dairy cattle and their handlers. Judge Jeff Ansell offered them pointers throughout the competition, several times stopping the group’s slow, circular movement in the show ring.

The competitors, who were dressed all in white, walked backwards while guiding their cattle into the proper positions. Sometimes, the animals, which can top 1,000 pounds, didn’t want to cooperate. There were a few moos on the hot day and competitors were sweating while they split their attention between Ansell and their charge.

“I want that showman to be invisible, I don’t want to notice that showman at all,” Ansell said. “… that’s kind of a very interesting balancing act there because a good showman is not distracting. They are presenting that animal to the best of their ability, that judge can’t take their eyes off how well that animal is being presented.”

Ansell praised Frescura’s work in that regard.

“To me, he was the most appealing one in the ring,” Ansell said.

Frescura belongs to the New Alexandria Ag. 4-H club and helps out at his family’s Sunrise Ridge Farm in Unity. He said he is enrolled at Westmoreland County Community College’s accounting program.

Dairy farming can be tough and farmers are still struggling somewhat, said Rick Ebert, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and a Westmoreland County dairy farmer. Milk prices dropped in recent years and 2020 slammed dairies as schools and restaurants were forced to shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving some to dump their milk. That has, for the most part, sorted itself out, Ebert said.

“Prices have come up some but on the flip side, grains have skyrocketed this year,” he said.

For some dairy farmers, value-added items can be a boon, but it’s not for everyone. Pleasant Lane Farms in Unity makes cheese, which Ebert said has been “tremendous” for them.

“It’s an opportunity to diversify the farmer’s income,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for smaller dairies.”