Austin Miller, whose family owns Miller Farms near Saxonburg, leads his heifer in the Beef Showman competition Wednesday at the Butler Farm Show. Austin, a student at Knoch High School, won the 14- and 15-year-old division. He was participating at the Farm Show for the seventh time.

CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Young Butler County cattle farmers got a chance to show off their skills and their cows Wednesday at the Butler Farm Show.

The Farm Show's livestock barn was host Wednesday to the Beef Showman competition, the Beef Breeding Competition and the Market Beef Show.

The Beef Showman competition tests young farmers on their ability to show their cows, keep them under control and present them properly before a judge.

Winning the 14- and 15-year-old division was Austin Miller, whose family owns Miller Farms near Saxonburg, which has 100 cattle.

The judge of the showman was Bill Dunn of Crawford County, who complimented Austin on his demeanor when awarding him the top prize in his age class.

“This young man, he's slow and methodical with the stick. He's really calm and confident out here,” he said.

Austin, a student at Knoch High School, said he was participating at the Farm Show for the seventh time.

“You have to have the back legs offset, keep her head up, back flat. Show her and make her look good,” he said about the competition.

The beef showman participants use a show stick to nudge the heifers' feet and also scratch their underside.

“They like being scratched,” Austin said.

His cow was one of four limousin breed cows that the family brought to the show. They are used for breeding and are known to have muscles that produce lean meat, he said.

Camdyn Cranmer, 11, of Butler was participating at the Farm Show for the first time.

“It's fun,” she said about the experience.

She got involved in 4-H after her parents saw that she had an affinity for animals, said her cousin Ken Cranmer from Cranmer Farms.

“They weren't nervous around her. They took to her,” Cranmer said.

Jay Allen, 12, of Saxonburg took first in the showman competition for 12- and 13-year-olds.

Jay was showing a cow from his family's farm, Armstrong Farms.

“He really liked how she looked and how I got her set up,” he said.

Both the Allen and Miller families take their cows to multiple farm shows and competitions every year.

Participating in the Butler County 4-H club and working on a farm is a unique experience, Jay said.

“It's really fun just working with them. Not everyone gets to work with cows,” Jay said.

The 4-H participants will again show off their animals in the livestock barn at 6 p.m. Thursday during the annual Livestock Auction when people can bid on rabbits, beef, poultry, hogs, goats and lambs.