BOX ELDER COUNTY - By Ellen Cook, Headliner Media Specialist - September 13, 2021
Pictured above: Kyx, Knox and Dax Dallin show off their Reserve Supreme Champion ram during the Breed Sheep show at the Utah State Fair. The Dallin family and the Beins family did Box Elder County proud during their individual shows. Courtesy Photo
The Utah State Fair crowd is now well aware of the high class of livestock and handlers coming out of Box Elder County as two local families dominated the show ring this past week.
One is pretty much a family of rookies, while the other, after 18 years at the state show, are old hands at being in the winner’s circle.
First timers to the state competition were the Dallins of Bear River City – Dax, Knox and Kyx – children of Josh and Brooke Dallin. The three brought sheep to the show and all three came home winners.
The Dallins entered a buck and four ewe lambs in the Breed Sheep show. The ewes placed well, and the buck won Overall Reserve Supreme Champion. Along with that win, the buck and two ewes were penned together to take Champion Young Flock.
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Dax, 10, also participated in the Junior 4-H Division Showmanship competition.
“I’m really good at showmanship,” he said, matter-of-factly, “and I won.”
That win came against a dozen other competitors from all over the state. “The judge said I was really good at staying on the right side and was really good at keeping my eye on him,” Dax added.
The ewe he worked with wasn’t just a random choice from a pen of ewes, however. According to his dad, it was a great granddaughter of Dax’s favorite ewe, one he raised since he was four, and is still part of his flock.
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Pictured above: Kyx and Knox have learned valuable showing skills from their father, Josh, who is a Box Elder County extension agent. Those skills helped both win showmanship titles. Courtesy Photo
Not to be outdone, younger brother, Knox, 8, strutted his lamb in front of the judge to win the title of Senior Pee Wee Champion Showman.
“The judge told me I really stuck my lamb. He tested us and I was the one who did it,” Knox said.
Four-year-old Kyx and her lamb, Squirt, also wowed the judge who named her Junior Pee Wee Champion Showman. Kyx said keeping control of her lamb helped her to win the title, even when another competitor lost control of her lamb and ran into her.
“I didn’t move and kept my lamb set,” she said.
Josh said the judge was impressed at the skill of such a young showman and said she got the lamb set so good and so quick; it was an easy choice who the champion was.
All three credit their dad, who happens to be a Box Elder County extension agent, with teaching them the finer points of showing lambs.
For Dax it is how to drive them, which means setting their feet and top. For Knox, it is teaching his lambs to strut when they walk. For little Kyx, it is to always watch the sheep.
Josh said the family had a great time showing lambs, but also spent a bit of time at the Utah Farm Bureau Moms and Babies display, where mom Brooke had her alpacas out for viewing.
“We all had a great time taking care of sheep and alpacas this past weekend,” Josh said.
And Dax isn’t done yet. He will be going back this Thursday with other county youth and their animals for the market show.
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Pictured above: Top Hat Simmentals show pen of animals are stunning in the show ring, and according the State Fair judge, were like "peas in a pod." Courtesy Photo
The show arena pros, Top Hat Simmentals out of Deweyville, owned by Chris and Allison Beins, swept the Simmental Breed Show, taking every champion and reserve champion title in four different divisions, beating out some tough competition.
“We had a very good show,” Chris said.
The family, which also includes daughters Britney (Francis), Maddy and Aribella, took ten of their best head to Salt Lake and entered them in a number of classes.
Chris said there are various classes for calves, depending on their age. Winners of those classes are lumped into divisions, which include calf champion, fall division calf champion, summer division champion and spring born yearling heifer champion. Division winners are then part of the drive for overall supreme and reserve champion.
Each animal in each class, division and in the championship drive is paraded in front of a judge, showing them at their best.
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Chris said this is where he feels Top Hat has an advantage over other exhibitors. “Our girls are phenomenal showmen,” he said. “They are passionate about it. They work at it and spend a lot of times with the calves.”
Youngest daughter, Aribella, proved her impressive arena skills during the state event, taking home Senior Showmanship honors. (She even traded in her show stick for a lamb halter during the week and helped the Dallin kids show some of their lambs when extra hands were needed).
This year’s judge, Marshall Ruble of Iowa, in announcing Top Hat Simmentals as overall winners, noted, “This is a tribute to the breeder who can put together a string of heifers that can come into this championship drive and look like peas in a pod.”
Getting those look-alike “peas” is a matter of “a lot of work with artificial insemination and quite a bit of embryo work,” according to Chris. “Work starts months and months before the show. The calves are put in the barn, we work with their hair, there is a special ration and diet, and each animal get a different diet. It is a lot of work.”
The pay-off comes in accolades and a little advertising when it comes to sales, Chris noted, but added, “It is great to spend time with family. It a great way to raise kids and teach them responsibility and teach work ethics. That’s something we don’t see a lot of today.”
The Dallin family agrees.
