BERRIEN SPRINGS — Five-month-old babies can be feisty. So, too, can five-month-old calves.

When Kandin Shuler tended to the aptly-named Feisty the calf, she found that her cow could be difficult to work with.

Yet, when Shuler brought Feisty into the Berrien County Youth Fair show arena Wednesday morning for the junior dairy show exhibition, the cow was compliant while other exhibitioners dug their boots into the dirt to keep their heifers from moving and ramming into Feisty.

Feisty and Shuler’s calmness, along with Shuler’s understanding of a cow’s anatomy, was what judge Nicole Nichols said helped her determine Shuler as the junior class winner.

The win came after weeks of training with Feisty, said the 12-year-old Baroda Township resident. Given her calf’s temperament, she said she had to make sure their relationship was trustworthy and strong.

After that relationship was built, she worked on the hard skills of dairy cow showmanship, such as quickly bringing Feisty to a showable position for the judge.

“We had to work on setting up, mostly, because we want to go do it fast so the judge can see us,” she said. “We mostly did head-up [work], so it looks more professional.”

Just a few days ago, Shuler said Feisty was still being uncooperative. As she approached the show arena stage, Feisty tugged away from Shuler. In the stage, however, she cooperated.

Now, Shuler is looking forward to enjoying the fair without the tug of a cow. She enjoys, showing, however, and she intends to do so again next year.

“It’s a lot of fun, and even if you don’t win or get a higher place, it doesn’t really matter because at least you’re having fun and hanging out with your friends,” she said.

Shortly after Shuler won the junior class, Olivia Elliott, another Baroda resident, snagged first in the intermediate class.

Like Shuler, Elliott has exhibited for years at the county fair. Friendships keep her coming back.

“They’re like family to me,” she said about her youth fair friends. “If they didn’t come back, then it would be super hard because I spend a lot of my summer with them.”

While Elliott was happy with her placing, she said she felt that her point total could have been better.

Part of the point loss could have resulted from a body slam. Midway through the competition, her Jersey cow, five-year-old Roxy, pushed her into the arena’s fencing.

Showmanship events are centered on an exhibitors’ knowledge of and relationships with their cows. In the event, that translates into answering cow-related questions from judges and handling cows well.

At the end of the day, Elliott said she was happy she did not let her frustration show when Roxy gave her trouble.

She said she was also happy to compete with Roxy. She tried to last year, but Roxy was injured shortly before the Berrien County Youth Fair.

The two practiced for much of the summer for the event. Roxy and Elliott would work on walking and setting up each day with other cow handlers.

Elliott provided the following advice for newcomers that she gained from years of showing cows and goats.

“Try not to always pass [the animals] off to someone else to take back. Try to make a connection with them and learn.”

The 10th-grade student also shared the following tip to audience members new to cows.

“Brown cows don’t make chocolate milk,” she said.

The grand champion across all classes at Wednesday’s dairy showmanship exhibition was Tyler Klopfenstein, of Galien, a senior class exhibitor and member of Niles FFA.