Overton's Owen Lassen earns overall grand champion market beef champion at Dawson County Fair; other beef show results
Overton's Owen Lassen pulls his market steer to the head of the class before being named the grand champion market steer winner Friday, July 17, at the Dawson County Fair Beef Show.
SHOWMANSHIP
Junior division – Parker Caraway, Lexington, champion trophy and purple ribbon; Riggs McConville, Lexington, reserve champion and purple; Chantry Pieper, Farnam, blue and Harlow Rickertsen, Lexington, blue.
Intermediate division – Owen Lassen, Overton, champion trophy and purple ribbon; Gabby Caraway, Lexington, reserve champion and purple; Grant and Megan Walahoski of Overton, purples; Blue ribbons: Kadie Anderson, Gothenburg; Augustus Barnes, Gothenburg; Owen Fairley, Brady; Lathan Johnson, Gothenburg; Alex Rickertsen, Lexington; and Cadey Wolf, Cozad.
Senior division – Meagan Lassen, Overton, champion trophy and purple; Jaelin Wolfinger, Lexington, reserve champion and purple; Purple ribbons: Bristol McConville, Lexington, and Paige Walahoski, Overton. Blue ribbons: Dallee Barnes, Gothenburg; Emma Howerter, Cozad; Hailey Jensen, Cozad; and Taylor Kramer, Elm Creek.
BREEDING BEEF
British breeds - Owen Lassen, champion and purple ribbon
Continental/composite breeds - Jaelin Wolfinger, champion and purple; Parker Caraway, reserve champion and purple; purples: Gabby Caraway, Meagan Lassen and Megan Walahoski. Blue ribbons: Chantry Pieper and Grant Walahoski.
CROSSBREDS AND COMMERCIALS
Continental breed – spring heifer
This class is represented by heifers calved March and April 2025. The purple ribbon and champion Commercial/Crossbred Heifer was Chantry Pieper with his Crossbred heifer. Blue ribbons: Kadie Anderson, Owen Fairley, Emma Howerter and Alex Rickertsen.
Overall champion breeding heifer went to Jaelin Wolfinger with the reserve champion going to Parker Caraway.
COW-CALF PAIRS
The cow-calf class was started multiple years ago and designed for 4-H’ers to show their beef projects beyond the first year as they retain their animals in the home herd. Only heifers that have been shown as either a bucket calf, feeder calf or breeding beef project from a prior 4-H year are eligible.
Calves born in Feb. and March of 2026 – Purples: Greta Rickertsen and Lorelai Rickertsen. Blues: Gus Barnes, Dallee Barnes and Alex Rickertsen.
Calves born in March and April of 2026 – Purples: Hailey Jensen and Paige Walahoski. Blues: Owen Fairley, Hailey Jensen, and Cadey Wolf.
The overall cow-calf grand champion was Paige Walahoski, and the overall reserve champion cow-calf class winner went to Hailey Jensen.
MARKET BEEF STEERS
Class 1A (1086-1150 lbs.) – Purple: Gabby Caraway. Blue: Hailey Jensen.
Class 2A (1304-1384 lbs.) – Purples: Parker Caraway, Owen Lassen and Riggs McConville. Blue: Taylor Kramer.
Class 3A (1648-1662 lbs.) – Purples: Alex Rickertsen and Harlow Rickertsen.
Champion market steer winner – Owen Lassen was the grand champion and Parker Caraway was the rserve champion.
BRED AND FED
The bred and fed division is a unique set of steers that are born and raised by the 4-H'ers.
Class 1A (1150-1226 lbs.) – Purple: Lathan Johnson. Blues: Gus Barnes, Dallee Barnes and Owen Fairley.
Class 2A (1306-1384 lbs.) – Purple: Megan Walahoski. Blues: Emma Howerter and Cadey Wolf.
Class 3A (1682-1746 lbs.) – Purples: Alex Rickertsen, Greta Rickertsen and Harlow Rickertsen.
The champion was awarded to Megan Walahoski and the reserve champion award went to Lathan Johnson.
MARKET BEEF HEIFERS
Class 1A (1050-1182 lbs.) – Purples: Gabby Caraway, Meagan Lassen and Bristol McConville. Blue: Megan Walahoski.
Champion market heifer winner was Meagan Lassen and Gabby Caraway was the reserve winner.
Owen Lassen earned the overall grand champion market beef award and the reserve champion was Parker Caraway.
PEN OF FIVE
The top place purple ribbon and club name on a plaque, went to Horseshoe Bend 4-H Club of Gothenburg.
TOP RATE OF GAIN
All market beef entries had their rate of gains calculated.
Rate of gain is determined by taking the end weight on entry day and subtracting the beginning weight. Then calculating the number of days between the two weigh dates and dividing the net weight gain by that number of days to come up with the number of pounds gained per day.
The top four rate of gains were then recognized.
Taylor Kramer was this year’s top winner with ROG’s and end weights on her steer of 4.11 on 765 lbs.
In second place was Alex Rickertsen with her steer’s ROG of 4.06 on 865 lbs.
Third place was held by Harlow Rickertsen with her steer’s ROG of 4.05 and end weight of 920 lbs.
Fourth place of 4.02 ROG on a steer weight of 840 lbs. went to Alex Rickertsen for her second recognition.
