Teen enjoys exhibiting livestock

By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition

Amanda Koller holds a plaque she earned with her Holstein cow at a contest this past fall. -Staff photo by Kramer

Feb. 9, 2006 - Amanda Koller, 15, of Pittsburg, knows how to make the most of her time.

Amanda, a 10th grader at Pittsburg High School, has spent the last eight years of her life showing animals with her 4-H and FFA groups.

�I started showing when I was 7-years-old (as a Clover Kid in 4-H),� she said.

Her first show experience was at her county show, but it was not her last. Since beginning her show career, Amanda has expanded her activities. In addition to dairy cattle, she has shown broilers, meat rabbits, meat goats, and plans to take on a pig as her next project. She has also been active in shooting sports, food and nutrition, clothing and textiles, horses, dairy judging, horse judging, arts and crafts, and photography. 

While she enjoyed each experience, dairy showing has become her primary focus. She has shown several breeds of dairy cattle, including American Linebacks, a rare breed of dairy cattle.

Amanda’s family owns a dairy, which has helped her learn more about handling dairy cattle, but also forces her to manage her time. 

�We have a dairy, so all the work at home has to be done first before my mom and I can leave (to go to a show),� she explained. That means �getting up for some shows at three in the morning to feed calves.�

Amanda’s hard work has earned her several awards in the show ring, including Grand Champion and Reserve Champion titles, and breed champion titles. Still, after winning all these titles, she remembers her first win.

�When I first started showing, I didn�t get very many prizes,� she said. �But I had fun so I kept after it.

Outside of the show ring, Amanda has received several awards and honors, including Outstanding 4-H Junior and Senior, Pittsburg Rodeo Princess, and Texas Jersey Cattle Club Princess.

Amanda remembers when showing was not always easy.

�I never really wanted to quit, even though it did get hard. As I got older I was expected to do most of my show fitting and preparing on my own,� said Amanda. She admitted that the more cows she brought to a contest made getting ready for a show more difficult, but said that when the show was over she was always glad she had toughed it out.

�I learned that even though it may be tough, good things will come out later,� she said.

Amanda thinks other young people could benefit from an experience like hers.

�I think that everyone that can needs to get a hands-on activity working with animals - something they may not be able to normally do - like go to a farm and ask to spend the day helping out,� she said.

For those who want to dive into showing, Amanda had a few tips to offer. “Start out with a baby animals so you can grow up with it,” she said and recommended paying close attention to adults giving lessons on animal care. 

�You learn best while doing,� she said. �When I first started out (showing and clipping the show cattle), I did the body part and my mom did the head and the topline. As time went on, I did more and more on my own, leaving my mom just to watch.�

With two full years of high school left, Amanda plans on continuing her show career and even hopes to show a beef cow next year. And while she hopes for more wins, she said it’s not the most important part of showing.

�It�s not all about winning,� she said. �It would be nice to win every time, but it�s the fact that I have fun while doing it.�