Gianna Beckmann began showing dairy cows when she was only six years old.  She started showing Jersey cows after seeing one and telling her father, “I want one of those.  They look like me.”  They both have brown hair and brown eyes.  Prior to that, she had shown Holstein cows.  Now, at age 13, Gianna already has seven years of experience.

Her first heifer, little Chotch, is named after Gianna, who goes by the nickname Cha-Chi.  Her other cows that will be in competition this year are Carmelo, Chloe, and Christy.  They are all descended from her first heifer.

“It’s fun,” is the simple reason Gianna gives for wanting to compete every year.  She began competing at age six, after watching her older brother compete.  She also says, “My Dad thought it would be good for me to do it, and it sounded fun because you get to work with the animals.”

The Beckmann family is the third generation to own their farm, and is what Gianna’s mother, Gina Beckmann, calls “gentlemen farmers,” by which she means they do it as a hobby, rather than as a business.  They work with Hackett Holstein Farm, which is located down the street from the Beckmann house.  They keep some of their heifers there, and take them there to give birth and for milking.  The close proximity allows frequent visits to the heifers there.  Gina says, “The Hacketts have really been our mentors.”

The family originally began working with dairy cows when Gianna’s great grandfather was a butcher in Brooklyn.  He worked out of the Brooklyn Navy yard, keeping his cows on the farm the Beckmann family still lives on today.

Gianna has a table full of ribbons, though her favorite is for the category of “Best Bred and Owned,” which judges the owner and how well they care for the cows.  She likes that this ribbon is for a category that allows direct participation in the competition, the most enjoyable part, and because, “It looks cool.”

In preparation for the competition, Gianna practices walking the cows, practicing with a halter, brushing them and washing them.  She also feeds them twice a day.  On competition days, she has to wake up at 5am to begin working with the cows.  Mrs. Beckmann describes preparation by saying, “They treat them like the dogs at Westminster Abbey.  They have to be walked everyday; they have to be brushed everyday.”

The rest of the year is general basic care; very similar to the tasks any kid taking care of a pet would perform.  This allows Gianna to also participate in cheerleading and crew.

Mrs. Beckmann does not eat veal after living on a farm and raising the cows.  She also refrains from eating any meat from animals she has raised.  Gianna does not share that view, saying, “I still eat meat.”

Gianna’s mother, Gina, says of the organization, “4H teaches you not just about your animals, it’s about responsibility, it’s about volunteering.  They meet once a month all year long.  It’s not just about showing at the fair.  They go over everything.  It’s about presenting yourself.  They have to know the subject.”

4H requires the participants to work as volunteers in the concession stand as well as the more fun aspects of competition, as a way to learn responsibility.

Karen Fredrickson