MONROE - Monroe Middle School student Briana Katzenberger had a memorable week at the Wisconsin State Fair.
The Monroe girl, who will be an eighth-grader this fall, brought home three titles, an amazing feat for her first year at the state fair.
However, after all the titles she's won and the places she's been, it's not entirely unexpected.
Katzenberger, 13, has been showing her Hereford cattle at shows across the country since she was in second grade - even before she joined the Young Americans 4-H group.
It came to her naturally. Her father, Eric, also has shown cattle from the family farm, Plum River Ranch, for many years. Showing cattle is a family tradition.
At the state fair, Briana earned the Bred and Owned award, the Breed Championship award and the Hereford Champion showmanship award.
"The most distinguished of them is the Bred and Owned award," her dad said.
The award is given to the person who owns the mother of the heifer and the heifer was born and raised on a farm in Wisconsin. It means the animal was selected from among the herd.
There have even been times when she's shown cattle in the same events as her father. That brings out a little friendly competition, but Eric said it doesn't matter who wins because the animals represent the family farm.
Family is important to the Katzenbergers. They love to show off their animals as a family. Briana's younger brother, Rhett, 11, and sister, Madison, 8, also show animals.
The family's trip to the state fair was a family vacation, Eric said.
It wasn't the typical vacation, though.
"We were up until 11 p.m. and then awake by 4 a.m. (to take care of the animals)," Eric said.
Briana spent a lot of time getting her cattle ready for the fair.
"You have to brush them, rinse them, wash them and walk them for exercise," she said. "You have to make them look nice."
It's hard for her to count how many awards she's won over the years. The names of places she's taken her cattle to is extensive. They include Kansas City, Mo., Denver, Colo., and Louisville, Ky. She's also traveled to Oklahoma and by the end of this week will be at the Stephenson County Fair in Freeport, Ill.
Briana plans to show cattle for several years and even helps her younger brother and sister as they learn more and more about how to compete at fairs and cattle shows.
"They don't listen, though," she laughed. "They want to do it their own way."
The Monroe girl, who will be an eighth-grader this fall, brought home three titles, an amazing feat for her first year at the state fair.
However, after all the titles she's won and the places she's been, it's not entirely unexpected.
Katzenberger, 13, has been showing her Hereford cattle at shows across the country since she was in second grade - even before she joined the Young Americans 4-H group.
It came to her naturally. Her father, Eric, also has shown cattle from the family farm, Plum River Ranch, for many years. Showing cattle is a family tradition.
At the state fair, Briana earned the Bred and Owned award, the Breed Championship award and the Hereford Champion showmanship award.
"The most distinguished of them is the Bred and Owned award," her dad said.
The award is given to the person who owns the mother of the heifer and the heifer was born and raised on a farm in Wisconsin. It means the animal was selected from among the herd.
There have even been times when she's shown cattle in the same events as her father. That brings out a little friendly competition, but Eric said it doesn't matter who wins because the animals represent the family farm.
Family is important to the Katzenbergers. They love to show off their animals as a family. Briana's younger brother, Rhett, 11, and sister, Madison, 8, also show animals.
The family's trip to the state fair was a family vacation, Eric said.
It wasn't the typical vacation, though.
"We were up until 11 p.m. and then awake by 4 a.m. (to take care of the animals)," Eric said.
Briana spent a lot of time getting her cattle ready for the fair.
"You have to brush them, rinse them, wash them and walk them for exercise," she said. "You have to make them look nice."
It's hard for her to count how many awards she's won over the years. The names of places she's taken her cattle to is extensive. They include Kansas City, Mo., Denver, Colo., and Louisville, Ky. She's also traveled to Oklahoma and by the end of this week will be at the Stephenson County Fair in Freeport, Ill.
Briana plans to show cattle for several years and even helps her younger brother and sister as they learn more and more about how to compete at fairs and cattle shows.
"They don't listen, though," she laughed. "They want to do it their own way."