LEXINGTON — The Dawson County Fair Beef Show remains a crowd favorite, and this year’s competition delivered another strong showing from area 4-H members.
The public was invited to watch on Friday as exhibitors entered the ring alongside their beef projects. Bailey Hinrichs, an NCTA livestock judging coach and this year’s Dawson County livestock judge, evaluated each animal, observed how exhibitors handled their projects, and tested the participants’ knowledge.
Exhibitors were then ranked based on Hinrichs’ overall observations.
Town Codes
- B — Brady
- C — Cozad
- EC — Elm Creek
- G — Gothenburg
- L — Lexington
- O — Overton
Showmanship
Junior Division
Parker Caraway of Lexington received a purple ribbon and the Junior Showmanship championship trophy. Riggs McConville of Lexington earned a purple ribbon and Reserve Champion honors.
Blue ribbons went to Chantry Pieper and Harlow Rickertsen of Lexington.
Intermediate Division
Owen Lassen of Overton received a purple ribbon and the Intermediate Showmanship championship trophy. Gabby Caraway of Lexington earned a purple ribbon and Reserve Champion honors.
Grant Walahoski and Megan Walahoski, both of Overton, also received purple ribbons.
Blue ribbons were awarded to Kadie Anderson of Gothenburg, Augustus Barnes of Gothenburg, Owen Fairley of Brady, Lathan Johnson of Gothenburg, Alex Rickertsen of Lexington, and Cadey Wolf of Cozad.
Senior Division
Meagan Lassen of Overton received a purple ribbon and the Senior Showmanship championship trophy. Jaelin Wolfinger of Lexington earned a purple ribbon and Reserve Champion honors.
Bristol McConville of Lexington and Paige Walahoski of Overton also received purple ribbons.
Blue ribbons went to Dallee Barnes of Gothenburg, Emma Howerter of Cozad, Hailey Jensen of Cozad, and Taylor Kramer of Elm Creek.
Breeding Beef
British Breeds
The British Breeds division included Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn cattle.
Owen Lassen of Overton received a purple ribbon and Champion British Breed honors for his Angus yearling.
Continental and Composite Breeds
The Continental and Composite division included Charolais, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Simmental, Shorthorn Plus, Chi-Maine, Mainetainer, Balancer, and SimGenetics cattle.
Jaelin Wolfinger of Lexington exhibited the Champion Continental Breed Heifer. Parker Caraway received Reserve Champion honors.
Purple ribbons also went to Gabby Caraway of Lexington, Meagan Lassen of Overton, and Megan Walahoski of Overton.
Blue ribbons were awarded to Chantry Pieper and Grant Walahoski of Overton.
Crossbred and Commercial Heifers
Spring Heifer Class
This class featured heifers born in March and April 2025.
Chantry Pieper received a purple ribbon and Champion Commercial/Crossbred Heifer honors.
Blue ribbons went to Kadie Anderson of Gothenburg, Owen Fairley of Brady, Emma Howerter of Cozad, and Alex Rickertsen of Lexington.
Overall Breeding Heifer
Jaelin Wolfinger of Lexington exhibited the Overall Champion Breeding Heifer. Parker Caraway of Lexington received Reserve Champion honors.
Cow-Calf Pairs
The Cow-Calf division allows 4-H members to continue showing beef projects after retaining animals in their home herds. Eligible heifers must have previously been shown as bucket calf, feeder calf or breeding beef projects during an earlier 4-H year.
Calves Born in February and March 2026
Purple ribbons went to Greta Rickertsen and Lorelai Rickertsen, both of Lexington.
Blue ribbons were awarded to Gus Barnes of Gothenburg, Dallee Barnes of Gothenburg, and Alex Rickertsen of Lexington.
Calves Born in March and April 2026
Purple ribbons went to Hailey Jensen of Cozad and Paige Walahoski of Overton.
Blue ribbons were awarded to Owen Fairley of Brady, Hailey Jensen of Cozad, and Cadey Wolf of Cozad.
Overall Cow-Calf Champions
Paige Walahoski of Overton exhibited the Overall Grand Champion Cow-Calf Pair. Hailey Jensen of Cozad received Overall Reserve Champion honors.
Market Beef Steers
Class 1A — 1,086 to 1,150 Pounds
- Purple: Gabby Caraway, Lexington
- Blue: Hailey Jensen, Cozad
Class 2A — 1,304 to 1,384 Pounds
- Purple: Parker Caraway, Lexington; Owen Lassen, Overton; and Riggs McConville, Lexington
- Blue: Taylor Kramer, Elm Creek
Class 3A — 1,648 to 1,662 Pounds
- Purple: Alex Rickertsen and Harlow Rickertsen, both of Lexington
Market Steer Champions
Owen Lassen of Overton exhibited the Champion Market Steer. Parker Caraway of Lexington received Reserve Champion honors.
Bred and Fed Steers
The Bred and Fed division featured steers born and raised by the exhibitors.
Class 1A — 1,150 to 1,226 Pounds
- Purple: Lathan Johnson, Gothenburg
- Blue: Gus Barnes, Gothenburg; Dallee Barnes, Gothenburg; and Owen Fairley, Brady
Class 2A — 1,306 to 1,384 Pounds
- Purple: Megan Walahoski, Overton
- Blue: Emma Howerter and Cadey Wolf, both of Cozad
Class 3A — 1,682 to 1,746 Pounds
- Purple: Alex Rickertsen, Greta Rickertsen and Harlow Rickertsen, all of Lexington
Bred and Fed Champions
Megan Walahoski of Overton exhibited the Champion Bred and Fed Steer. Lathan Johnson of Gothenburg received Reserve Champion honors.
Market Beef Heifers
Class 1A — 1,050 to 1,182 Pounds
Purple ribbons went to Gabby Caraway, Meagan Lassen of Overton and Bristol McConville of Lexington.
Megan Walahoski of Overton received a blue ribbon.
Market Heifer Champions
Meagan Lassen of Overton exhibited the Champion Market Heifer. Gabby Caraway of Lexington received Reserve Champion honors.
Overall Market Beef Champions
Owen Lassen of Overton exhibited the Overall Grand Champion Market Beef Animal. Parker Caraway of Lexington received Overall Reserve Champion honors.
Pen of Five
The Horseshoe Bend 4-H Club of Gothenburg received the top purple ribbon and had its club name placed on the Pen of Five plaque.
Rate of Gain
Rate of gain was calculated for each market beef entry by subtracting the animal’s beginning weight from its final entry-day weight. The net gain was then divided by the number of days between weigh-ins to determine the average number of pounds gained per day.
The top four rate-of-gain entries were:
- Taylor Kramer, Elm Creek: 4.11 pounds per day with a total gain of 765 pounds.
- Alex Rickertsen, Lexington: 4.06 pounds per day with a total gain of 865 pounds.
- Harlow Rickertsen, Lexington: 4.05 pounds per day with a total gain of 920 pounds.
- Alex Rickertsen, Lexington: 4.02 pounds per day with a total gain of 840 pounds.
