Beef Breeding Enterprise Product of Persistence, Dedication

Carolyn N. Moyer
Northern Pa. Correspondent

RALSTON, Pa. — When Emily Knowlden was growing up in the northern end of Lycoming County, she was drawn to beef cattle. She was especially enchanted with the Lycoming County junior livestock sale which she attended every year with her grandfather, Bill Brooks.

“He would always purchase the grand or reserve grand champion steer and get his picture taken with it,” said Knowlden. “I thought that was the coolest thing ever.”

Even though Knowlden’s grandfather and father raised a few beef cows of their own, she wasn’t able to convince them to allow her to join the ranks of 4-H livestock exhibitors until she was 14 years old.

The first animal she raised was a pig. Eventually she jumped in with both feet, and raised a market steer.

“I was eight years old when I started asking. It took a few years before they said okay. I started with one steer, then three,” said Knowlden. “Now I have six total head, some of them heifers.”

Although her job at a local veterinary clinic takes her away from the farm, she is dedicated to training the animals daily, in addition to the other chores.

Today, with her 4-H and Canton High School FFA years behind her, Knowlden has decided to take her beef breeding enterprise to the next level. She is starting to breed the heifers to increase her herd numbers and is thankful for the record keeping experience she gained through 4-H and FFA. She also plans to add some shows to her calendar. Two yearling Angus heifers are entered for the Pennsylvania Farm Show. She plans to show at the Beef Expo, the Southeast Classic and, of course, the Lycoming County Fair. Shows in Somerset County and Bedford County are also on the list.

Knowlden is especially interested in showmanship.

“That shows how you present your cattle and yourself,” she said. “The way I look at it, my cattle may not always be the best in the show ring, but they’re what I want.”

When choosing matings, or looking at cattle to purchase, Knowlden places a great deal of emphasis on behavioral traits.

“They need to be nice. I need to be able to work with them,” she said.
She also looks for lots of muscling, straight backs and good feet and legs.
“The legs are important,” said Knowlden. “They have to stand on them all day. I also look at what type of calf they will throw.”

Her Mountain Valley Farm herd is 100 percent Angus.

“I like the personality (of the Angus) and the challenge,” she said. “I also like the color and that they’re smaller, not a giant cow.”

In raising her show herd, Knowlden observes as much as possible and asks many questions from successful breeders.

“Everything I’ve learned, I’ve taught myself from watching other people,” she said.

She is excited about traveling to the Farm Show to be immersed in the cattle world for a full week.

“I can’t wait to meet new people and see how and why they do things,” said Knowlden.

As for the cattle, she just hopes that they don’t act up and that she can compete with the other breeders.

“I want to go in the show ring and show that I’m proud of what I have,” she said.

Eventually Knowlden has her sights on a herd of about 30 head from which she can market show cattle. She would also love to raise another seeing eye dog, something she did as a 4-H member.

“The dog went with me everywhere, even to school,” said Knowlden. We had the dog for a little over a year. When she went back, she actually graduated. She is now with a man in New York City.”

Today Knowlden’s sidekick is a young Lab-Springer mix named Tucker. The dog is a constant companion, even when she is working with the cattle.

Managing animals is not without challenges and Knowlden has had quite a few crazy experiences.

“One heifer is an escape artist. She gets out of her halter and runs. She’s been on the highway and been to the creek in the back of the farm,” she said. “The other one is sweet. She follows me everywhere.”

Knowlden is convinced that her passion for agriculture stems from her love of animals.

“No one ever asked if I wanted cows,” she said. “I just fell in love with it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

She offers this advice to others who have a passion for agriculture: “Follow your dreams and keep working at it hard. Eventually it will work out.”