Editor: Frances Myers | news@iowastatedaily.com | 515.294.2003
10A | NEWS | Iowa State Daily | Monday, August 20, 2012
Iowa State Fair
One-on-one: Matthew Costello, showman By Frances.Myers @iowastatedaily.com The Iowa State Fair is nothing new for Matthew Costello, junior in dairy science. He has been showing dairy cattle at the fair for six years. Costello sat down with the Daily to discuss his experiences with the state fair and how it has impacted his decision to major in dairy science.
So Matthew, what are you showing this year? This year at the state fair my family and I showed Registered Holstein and Ayrshire dairy cattle.
How long have you been showing at state fair?
Photo courtesy of Matt Costello
I have been showing at the State Fair since I was 14. This year was my sixth year in a row.
Have you always showed the same livestock or were there ever years when you differed in what you showed?
I have always shown dairy cattle at the fair. There were several years that I showed FFA crops such as corn, oats, and hay also.
How did you get involved with state fair showing? I had relatives who had shown at
the fair previously for several years. I decided to join them when I was 14 years old.
How long do you typically work with your cattle? I typically begin working extensively with my heifers near the begin-
ning of June. Heifers are kept at my house and cared for year-round to ensure they are in top show quality.
ty to connect with others in the dairy industry and compare my hard work to theirs.
What’s it like when you’re in the show ring? What goes through your head? Is there anything you do to prepare beforehand?
What are you looking forward to most?
Being in the ring has the same feeling as any competition. You know your competitors and what they have. All you can do is show your animal to the best of her ability and hope the judge likes what you have. I’m always making sure my animal is being presented at her best while trying to figure out what the judge is thinking and whether I am going to win. I stay focused and concentrated. Preparation for the show always begins early in the morning when animals are cleaned and in top show quality.
So what is your favorite part of state fair? My favorite part is the opportuni-
I look forward to catching up with old friends and hopefully a few purple (first place) ribbons.
What is your least favorite part? It’s August and it is almost always hot. With all those animals in the barn it gets to be even hotter than what it is outside so you have to find ways to deal with it. It’s hard at times.
How do you hope to use your experiences with showing dairy cattle to impact your future? My experience showing dairy cattle lead me to choose my major in dairy science and lead me to be employed by CRV USA which is a dairy AI stud and service company.
ISU alumnus shares lifetime with Iowa State Fair By Trevor.Werner @iowastatedaily.com For many people, the Iowa State Fair is a fun excursion that comes every year, but for one man it has become something more. Don Greiman, of Garner, has dedicated much of his life to the fair and keeping it around. For the past 47 years, Don hasn’t missed a single day of the state fair. This year, Greiman was honored as being grand marshal of the Iowa State Fair Parade. “The Iowa State Fair is one of those activities you wish to never end,” Greiman said. “I never get sick of the fair.” A graduate of Iowa State, Greiman spent much of his life caring for his family farm, which he inherited from his father. Today, the farm is
Photo courtesy of Iowa State Fair
managed by Greiman’s son and daughter-in-law, Ted and Mary Greiman. Their purebred Angus herd, which is one of the oldest in the country, was started by Greiman’s grandfather, who traded a Percheron stallion for his first Angus bull in 1896.
“I took over from my dad, and Ted has taken our herd to the next level,” Greiman said. “My grandson, Cole, showed the grand champion female at the National Junior Angus Show in Louisville, Ky. Cole’s brother, Kyle, showed the champion bred and owned the year before, and Cole showed the Champion Bred and Owned the year before that. Grandpa is very proud.” Greiman, 85, first attended the state fair when he was 3 years old and began developing habits he would carry into adulthood. Today, he still refers to himself as “a corn dog junkie.” Greiman served as a member of the Iowa State Fair Board for 44 years until his retirement in 2009. During that time he was president of the board twice. He was in-
has raised over $85 million, through individual contributions, state appropriations, inkind services, and corporate, federal and state grants. “Don was very instrumental in the formation of the Blue Ribbon Foundation,” said Alan Brown, vice president of the Iowa State Fair Board. “We fully appreciate what he and boards of the past have done to preserve the fairgrounds. I know they went through some challenging times and brought back to Iowa the treasure that the state fairgrounds are.” Last year the foundation named Greiman the Official Iowa State Fair Ambassador. Greiman’s new book, “A Blue Ribbon Life: Memories of the Iowa State Fair,” chronicles his experiences on the Iowa State Fair Board as well as showing purebred cattle.
The book was cowritten with ISU theater professor Jane Cox. The cost of the book is $20 and all proceeds go to the Blue Ribbon Foundation. He came up with the idea for his title “Living a Blue Ribbon Life” because, for people who show cattle, a blue ribbon represents “above average.” “The Blue Ribbon Foundation has played a very important part in the Iowa State Fair,” Greiman said. “Without them, I don’t think the fair would have been able to accomplish what it has in restoring old buildings and building new facilities. We were in a situation where our buildings were deteriorating and the farm economy was in a slump, and the legislature didn’t have the funding to assist.”
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strumental in saving the fair during some financial troubles that occurred in the 1970s. During this time, attendance to the fair roughly doubled. He also served on the board of directors for the American Angus Association when it initiated certified Angus beef, he was president of the ISU Alumni Association and was the first president of the Iowa Purebred Beef Council. During his time on the board of the fair, he helped form “The Blue Ribbon Foundation.” According to their website, “The Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation was established by the State Fair Board to conduct a major capital campaign for the renovation and preservation of the historic Iowa State Fairgrounds. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation
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