Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Contributed Photo Dan Zernicke, who is stepping down as livestock committee chair after this year’s fair, is pictured with his two daughters, Deanna (leading the steer) and Dallas. The photo was taken at last year’s fair where his daughter had the grand champion beef steer.
After six years heading up the 4-H livestock committee, chairman Dan Zernicke is stepping down after overseeing his last livestock auction at this year’s Shawano County Fair.
He will continue to serve on the committee, where he has been a member for 20 years.
He joined the committee after his father, Delmar, stepped down.
Zernicke said he felt it was time to make way for a new generation.
“I want to see if we can get some younger people involved,” he said. “I don’t want to be the guy who stays there year after year.”
Zernicke said increasing youth involvement in the livestock program is one of the things he is proudest of during his tenure as chairman.
“I enjoyed doing it,” he said. “Seeing the kids starting out in their first year and watching them grow through the process.”
There are about 130 kids a year in the program, Zernicke said.
And though a lot of them are the same each year, the programs also graduates 10 to 15 kids a year and adds 10 to 15 new ones.
“The program teaches kids a lot of responsibility,” he said, considering all of the pictures that have to be taken, paperwork and records kept, and various criteria that has to be met.
“I see the kids go through all that. It’s a great lesson for all of their life,” Zernicke said.
Zernicke was a member of the Landstad 4-H Club in his youth.
“I started out showing beef heifers, then steers, then got into pigs and sheep,” he said.
During his last year of showing, he won grand champion honors in swine and beef carcass, a reserve in sheep carcass, and showmanship in beef and swine.
“Steers are the most difficult,” Zernicke said. “They’ve got all the power in the world. It’s amazing what those kids can do keeping them under control.”
In addition to increased youth participation, the livestock program seems to gaining more outside interest as well.
“More buyers coming back to the auction,” Zernicke said.
He said he is also happy to have seen upgrades to the facilities at the fairgrounds, including new pens, new gates for the show ring and new wiring.
“I want to thank all the exhibitors, parents and fair board staff for helping me out,” Zernicke said. “They made it a great experience for me.”
Zernicke was born and raised in the town of Lessor, graduating from Bonduel High School.
He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for two years, earning an associate degree in meat, animal poultry science and dairy herd management.
He went into partnership 12 years ago with his father and his brother, Derick, on a 400-cow dairy farm.
The fair opens Wednesday and continues through Sept. 4.