By Elizabeth Wilkerson -- Daily Staff Writer

WOODSTOCK — When the dust settled in the show ring Tuesday afternoon, it was Edinburg's Allison George who brought home the grand champion market steer prize at the Shenandoah County Fair.

"I think it's really cool," she said of earning the title. Allison, 15, of Pine Crest Farm, won the competition with Grady, a 1,332-pound Maine Angus Cross.

"He was a little ornery [today]," she said of Grady, who was sometimes hesitant to follow her lead in the ring. She has worked with Grady since she bought him as a calf in October from the Virginia Calf Club Producers, she said.

"I saw him, and I fell in love with him," she said.

On a typical day, she feeds, washes, dries, clips, walks and practices with Grady, she said. Allison, a rising sophomore at Central High School, said she would like to be a veterinarian.

"I love it," she said of working with animals. "I don't know [why]. I just fall in love with them."

Dennis George, Allison's father, said he was very happy for his daughter.

"I'm loving it," he said. "She put a lot of time and hard work into it."

Kim George, Allison's mother, said Allison has been showing animals since age 9, and "grew up in it" with her older brother, Dustin, who brought home the title three times. She said watching Allison compete was "a little more nerve-racking" than watching her son had been.

Mrs. George said Grady would be sold on Saturday, and would probably go to slaughter soon after. After working so closely with the steer, his fate wasn't easy to handle, Allison said.

"After I'm attached to him, it's really hard," Allison said.

Allison said Tuesday's judge seemed to be concerned with how filled out the cattle were, and Mrs. George said the judge was "big on structure."

While watching the competition, Greg Bowman, of Bow-Ty Farm in Maurertown, said the judge typically checks the ribeye and makes sure the steer is structurally sound. The judge will also check between the 11th and 12th ribs for the fat cover, which will help determine how he will grade the steer — choice or select, he said.

Bowman said he used to show cattle, and that his son, Greg, also shows them now. Bowman's wife, Shelley, said Tuesday's judge seemed to like "a narrow front end and a broad back end."

"Every judge looks for something different," Bowman said.

* Contact Elizabeth Wilkerson at ewilkerson@nvdaily.com