Holy $24,135 Cow

When Chuck Wood Jr., 17, first caught sight of the Aberdeen-Angus calf on his father's Iowa farm 14 months ago, his practiced eye told him it had the build of a potential champ. He exclaimed "Holy cow!" The calf, duly named Holy Cow, was given to Wood to care for. Last week, Holy Cow, grown to a 925-lb. steer, won the grand championship in the Chicago International Livestock Exposition. Wood collected $1,010 in prize money, plus $23,125 from Restaurant Owner Howard Johnson Jr. who bought the steer at auction and will use it to promote his roadside chain.

To many cattlemen the proof of cattle quality is not in blue ribbons but in butchering. Last week 296 steers that had entered the judging rings live were rejudge in the cooler. Results: of 81 steers that took honors on the hoof, only 33 met the test as meat (chief disqualification: excessive fat, too little lean). The top carcass honors went to a lean-hipped 749-lb. Aberdeen-Angus, entered by Larry McKee, 17, of Varna, Ill., that had not won even an honorable mention in the ring.

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