Steering a family tradition

FLORAL CITY -- Arien Thomas is 14, weighs 125 pounds and stands 5-feet 4-inches tall. Rocky is 1 year old and weighs 1,000 pounds plus, and stands tall enough that Arien's head and shoulders just peek over the top of his back when she grooms him.

Arien is president of the Inverness Middle School Future For Agriculture, once known as Future Farmers of America. Rocky is her FFA project for the Citrus County Fair.

This a first for Arien. She has never shown an animal before. But she has plenty of historical background and current help.

The history of cattle in Citrus County would not be complete without the name of Rooks. Arien is a sixth generation Rooks descendent.

"We've been here forever," she quips.

The family tree reads like a biblical account.

Her great-great-great grandfather was Christopher Columbus "Kit" Rooks, born in Georgia in 1818, according to the 1870 census. He came to Florida when he and and his brothers drove down a herd of cattle from Georgia. With Martha "Mattie" Shell he begat 14 children, including Daniel Rooks, who begat Leroy, who begat Edwin who is Arien's grandfather through his daughter Hannah Rooks. Hannah was Arien's mother. She died in 1999.

There are many other Rooks family members in Citrus County. Her uncle and aunt are David and Robin Rooks and it is their land in Floral City that Rocky has called home since September while fattening up for the fair.

This is also where Arien and her sister Lindsey, 19, keep and tend a small herd of brood cattle and a bull. Out of the 25 cattle, the girls recently sold seven yearling calves. The money remaining after after expenses goes into their education fund.

Cattle are in their blood as surely as cows give birth to calves.

A family affair

Arien is showing a steer for the first time.

Lindsey is an old hand. This year she is showing a heifer, but as a longtime member of FFA, Lindsey has shown steers in the past and knows the work it takes to prepare.

Another thing both girls know -- these animals are not pets. It does no good to become attached to them. The steers must pay for themselves when they are bought at auction.

"I hope I get $1.80 (per pound)", said Arien. That's not cold. It's just the cattle business.

Still, "I hope I don't cry (when Rocky is sold)," added Arien, who has forged a working relationship with the black and white behemoth.

"I think he recognizes me," she said while working with Rocky. She is training him to behave while being handled and to walk on a lead. She has her work cut out. It's not like walking a dog.

"No, (a steer) is a lot bigger," said Arien. "It gets tiresome pulling him."

She stops. Then pats him on his head. "Good boy."

Arien notes that, "He's a loving steer. He hasn't kicked me . . . yet.

In the other end of the same corral Arien's cousin, Justine Rooks, 15, is working with her steer. She has been showing at the fair since she was 8 years old.

Justine admits that raising a steer is a lot different than preparing a heifer for the fair.

"A steer's a lot bigger, crazier, and more work," she said.

But the extra work has its rewards.

" A steer you get money for. A heifer you don't," Justine explained.

"And you get to keep the heifer," added Lindsey.

Unlike the steer that ends up as a burger or steak on somebody's plate.

Getting there

Preparation for the fair begins when a young animal is chosen.

Arien had to decide what food to feed it (Seminole brand) and how much (35 pounds a day). When Rocky came to the initial weigh-in he had to weigh at least 500 pounds or better. He weighed 540. The final weigh-in and grading will be done Wednesday. Rocky will have no problem meeting the minimum weight of 900 pounds. He's well past that already. But Arien could still be eliminated.

She'll be asked to walk him around the ring to show how well she has Rocky under control.

"If they can't handle the animal, they can still be eliminated," explained Hal Porter, co-chairman of the livestock events. "It's heartbreaking sometimes. But it's for everyone's safety."

Finally Rocky will be shampooed and groomed before being shown on Wednesday night. On Thursday the buyers come in and Rocky, now graded as USDA Select or better, will be auctioned to the highest bidder.

If good looks count, Rocky will bring top dollar. If anything that large can look cuddly, he does.

In the blood

Wade Thomas, 49, is Arien and Lindsey's dad. Debbie Thomas, 42, is their step-mom. When Wade married Debbie, the family grew to include her boys, Jonathan Boncaro, 17 and Ben Boncaro, 13. Sitting down to dinner with the family is an exercise in fun. Food flows and everybody talks at once. Debbie does a grand job of mothering, while Wade looks on with obvious pride in his eyes.

Wade is a city boy from St. Petersburg. He was introduced to country life when he moved to Crystal River to work at the Nuclear Plant.

A nuclear power chemist when "I married into the Rooks family." Wade recalls Hannah's father telling him "he was going to make me into a cattleman." And he did.

From 1978 to 1999 Wade worked at being a farmer. With a herd of 100 or so brood cows, Wade would juggle the two jobs, sometimes mowing the fields late into the night.

"It's time consuming," said Wade. But, "it's something that gets into your blood."

That's why he's pleased his girls are carrying on the tradition. He sold off most of his cattle after Hannah died but kept a small herd for the girls.

It was a hard decision, but necessary because, "it was too much for me to continue with a real job, take care of the girls and still handle the cattle."

Debbie takes great interest in the girls' activities.

"If I could, I'd be there with them," she said. "I like to see the kids appreciate the past and realize the continuity in their lives."

If either or both girls "wanted to stay in agriculture", Wade would find that rewarding.

And it could happen.

Like most kids, Arien has big ideas.

"I want to be a vet for bigger animals -- or a beef producer," said Arien. Then in the next breath, "or maybe an attorney, and live on my own ranch."

Whatever the future brings, Wade knows that working with the cattle now is "something they love. And it's good for them. It keeps them out of trouble."

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