BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – They’ve always been inseparable. Now you must call them unbeatable.

Bowling Green native Samantha VanVorhis and the black Angus heifer SS Envious Blackbird 5022 (affectionately known as Buckles) won the Supreme Champion Junior Female honor at the prestigious Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City last month.

“That day was unreal from the moment that the judge shook my hand to when I walked out of the ring,” said VanVorhis, who is a freshman at Oklahoma State University. “It all just finally happened. And while it may never happen again, I am extremely thankful that it did. It couldn’t have happened with a more unique, odd and quirky heifer like Buckles.

“The win was somewhat of a surprise because Buckles is different for an Angus and for a show heifer. Buckles’ ability to combine structural correctness with an elite look is hard, particularly for Angus to possess. But it’s her unique parts that set her apart.”

The 20-month-old heifer captured other wins, including 2023 division champion titles at the National Junior Angus Show, All-American Angus Breeders’ Futurity Junior and Open shows, and at the Atlantic Nationals Junior Show. A week following the most recent show in Oklahoma City, VanVorhis and Buckles recorded another national show honor. They won the Open Angus Show at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

“But at Cattlemen’s Congress she reigned supreme,” VanVorhis said. “We finally got a piece of the pie. To do so well at a national Angus show was a big deal for my family.”

VanVorhis refers to her parents, Dean and Michelle Kranz VanVorhis, her brother Marcus, and her show cattle family – Tyler, Cortney and Piper Cates, of Modoc, Ind.

VanVorhis grew up in Wood County much like her father, whose family owned the local John Deere dealership for two generations. Her mother also had an agriculture background. She was raised on a farm in Clark County where she showed cattle and sheep. So, agriculture was in Samantha’s DNA.

Samantha’s livestock-showing fate was determined when she was 5 years old. She followed the footsteps of her brother, Marcus, whose 4-H project involved a steer. Samantha jointly claimed the steer, but later on Samantha gravitated toward the heifer.

“The heifer is one of the sweetest, most affectionate animals,” she said, “but the heifer also has a spunk-like, ‘you don’t want to mess with me’ attitude. When it’s time to get down to business, Buckles goes in that ring and she’s almost on autopilot. But we really operate really well as a team. I genuinely believe that she may be one of the best heifers I’ve ever shown. I’ve been fortunate to have shown some elite and unicorn-like creatures. She is just something special.”

Buckles, born in May 2022, was the second-choice heifer calf when VanVorhis and her parents were selecting a heifer from the Cates Farm sale later than same year. They had been to the Modoc farm at least a half dozen times to look for calves before the September sale. That year there were two heifers that she liked, including Buckles, named by the Cates’ young daughter, Piper.

The other heifer was first up in the sale. When the first one went for more than they wanted to pay, they decided they would buy Buckles.

VanVorhis admitted trying every sport growing up, from softball and dance to basketball. She tried other activities, but the show ring was her first love.

“Ultimately, I traded every sport growing up,” she said. “Ultimately, I traded in all my sports gear for show cows, and I never really looked back.”

Samantha was just 7 years old when she entered her first show at the Wood County Fair. By the time she turned 11 she competed in the state fair, and there her heifer Star earned reserve champion honors. She then went on to win the Keystone International Livestock Expo later that fall. From that time on she was hooked on being in the show ring.

“It’s an adrenaline rush unlike anything else I’ve ever felt,” she said. “You’re not going to catch me jumping off a building or skydiving, but there’s something about walking into a show ring that is so exciting.”

VanVorhis also enjoys the competition of livestock judging, which she started at an early age with the Wood County Livestock Judging Team.

Buckles’ heifer show career is technically over. Buckles will be put into production to sell “little baby Buckles,” as VanVorhis put it.

VanVorhis has a dual major in ag communications and ag business, with a minor in political science. She has sights on being an agricultural lobbyist.

“I’m a livestock kid,” she said. “After showing cattle, talking is my second favorite hobby. When I saw that lobbyists were really boots on the grounds, running around the Statehouse and talking to different people, I knew this is my thing. This is the world I want to be in, to be able to advocate for people whose voices need to be amplified. That’s what I can see myself doing.”