MONTEREY, La. &045;&045; It was a cloudless fall day on the Russell farm Thursday, where preparations were in full swing for this year’s State Fair of Louisiana.

Brennen Russell, 14, will be showing his cow in the junior market steers division of the fair this weekend.

Last week, with the help of his sister, Kristin, 9, and their 4-H leader, Joe Bairnsfather, Russell cajoled the reluctant cow into a cage-like contraption where his ears were pierced with the proper tags.

Then, Russell sprayed the very vocal animal down with a hose before placing him at the receiving end of an industrial sized fan.

Bairnsfather eyed Russell’s technique as the boy sprayed and dried the cow before carefully brushing him.

For six years, Bairnsfather has been Russell’s 4-H leader. Russell shows the knowledge and discipline he has gained from Bairnsfather as he helped his sister prepare her cow.

&uot;Hold him back Kristin,&uot; Russell commanded as his small-framed sister tried to pull the almost 800-pound cow into the cage for tagging.

Later, after assisting his sister, Russell proudly displayed a tack box in his barn full of tools, brushes, shavers and sprays to make his cow shine at the fair.

So what happens when the fair is over and the cows come home?

&uot;I love farming, but there’s no money in it,&uot; Russell said.

If things go right at the fair this weekend, Russell just might prove himself wrong.