Hamburg, N.Y. (WBEN) - WBEN was, once again, represented Thursday in the Celebrity Classic at the 2025 Erie County Fair, as Brayton Wilson returned to participate with other local media personalities in helping showcase cattle with their livestock exhibitors at the fair's Showplex.
This year's exhibitor paired with Wilson at the Celebrity Classic was 19-year-old Isaac Folts from the Town of North Collins. Folts is heading into his sophomore year at Cornell University, where he is majoring in Animal Science with a passion for the dairy industry.
Folts follows in the footsteps of his father and older brothers, who all showed cattle at the Erie County Fair in the years before him. It's been something Folts has been around ever since he can remember.
"What drives me is it's a passion of mine, not just to show the cows but to work with them, breed great cows, and I love working with the cows. I love everything that comes to cows," said Folts with WBEN.
Over the years, Folts has established himself as one of the best exhibitors not just in Western New York, but across the country, showing cattle in the world's best events like the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. While there's plenty of competitiveness to go around in an environment like that, it's a great chance to make some more friends along the road.
"The goal of showmanship is to present your animal to the best of your abilities," Folts said. "To get there, it's just lots of practice daily, and then once you practice a lot, you get really good hand control of it. You have to have a great connection with your animal, but once you get the skills and you have a calm poise to you, and you understand the rhythm of things and how you're supposed to get animals to look, that's really how you can reach the next level. But just lots of hard work, and paying attention to detail and lots of practice."
It's that hard work and attention to detail that has helped Folts reach the levels of showmanship that has earned him high honors at the International Junior Holstein Show during the World Dairy Expo.
"Of course, you need a really nice animal to work with to get there, but you need pay attention to detail so you can know what to change to help you achieve your highest potential, and work hard with her. That way, you can strive to get her to her peak," Folts added.
Back home in North Collins, the Folts family is first generation farmers, with Isaac's dad having grown up on farms, and eventually starting his own farm with his family. Isaac says to be able to get into farming with his family and have the success over the years has been an honor.
"We've always had a passion and love, but to get to where we are today, it's been a dream. So to be here and be able to showcase our skills and our animals, it's an honor," he said. "And it's an honor to be able to do what my dad loves with him. It's a true passion we can share, and I love that."
This year's Erie County Fair has some added significance for Folts, as his niece is set to take part in her first calf showmanship events this summer.
In addition, Folts is always eager to get to this time of year on the calendar. He enjoys getting back to the fair and reconnecting with friends and family during the "12 Best Days of Summer".
"It brings people together from all over the place, and it also brings different kinds of people. We got consumers here and producers, and you try create a bond that is definitely needed an industry, to connect the consumer, to the producers, and a nice, friendly bond. It's great to see," Folts noted.
In past years, there were concerns with the number of young kids and exhibitors part of the 4-H program taking part at the Erie County Fair. The good news, though, is numbers for the program locally in Western New York have rebounded quite well.
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Once his schooling is done, Folts plans to return home to continue farming with his family, and continue the work they have accomplished over the years. He strongly feels the future of farming, especially in Western New York, is on a very good path, which excites him for the years to come.
"There's a lot of new plants coming to New York. The farms in Western New York are doing really well, herd sizes are growing due to the need of milk in New York. It's very exciting, especially for the youth right now," Folts said. "There's a lot of opportunity in the dairy industry and ag industry, especially in Western New York and New York as a whole. But it's crucial. We need more young people that love the dairy industry, taking care of the cows, and we definitely need more people. Right now, luckily, there is a great opportunity for the youth to jump in and make a huge impact."
As for the calf that Folts and Wilson presented in the Celebrity Classic on Thursday, "Chick" is a special calf for plenty of reasons.
"She was born in March of this year. She's sired by a bull called "Sidekick", and she's out of a cow that actually has won theWorld Dairy Expo. So she's special because of her pedigree, who her mother is, and she's also a really nice calf," Folts noted. "It'll be cool take her out, and hopefully carry on her legacy."