ESCANABA — It was a long day Sunday as cattle were registered for the upcoming Upper Peninsula State Fair. At 361, Beef Barn Superintendent Kelly Kurpier said it was the third most head of cattle registered since 1970.

“It’s extremely crazy. It starts at 8 in the morning, today it was at 7. We had people ready to unload their animals because we knew it was going to get a lot hotter this afternoon. It’s crazy. It’s nuts but it’s great,” Kurpier said.

Cattle came throughout the day from all parts of the U.P. At the steer gate, Kurpier said they would read the radio frequency ID in the ear and match it with what was sent in with the registration. They also need the test results showing they are bovine tuberculosis-free.

The market steers also need to weight more than 1,000 lbs. in order to qualify for the livestock auction on Saturday.

The cattle will undergo an ultra-sound test Monday morning to evaluate the quality of the animal.

Kurpier said the interest in presenting animals at the fair is growing again. She said their are few market animals this year but their is an increase in breeder stock.

“We want more kids to get involved because if we show the kids how to raise cattle and have a good time here at the fair then they are going to have kids and they are going to want their kids to experience this so we’ll have increased interest,” said Kurpier.

The market steer show will be held Tuesday at 9 a.m. followed by the showmanship competition and junior beef breeding.