SHORT TAKES : Singer’s Cattle Aren’t a Hit

Randy Owen, lead singer for the country group Alabama, says that when he shows the cattle he raises, livestock judges do not seem to give his entries equal consideration.

“Many don’t take us seriously,” Owen said. “They think I’m doing this as a hobby.”

Owen, whose cattle were competing this week in the prestigious Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show and Rodeo, said he was raised a cowboy.

“I couldn’t afford to show cattle when I was growing up, but now that I’ve got a chance, I make a point of trying to make it to shows we are in,” he said.

The 40-year-old Owen’s polled Hereford heifers did not win any major prize money or award ribbons Wednesday.