NEW VINEYARD — Oxen and steer pulling competitions are a favorite attraction at Maine’s agricultural fairs, but much of the fun can happen behind the scenes.

Tim and Sue Lambert knew their friend Robert Sillanpaa had a pair of working steers and asked if he could harrow their farm field for planting. He agreed but asked if he could invite members of the state Farm Steer and Ox Club to help with the effort. The Lamberts agreed, and on Saturday morning, six pairs of working steers and oxen arrived at the Lamberts’ front door.

Each team and teamster, including Sillanpaa’s son, Wiekko, 6, made several passes through the rich soil. Much of the credit for preservation of the old-fashioned skills and love of the way of life comes from an early involvement with a 4-H group.

“I started in the Franklin County 4-H Working Steer Club years ago,” Sillanpaa said. “Now I take my son to these events, and he has his own team.”

Although fewer farmers in Maine today have grandfathers and great-grandfathers who worked with oxen and steers, several participants on Saturday could trace their interest to their membership as youngsters in one of the 4-H working steer clubs in Maine.

Melinda Larrabee-Robinson of Litchfield is one of those dedicated supporters. As a girl, she joined the 4-H group in Franklin County, because there wasn’t one in Kennebec County. She has stayed active with the group, becoming its leader many years later. She has 12 members currently, she said, and three who don’t have steers of their own are a great help to their fellow club members.

Her daughter Lauren and other 4-H club members learn to wash their animals and keep them clean, both at home and at these public events. They learn how to present their animals in the show ring and to answer questions from the public and judges.

“Our club means more than just three minutes in the ring,” she said. “We are an extended family.”

The Robinson family has become active in the Farmers Steer and Ox Club, and they’ll show their teams at the Farmers Fun Pull Weekend at the Monmouth Fairgrounds on June 12, 13 and 14.

“Our goals are to teach fellow teamsters about the sport,” she said.

Teamsters were happy to share their expertise and knowledge about their animals. Terminology is important, especially when talking about males and females in the bovine family. Ox and steer are terms for castrated males used for working. Bulls are used for breeding.

“Steers are called oxen when they are four years old or older,” said Reggie Rackliffe.

He brought his pair of Ayrshires, a breed that originated in the County of Ayr over 200 years ago.

Teamster AJ Wilbur, a sophomore at Mt. Blue High School, brought his Randall Lineback pair to the event. The Randall breed is less common and originated in Vermont. The Randall family selectively bred their cattle for 80 years, and in 1985, after Everett Randall died, the breed nearly became extinct.

Today, the distinctive black-and-white beasts are classified as a “critical breed” by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. The term Lineback refers to American Linebacks, a breed influenced by Holstein blood and often found on New England commercial dairy farms, according to the American Cattle Registry. Wilbur’s team wore the yoke that his great-grandfather used on the farm a century ago.

Membership in the Farmers Steer and Ox Club include dues of $10 for an individual and $15 for a family, to help with some of the group’s expenses. For more information about the group, contact Robinson at [email protected] or 312-9418.