This Month in Photo of the Day: National Geographic Magazine

Behind the scenes at the Iowa State Fair, kids tuck in for a rest during the four-day livestock event. Beyond the couch, cattle owners prepare a calf for the show ring. Cattle competitions have been part of the Iowa fair since its beginnings in 1854, when perhaps 7,000 people attended the exposition. These days the annual fair draws more than a million visitors and brings at least $60 million into the Des Moines economy.

See more photographs from the July 2009 feature story "Top Ten State Fair Joys."