Hundreds of enthusiastic Holstein Association USA Junior members ventured to Indianapolis, Ind., last week to participate in a variety of activities during the 2013 National Junior Holstein Convention. All contests are designed to help youth develop skills that will benefit them in future endeavors, and showcases their talents on a national stage.

Prepared Public Speaking Contest
Forty-nine youth participated in this year’s prepared public speaking competition, broken into three age divisions. Following are the results from each division.

Junior Division (ages 9-13)
1st: Lora Wright, Missouri, “Robotic Milking Systems…Is this the Wave of the Future?”
2nd: Hanna Richman, New Jersey, “Hanna’s Hybrid”
3rd: Caleb McGee, Pennsylvania, “Genomics”

Intermediate Division (ages 14-17)
1st: Allison Herrick, New York, “”Is Your Transition Program at Its Best?”
2nd: Skylar Clingan, Indiana, “Robotic Milking”
3rd: Hannah Van Dyk, California, “bST”

Senior Division (ages 18-21)
1st: Mallarie Stookey, Indiana, “The Dairy Industry”
2nd: Christine Leonard, Minnesota, “More than Manure”
3rd: Taylor Pires, California, “Diversifying & Using Social Media in the Dairy Industry”

Folding Display Competition
Fifty-five entries were submitted in this year’s Folding Display competition. For this contest, participants create a free-standing display educating people about a dairy industry-related topic of their choice. Like the speech contest, youth are divided into three age divisions, and each division has two categories – Scientific and Creative. Youth do not have to attend the National Convention to enter a display and compete in this contest. Following are the results for each category.

Junior Creative Displays
1st: George Sebright, Pennsylvania, “Faces of the Farmer”
2nd: Kaylen Miller, Illinois, “Feed Scoop News”
3rd: Noah Iager, Maryland, “Cows are Real Athletes”

Junior Scientific Displays
1st: Jacy Smith, Washington, “Ringworm”
2nd:  Hayley Fernandes, California, “Rotary Milking Parlors”
3rd: Cady McGehee, Florida, “Safely Transporting Milk”

Intermediate Creative Displays
1st: Emily Irwin, Illinois, “Experience the Power of Black and White”
2nd: Daniel Kitchen, Pennsylvania, “The Gee Whiz on Cheese”
3rd: Mary Ellen Sousa, New Jersey, “Genetically Polled”

Intermediate Scientific Displays
1st: Katie Osborne, Pennsylvania, “Bed Bugs – Environmental Mastitis Bacteria”
2nd: Cole Davis, North Carolina, “Embryo Transfer”
3rd: Brock Irwin, Illinois, “Total Mixed Ration”

Senior Creative Displays
1st: Jacob Shaffer, Pennsylvania, “Chocolate Milk”
2nd: Molly Elgin, Virginia, “Pathways to the Future”

Senior Scientific Displays
1st: Marcy Bartelheimer, Washington, “Mastitis”
2nd: Christina O’Brien, New Jersey, “Healthy Hooves, Happy Holsteins”
3rd: Ashley Mohn, Pennsylvania, “Brrr…It’s Cold Out Here”

State Scrapbook and Banner Contests
The state scrapbook contest gives each state the chance to tell the story of activities and events their Junior Holstein associations take part in each year. Nine states submitted traditional scrapbooks this year, with Minnesota placing first, Florida in second, Iowa taking home third, Illinois in fourth, and Pennsylvania rounding out the top five entries.

The Digital Scrapbook division had 10 entries submitted this year. This division is judged on the same criteria as a traditional scrapbook, but entries must be presented on a computer, DVD player, or other digital format. Taking home first prize this year was Missouri, followed by Illinois in second, Iowa in third, California placing fourth, and Florida in fifth.

The state banner competition allows states to creative showcase their state pride, with nine entries submitted this year, displayed throughout the week at the Convention. First place in the banner contest went to Illinois, second to Florida, and third to Washington.

Junior Advisory Committee Election Results
Three new youth area representatives were elected to the National Junior Advisory Committee (JAC) during the National Junior Forum, held on the last day of the Convention. For Area I, Carissa Doody, Md., was elected to replace outgoing committee member Austin Schwartzbeck, Md. In Area III, Jordan Siemers, Wis., will take the place of Aaron Mitchell, Ill. For the At-Large seat, Sarah Sheehan, Ill., was elected to replace Taylor Pires, Calif.

The JAC is the governing body of the Junior Association and oversees the organization’s activities. Youth committee members are elected by the Junior membership at the National Junior Forum, and members serve two-year terms. The committee experience helps youth learn more about their Association, while strengthening leadership skills.

Learn more about Holstein Association USA youth programs at www.holsteinusa.com/juniors.

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For more information, contact Lindsey Worden, Communications Manager, at 800.952.5200, ext. 4096 or via e-mail at lworden@holstein.com.

Holstein Association USA, Inc.,www.holsteinusa.com, provides products and services to dairy producers to enhance genetics and improve profitability–ranging from registry processing to identification programs to consulting services. The Association, headquartered in Brattleboro, Vt., maintains the records for Registered Holsteins^® and represents approximately 30,000 members throughout the United States.

Youth were the stars of the show during the Holstein Foundation’s National Holstein Dairy Jeopardy and Dairy Bowl competitions, held in Indianapolis, Ind., last week, as part of the 2013 National Holstein Convention. Over 180 youth from around the country participated in the two contest, most of whom qualified at the state level before moving to the national competition.

Dairy Jeopardy

Nearly seventy participants competed in the Dairy Jeopardy competition, divided into three age divisions; Junior, ages 9-13, Intermediate, ages 14-17, and Senior, ages 18-21. This competition for individuals is based on the popular television game show, featuring a wide range of dairy-related questions in a number of categories, from “Barn Babes,” to “Dairy Stats,” to “You Be the Judge.” Following are the top three individuals in each age division.

Junior Division
1st: Connor Erbsen, Illinois
2nd: Ryan Allen, Maryland
3rd: Cynthia Hamlett, Iowa

Intermediate Division
1st: Travis Holtzinger, Pennsylvania
2nd: Jordan Siemers, Wisconsin
3rd: Sarah Thomas, North Carolina

Senior Division
1st: Tony Lopes, California
2nd: Philip Shanks, Illinois
3rd: Hayley Potts, Virginia

Dairy Bowl

In the National Dairy Bowl contest, four-person teams compete within two age divisions; Junior, ages 9-15, and Senior, ages 16-21. A total of 30 Junior and Senior teams participated this year, with 15 states sending teams in each division.

The Junior division championship came down to the teams from California and Iowa, with Iowa emerging as the victor in the final match. Team members included Nathan Arthur, Alyssa Dougherty, Amanda Dougherty and Mary Scott, coached by Heidi deGier and Jeff Hammerand. The runner-up California team members included Hayden Costa, Hayley Fernandes, Macey Pearson and Hannah Van Dyk, with coaches Kirsten Areias and Sarah Zonneveld. Rounding out the top five teams in the Junior division were New York in third, Illinois in fourth and Maryland in fifth.

The Senior division finals saw California squaring off against Illinois, with California claiming the championship. California team members were Ellorine Carle, Rocco Cunningham, Alex Gambonini and Taylor Pires, coached by Kirsten Areias and Lynn Cunningham. Representing Illinois were Levi Martin, Dylan Reed, Ryan Sheehan and Sarah Sheehan, with coaches Becky and Glen Meier. Other teams placing in the top five in the Senior division were Minnesota in third, Maryland in fourth and New York in fifth.

Sportsmanship awards are given to one team in each division who best exemplify the principles of courtesy, friendliness and team spirit throughout the competition. The Junior team receiving this award hailed from the state of Utah, with team members Ethan Brown, Seth Brown, Lexie Papageorge and Landon Schumann, coached by Justin Jenson. In the Senior division, the honor went to the New England team, consisting of Matt Fletcher, Rebecca Grover, Regina Grover, and Katherine Shaw, coached by Nicole Fletcher.

Dairy Knowledge Exam

The Dairy Knowledge Exam is open to any youth attending the National Junior Holstein Convention who wants to put their brain to the test with a 25-question written test. Like Dairy Bowl, youth are divided into two groups by age. This year, 282 youth completed the Dairy Knowledge Exam! The top three in each division were as follows.

Junior Division
1st: Hannah Van Dyk, California
2nd: Jordon Oellerich, Illinois
3rd: Hayley Fernandes, California

Senior Division
1st: Alex Gambonini, California
2nd: Sarah Sheehan, Illinois
3rd: Joey Adams, Iowa

For more information about Holstein Foundation youth programs, visit www.holsteinfoundation.org, or contact Kelli Dunklee, youth programs specialist, at 800.952.5200, ext. 4124.

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For more information, contact Lindsey Worden, Communications Manager, at 800.952.5200, ext. 4096 or via e-mail at lworden@holstein.com.

Registered Holstein^®, GTPI^® and Holstein COMPLETE^® are registered trademarks of Holstein Association USA, Inc.

Holstein Association USA, Inc.,www.holsteinusa.com, provides products and services to dairy producers to enhance genetics and improve profitability–ranging from registry processing to identification programs to consulting services. The Association, headquartered in Brattleboro, Vt., maintains the records for Registered Holsteins^® and represents approximately 30,000 members throughout the United States.

Accelerated Genetics is excited to invest in the future of six youth aspiring toward agriculture related degrees by awarding annual scholarship winners for 2013.

A group of four academically polished and heavily involved high school graduates are each awarded a $500.00 scholarship. These 2013 recipients include Jessica Pralle of Humbird, Wis.; Amber Gabel of Newport, Pa.; Renae Tokach of Saint Anthony, N.D.; and Ethan Dado of Amery, Wis.

Jessica Prall plans to follow her passion for dairy cattle by majoring in Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Due to the influence of nutritionists and veterinarians who service her farm, she is working towards a career in dairy nutrition or veterinary medicine.

Amber Gabel feels her involvement in 4-H, FFA, breed associations and other agriculture leadership activities helped her realize she belonged in the dairy industry. She plans to major in animal sciences at Pennsylvania State University and later study veterinary medicine.

Renae Tokach hopes to use a dual major in animal science and agriculture communications to become an advocate for the beef industry. Growing up on a purebred Angus ranch cultivated her passion for the industry. She plans to attend Kansas State University.

Ethan Dado will use the work ethic and drive he gained from growing up on a dairy farm to reach his career goals. He plans to attend either the University of Wisconsin-River Falls or the University of Minnesota and major in animal science with an emphasis in dairy science. He would like to attend medical school to become a surgeon after earning his bachelor’s degree.

Two $1,000.00 scholarships are awarded to students already enrolled in agricultural programs at college. Accelerated genetics partners with the National FFA organization to select these 2013 recipients. Bethany Dadoof Amery, Wis., and Paige Wallace of Scotts City, Mo., were selected based on scholastic record, FFA activities, work experience, leadership activities, and academic record.

Bethany Dadois attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is majoring in Dairy Science and is interested in pursuing a career in dairy research. Paige Wallace is majoring in Agricultural Communications at Oklahoma State University. She would like to pursue a career in public relations.

Accelerated Genetics is a global provider of bovine genetics and research, reproductive services, and solution-based animal health products. With a focus on People, Products and Pride, the Accelerated Genetics vision is to be the producer’s trusted first choice.

Hannah Bachman of Ulysses, Pennsylvania, Emilie Strand of Ithaca, New York, and Mary Elizabeth Foote of Hartford, New York have been named the 2013 Klussendorf Association Scholarship Award winners. These $1500 scholarships are awarded by the Klussendorf Association and funded by a significant donation from Klussendorf member, Chris Kampf, and through fund raisers and memorial gifts by the Klussendorf Association.

The McKown Scholarship winners receive a $1500 scholarship in honor of Robert “Whitey” McKown, a long time supporter of the Holstein breed and National Dairy Cattle Shows. These scholarships are made possible by generous donations from the family and friends of Robert McKown. This year’s winners are Ralph Cunningham from Penngrove, California, Cody Getschel from Osceola, Wisconsin, Michael Schmitt of Rice, Minnesota and Austin Schwartzbeck of Union Bridge, Maryland.

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Andrea Crowe of Hi-Calibre Holsteins, Nova Scotia.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrea’s friends and family it is a sad day for the dairy industry especially the breeders in the Maritime provinces that had the pleasure of knowing her so well and came to her support (Read more: Friends of Andrea Crowe Fundraiser Raises Over $83,000).  Her infectious smile, positive attitude, determination, friendship and commitment to the dairy industry will be deeply missed. To read more about Andrea check out It’s Time To Pull Together and Support One of Our Own.

David Hardesty Jr., a versatile sports star in football, basketball and soccer, was named the 2013 Star Leadership Award winner from Clarke County High School at the school’s Senior Recognition Night on Sunday.

The event was held for the first time in the auditorium of the new high school on Mosby Boulevard.

Hardesty, 18, said he was surprised when his name was announced by Thomas T. Byrd, publisher of The Winchester Star.

He said the three other candidates — Elizabeth Blight, Allison Crandell and Michaela Rohde — are students who he has known for years.

“They are all really bright and intelligent,” Hardesty said after the ceremony. “I thought it could have gone to any of them.”

He will use the $10,000 Star Leadership Award toward his tuition at Bridgewater College, which also awarded him a $21,000 scholarship Sunday night.

Bridgewater — a private school south of Harrisonburg — is “pretty expensive,” he said.

Hardesty, the son of David and Debra Hardesty of Berryville, carries a 4.8662 grade point average and ranks sixth out of his 183 classmates.

Graduation for him and his class is set for 2 p.m. June 9 in Wilbur Feltner Stadium.

On the playing field, Hardesty led his school’s football team in rushing yards — 1,454 in 183 carries during the season — and earned 25 touchdowns rushing and 30 overall. He returned 11 kickoffs for 350 yards and 11 punts for 94 yards, picked off three passes and recovered two fumbles. He was picked for the first team in the All-Bull Run District and the second team in All-Region B.

Following the award presentations, Hardesty’s grandfather, John D. “Jack” Hardesty, former chairman of the county’s Board of Supervisors, laughingly commented that his grandson was an example of “continuous improvement” in the family.

“I told him I was so proud I popped a button on my jacket,” the elder Hardesty added.
During the presentation, Byrd told the audience that David Hardesty was the 60th Star Leadership Award winner at Clarke County High School since the creation of the scholarship program in 1954 by his father, former U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. of Winchester. The elder Byrd was editor and publisher of the paper when he started the program.

Including this year, the Star Leadership Award program has presented 242 students with more than $722,000.

Currently, the award is presented to one graduate in each of the five high schools in the newspaper’s coverage area: John Handley High School in Winchester, Clarke County High School, and the three high schools in Frederick County, James Wood, Sherando and Millbrook.

The student chosen to receive the award “best exemplifies a combination of excellence of character, qualities of leadership and devotion to duty,” Byrd said.
The management of The Star does not chose the recipient. A panel of local citizens, chosen by the publisher, interviews four students from each school and chooses the winner.

The 2013 Star Leadership Awards Committee, which was chaired by Cary Brubaker of Winchester, consisted of members Miles Davis and Charlie Fish (Winchester), Walter A. Barr Jr. and Katrina Smith (Frederick County) and Sue Scarborough and Joseph F. Myer (Clarke County).

Recipients of the Star Leadership Award can use the money to further their education or pursue a career.

At the conclusion of the awards presentations, where local civic and educational organizations, individuals and colleges announced scholarship grants to members of the Class of 2013, CCHS principal Jeffrey C. Jackson told the seniors he was proud of what they had accomplished.

“You are the first class to leave this new school, and you’ve done it with class,” Jackson said.

Source: Winchester Star

Dr. Kevin Herrick, Kemin dairy technical services manager, received a Midwest American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) Young Scholar award at the association’s recent Midwest annual meeting held in Des Moines, Iowa. The Midwest ADSA Young Scholar program provides promising scholars, including recent Ph.D. graduates, with the opportunity to present timely research findings to academic and industry professionals. Recipients were selected based on quality of research, interest to the broad audience and oral presentation skills.

Herrick was awarded for his presentation, “Butyrate supplementation effects on metabolism and production in lactating dairy cows.” In his presentation, Herrick offered research investigating supplementation of individual or intermediate volatile fatty acids as a potential treatment for metabolic diseases in the post-partum ruminant. The presentation featured trials in which rumen butyrate concentration was increased to investigate the performance and metabolic responses of lactating dairy cows. Results from Herrick’s research demonstrate butyrate supplementation has the potential to improve the energy balance of lactating dairy cows.

Herrick joined Kemin in 2012 and serves as the technical service manager for dairy in North America. Prior to joining Kemin, Herrick worked as a dairy production consultant for Land O’ Lakes Purina Feed and as a herdsman for a large dairy in South Dakota. Herrick completed a Bachelor of Science in animal science, a Master of Science in ruminant nutrition and a Ph.D. in dairy science from South Dakota State University.

Kemin – Inspired Molecular Solutions™
Kemin (www.kemin.com) provides “inspired molecular solutions” specifically developed to provide nutrition and health benefits for humans and animals. Committed to feed and food safety, Kemin maintains top-of-the-line manufacturing facilities where approximately 500 specialty ingredients are made for the global feed and food industries as well as the health, nutrition and beauty markets. A privately held, family-owned and operated company, Kemin has more than 1,600 employees and operates in 90 countries with manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

One hundred and twenty eight students from 32 colleges across the United States and Canada competed Friday and Saturday in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. The annual event allows dairy science students to apply theory and learning to a real-world dairy, while working as part of a team.

Results were announced Saturday night on Facebook:

Dairy A:

1^st place: South Dakota State University. Team members are Cassandra Hulstein, April Johnson, Lael Schoessler and Alisha Vander Wal, coached by Ken Kalscheur.

2nd place: University of Wisconsin‐Platteville. Team members are Tanner Bradley, Sam Enloe, Stephanie Nagel and Nathalie Schattner, coached by Tera Montgomery.

Dairy B:

1^st place: University of Vermont. Team members are Kaitlin Benoit, Morgen Doane, Andrew Whitney and Melissa Woolpert, coached by Wanda Emerich.

2^nd place: Penn State University. Team members are Dakota Grove, Jared Risser, Nathan Ulmer and Hannah Wentworth, coached by Lisa Holden and Gabriella Varga.

Dairy C:

1st place: University of Wisconsin‐River Falls. Team members are Jonathan Hallock, Riley Jolma, Carl Lippert and Elizabeth Simonis, coached by Sylvia Kehoe.

2nd place: Virginia Tech. Team members are Tyler Boyd, Alli Davis, Isaac Hammock and Elizabeth Sumners, coached by Mark Hanigan and Bob James.

Dairy D:

1^st place: Cal Poly. Team members are Mandy Brazil, Erin de Snayer, Micah DeGroot and David Vander Schaaf, coached by Stan Henderson.

2^nd place: Iowa State University. Team members are Jordan Hanson, Matt Henkes, Jordan Hunt and Derek Nolan, coached by Lee Kilmer.

MARCH 27, 2013 -Jill Hoeppner and husband Kelwyn Hoeppner, March 27th, start their day at 3:30 am and spend the first 4hours milking the herd. The young couple live on the family farm in Abbotsford. (Ward Perrin Photograph by: Ward Perrin , PNG

(Click here to view video) The alarm on Jill Hoeppner’s iPhone rings at 3:30 a.m.

The 27-year-old farmer hits the ground not running exactly, but with a quick stride that she’ll keep up all day and well into the night.

First, coffee. Her clothes are in a heap on the kitchen floor: grey work socks, blue jogging pants, hoody, stained overalls with a granola bar tucked into the pocket. She doesn’t linger in the little blue bathroom where she pulls her ­honey-blond hair into a ponytail.

Outside, it’s a few degrees above freezing. All’s quiet except the occasional semi rumbling by on the highway that runs past the renovated farmhouse where she lives with her husband, ­Kelwyn.

Her white Chevy isn’t locked. A blue air freshener swings from the rear-view mirror as she puts the truck in gear. There’s country music on the radio, a man singing about “an old farm boy out turning up dirt.”

The song is catchy, but not a fitting soundtrack as Hoeppner drives past silent fields a few minutes before 4 a.m. It’s too early for plowing, and she’s no farm boy.

“I think that’s the stereotype,” she says later. “The farmer and the farmer’s wife. When someone meets me for the first time, they just assume I’m the farmer’s wife.”

She pauses, then adds slyly: “I’m so much more. I do it all. I’m an ag girl.”

Hoeppner’s not the only woman bucking gender stereotypes that persist in one of the world’s oldest occupations.

With 10,915 female farm operators, B.C. boasts more “ag girls” than any ­other province in Canada.

According to the last agricultural census, more than one-third of B.C. farms are run, or co-run, by women. That’s about 36 per cent, compared to 27 per cent ­nationally.

More women are entering farming through the local food movement, with a focus on niche markets, organic farming and small livestock operations.

WORKING AS A TEAM

It’s not what you’d call a typical Super Bowl commercial: no actors, models or comedians. Instead, Chrysler’s popular Super Bowl 2013 ad takes aim at the heart.

“God said, ‘I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.’”

Set to a recording of a 1978 speech given by American radio broadcaster Paul Harvey, the ad for Ram trucks shows a series of photographs of farmhouses, fields, tractors and, of course, farmers.

It ends with the words: “So God made a farmer.”

The ad received top marks from bloggers, who pointed out that the concept came from a Canadian farm website that allowed Chrysler to remake it as a commercial. It has been viewed almost 15 million times on YouTube.

But it has also sparked controversy among critics who say its portrayal of today’s agriculture industry is ­outdated. There are 15 photos of men in the ad. There are three of women.

At the very least, the commercial ­reinforces stereotypes about the face of farming.

But Jill Hoeppner liked the ad.

“Loved it,” she says. “There was a woman in there, and a little girl standing in a field.”

The Abbotsford dairy farmer doesn’t think much about gender inequality.

“I’m a doer,” she says.

It’s 5 a.m. and she’s been milking cows for more than an hour.

“Come on, girls. Let’s go.” It sounds like she’s singing as she urges her “girls” — 202 organic dairy cows, mostly Holsteins — into the farm’s milking parlour, 16 at a time.

The concrete room is loud with the rhythmic sound of pumps. Milk machines are attached to the cows’ udders and their milk is sucked into sterilized glass jars before being whisked away to a large milk tank in the dairy. When filled, the jars are warm to the touch.

“Watch it!” says Hoeppner as a cow relieves itself, manure ricocheting off the floors and walls.

Dairy farming is messy. It’s smelly. (At the end of the day, Hoeppner washes her hair twice to get rid of the stench.) It’s also repetitive and sometimes tedious.

But the most likely reason it’s traditionally viewed as a man’s job is that it’s physically demanding. While milk machines and tractors have made it easier, treating and feeding cows that weigh about 580 kilograms remains a challenge for most female farmers.

“There are some physical things that boys can do quicker, and I guess there are some things I just can’t do,” says Hoeppner.

“We work as a team here. Everyone brings their own strengths.”

As the full moon turns its face into the shoulder of the mountain and the eastern sky begins to lighten, Hoeppner carries pails of grain and water across the farmyard to a calf barn. She kneels on the bedding to feed a bottle of milk to a baby Jersey. With one arm around the calf’s shoulders, she pulls it close to her body and pushes the nipple into its mouth. It begins to drink.

“Good girl,” she croons. “That’s a good girl.”

B.C. WOMEN FARMERS COMING INTO THEIR OWN

Hoeppner’s family represents ­another strength.

They’re also the reason she’s able to farm, giving her the access and support experts agree is critical to the success of women in agriculture.

“Without the support of family there’s no way I’d be doing what I’m doing,” Hoeppner says as she prepares a simple breakfast. “We all have a love for dairy farming.”

Hoeppner’s grandparents immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands in the early 1940s and eventually established Cedarwal Farms. Years passed, the farm grew, and some of her grandpa’s sons joined him in the business.

Today, the farm ranks as a large farm by B.C. standards, milking a herd of about 350 purebred cows and a separate herd of about 200 organic cows. The purebreds produce an average of 11,000 litres of milk each day, mostly for local consumption, while the organic herd produces an average of 5,000 litres.

The 270-acre farm produces grass and corn to feed the cows.

In the last five years, the grandkids have also started to play an important role at Cedarwal, including Hoeppner and two of her three sisters.

“I was the one who always found stray cats and took them into the house,” she says of her childhood on the farm.

After high school she received an agriculture degree at a U.S. college and then came home to work at Cedarwal.

She met her husband, Kelwyn, a Manitoba dairy farmer’s son, at a cow show where farmers display and sometimes sell their best animals. They’ve been married six months.

Kelwyn says he values the oppor­tunity to work with his wife.

“It’s not new to me,” he says of her decision to farm. When he was a baby, his mom put his playpen in the barn while she milked cows. He smiles at his wife. “I expect some day you’ll be pushing a stroller while you [check] herd health.”

Hoeppner’s mom also embraced life on the farm, but it was her dad, a dairy farmer and large-animal veterinarian, who passed on his passion for cows.

“One of his big things, having all girls, is that he worried we would all find husbands and move away,” she says. “But three of the four are here, and we’ve brought our husbands with us.”

Inheritance is one of several paths to farming that is becoming more open to women, according to University of the Fraser Valley agriculture professor Lenore Newman.

“Women are finally being allowed to choose farming as a career and to call themselves farmers,” she told the Sunday Province in a recent interview.

Newman believes the high number of women farmers in B.C. is also tied to the local food movement.

“Women are coming to agriculture through farmers’ markets and through an interest in local food,” she said. “It’s a significant point of entry.”

But the desire to farm does not make a farmer, and that’s where B.C. is somewhat unique. In the Fraser Valley, in particular, where land is among the most productive in the world, high yields make small farms more economically sustainable than in other provinces.

“A family in B.C. can still earn a living on a small farm,” said Newman, meaning a farm under 100 acres.

This opens the door for women who decide they want to farm but can’t raise the capital for large-scale farming, such as grain production on the Prairies.

“Women are farming, but they’re farming differently than men. They’re involved in organic, small-scale, bio-dynamic farms, and they’re farming for high-end, specialty markets,” said Newman.

“It’s a big shift.”

PASSION AND COMMITMENT

It’s a little tougher to define the impact women like Hoeppner are having on traditional agriculture. But follow her for a day and you’ll start to get an idea.

Her passion and commitment rivals that of any recent college graduate determined to make a difference in her field. And it’s this spirit that renders stereotypes almost irrelevant as it puts her on the cutting edge of B.C.’s agriculture industry.

“Meet Lila Z,” says Hoeppner, leading a purebred Holstein from a special pen into morning sunlight spangled with dust motes.

She is introducing the bovine equivalent of royalty: Lylehaven Lila Z is a member of the “million-dollar club.”

As a two-year-old heifer, she sold for $1.15 million. That was before Cedarwal acquired her — she’s now 11 — but she remains an important asset, though she produces no milk for the farm tank.

Lila Z’s worth is in her offspring, who tend to be high milk producers or, in the case of her sons, pass along that trait to their offspring.

The pretty cow is routinely artificially inseminated, and her fertilized eggs are flushed and sold to be implanted in other cows. Her calves have been born as far away as the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea and China.

The farm’s genetic program helps to secure its future at a time when more people are eschewing local milk in favour of cheaper American dairy.

Today Hoeppner is giving Lila Z “snuggles” before a group representing a national dairy genetics company arrives to tour Cedarwal’s young stock.

She is all business when a van pulls up and four men get out. One is wearing strong cologne that mingles with the smell of manure as he follows Hoeppner and her sister Lorene into the barns.

Hoeppner points out the best animals and rattles off their lineages mostly from memory. “She’s like a computer,” says Westgen dairy sales representative Camilo Ruiz. “I’m always impressed when I’m here.”

While showing the group around the barns, Hoeppner notices a pregnant cow that looks uncomfortable. She asks her uncle if he has time to check her.

Her morning continues with office work — keeping immaculate records on hundreds of cows takes hours each week — then lunch, another tour, and finally a visit from the farm’s veterinarian, her dad, who checks the herd for heats and pregnancies.

Rich Vanderwal says the quality of the calves born on the farm is a result of his daughter’s diligence. She knows each cow and calf by name.

“I think you’re proud of your kids no matter what they do, but when they come into the family business there’s a feeling of continuity that’s really special,” he says.

The sales representative from Hoeppner’s last tour is a family friend, so she and Kelwyn accompany him to her parents’ house for supper.

At the end of the night they drive past Cedarwal. The waning moon illuminates the quiet barns.

At 10:30 p.m., she sleeps.

Holstein Association USA has finalized the results of the 2013 Online Junior Holstein Essay Contest! Open to any Junior Holstein member ages 9 to 21, the contest was divided into three age divisions, each with their own topic.

Junior Division (ages 9-13 as of January 1): In what ways do you educate your non-dairy friends and classmates about the dairy industry and benefits of consuming dairy products?
1st: Ava Booth, WI
2nd: Cole Booth, WI
3rd: Jacy Smith, WA

Intermediate Division (ages 14-17 as of January 1): Who is your role model in the dairy industry and what is one lesson you have learned from them?
1st: Tony Lopes, CA
2nd: Charlie Hamilton, WI
3rd: Elisabeth Regusci, CA

Senior Division (ages 18-21 as of January 1): Describe your vision for the dairy industry over the next decade, and the role you plan to play in it.
1st: Hayley Potts, VA

Hayley Potts was also selected as the Grand Prize winner and will receive a Kindle Fire for her efforts. Prizes were awarded to the top three youth in each age division. Read the winning essays online atwww.holsteinusa.com/juniors, under the Fun Zone section!

Sixty-one students from seven western US and one Canadian university traveled to Everett, Washington for the 8th annual Western Regional Dairy Challenge on February 28 – March 2, 2013.

The Western Regional Dairy Challenge is an innovative, three-day educational competition designed to prepare students for dairy careers. Working in mixed-university teams of five or six students, participants assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm, including facilities, nutrition, financials, reproduction, and animal health. Students collaborated on a 20-minute team presentation that detailed their observations and suggestions to a panel of judges. Teams were ranked based on how well their evaluations matched the judges’ evaluations of the dairy operation.

Jim and Andy Werkhoven welcomed the teams to their farm on Friday and participated in a question and answer session with students. Team-building and fun activities were held through the weekend to encourage networking among students and agribusiness sponsors.

Team 7 Lewis: Briana Arnold, Washington State University; Rob Diepersloot, California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo; Leonardo DeLeon, California State University – Fresno; Brianna Williams, University of Idaho; Shelby Froland, University of Alberta

Team 9 Klikitat: Karly Nieuwkoop, California State University – Fresno; Kelli Carstensen, California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo; Anna Haines, Texas A & M University; Jessica Reynolds, University of Idaho; Boyd Funk, Washington State University; Dallin Buttars, Utah State University

Dr. Larry Fox, Washington State University and a committee of dairy industry representatives organized the Challenge. A long list of volunteers was important to the competition’s success. For more information about next year’s contest, please contact Chris Dei at csdei@comcast.net.

To become a sponsor, contact Shawna Martinho at SHAWNA.MARTINHO@churchdwight.com. All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Contributing sponsor listings are available on the website.

The Western Regional Dairy Challenge is under the guidance and support of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC), which was established in April 2002 as a management contest to incorporate evaluation of all aspects of a specific dairy business. For more information, visit www.dairychallenge.org. The national contest is slated for April 4 – 6, and will be hosted by Michigan State University, Ohio State University and Purdue University in Fort Wayne, IN.

Recent agriculture and natural resources graduates with bachelor’s-degrees have the third lowest rates of unemployment (7 percent), according to a 2012 study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

By New Year’s Day this year, graduating senior Linsey Howell already had five job offers.

Although the 21-year-old double major in agribusiness and applied economics in Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) won’t receive her degree until graduation day May 5, Howell already has a start date for her new job working in grain merchandising for The Andersons: June 3.

“Thanks to the degrees I’m earning from Ohio State and the internships I’ve had, I was able to take the time to really consider the job offers and decide which one would be the best fit for me and what I want to do in my professional career,” the Danville, Ohio native said. “There are a lot of companies looking to hire agriculture graduates.

“The opportunities are nationwide and worldwide, if you are open to them. A lot of students in the college (CFAES) have job offers at the end of their junior year and a lot of students had jobs by the first career fair, and the ones who aren’t looking for jobs have already been accepted into graduate school.”

Howell is among a growing number of recent agriculture graduates and graduating seniors who are reporting strong job prospects with their agriculture and natural resources degrees in Ohio and nationwide thanks to the growing world-wide demand for food and an increasingly strong agriculture industry, experts say.

In fact, recent agriculture and natural resources graduates with bachelor’s-degrees have the third lowest rates of unemployment (7 percent), according to a 2012 study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. The same study found that rate even lower for graduates with advanced agricultural degrees (2.4 percent).

This, as net farm income is expected to reach $128.2 billion this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s a 14 percent increase over last year’s $112.8 billion and the highest figure since 1973, USDA said in a statement.

The Georgetown study found an overall jobless rate for recent graduates at 8.9 percent, based on 2009 and 2010 U.S. Census data, it said.

Strong future employment prospects ring true for many recent CFAES graduates and graduating CFAES seniors, said Bruce McPheron, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES.

Consider the following:

• Some 92 percent of CFAES graduates are employed or are attending graduate school within six months of graduation.
• CFAES graduates report an average starting salary of $39,024
• Some 72.1 percent of CFAES graduates reported employment within Ohio.
• More than 200 companies and organizations hired CFAES graduates last year.

“We focus on providing not only the best possible technical education for our students but also help them gain leadership, communication, and teamwork skills,” McPheron said.

Job postings by employers received in the CFAES career services office increased in 2012 compared to 2011, said Adam Cahill, career development manager for CFAES. And the college is on pace to see continued gains so far in 2013, he said.

“We have always had high involvement from agribusiness and seed-based companies at our career expos,” Cahill said. “Businesses see the value in our graduates which has kept them coming back every year.

“When we look at the fall semester interviews held at the college, 68 percent were from companies focused directly in seed industry and agribusiness sectors.”

The college is also seeing an increase in company interaction with CFAES student organizations and in the classroom as guest speakers, he said.

“Companies like Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, Pioneer, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, John Deere and numerous others have increased their presence and physical time on campus so that they can interact with and recruit students from multiple avenues outside of the traditional career fair,” Cahill said.

Kristen Johnson agrees. She is one of four recruiters employed by Farm Credit Mid-America, a $19 billion agricultural lending cooperative providing farm and home financing to more than 100,000 agribusinesses, farmers and rural residents throughout Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Farm Credit Mid-America recruits on campuses at more than two dozen colleges and universities that offer four-year degrees in agriculture across our four states, including CFAES, Johnson said, noting that there is “increased competition for the best and brightest” agriculture and natural resources graduates.

“There’s been a substantial increase in the number of businesses participating in campus events seeking employees from agriculture’s talent pool,” she said. “A career fair that might have had 20 companies last year may have 60 this year.

“At the same time, those interested in agricultural careers are really stepping up to the plate. They’re coming in with definitive career plans and have done their research on the companies at the event.”

In response to the growing demand of the agricultural financing market, Farm Credit Mid-America experienced a 27 percent jump in employee numbers in the last three years, and expects to add more than 100 sales and customer support positions in 2013, Johnson said.

“That level of student professionalism is extending into our internships, too,” she said. “This year, we’ll add 40 interns to our program, up from just eight or 10 interns a few years ago.

“Like a lot of other companies, our intern program is an important part of our strategic hiring process and often leads to long-term careers and even leadership positions.”

For Howell, the knowledge that she is graduating with a high-demand degree and the completion of two agriculture-related internships, allows her to feel confident in her short-term and long-term career prospects.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “I know I’ve made the right job decision and I can’t wait to start my new career.”

Source: OSU Extension

The Red and White Dairy Cattle Association is excited to announce that their 2013 summer internship position was awarded to Cassandra (Cassy) Krull of Lake Mills, Wisconsin. During the course of the summer, Cassy’s responisbilities will include assisting with registrations and transfers, publications and representing the RWDCA at various events.

Cassy is the 19 year old daughter of Cindy Krull and the late Brian Krull. She was raised on her parents 800 acre farm where they are currently milking 40 head of registered Holsteins, Jerseys and Red and Whites. Her passion for the dairy industry began at an early age by working with her parents on the farm. Cassy received her first registered animal when she was two years old and has purchased several deep pedigreed cattle during her involvement in the industry. Cassy has been active in judging and showing since she was two years old and continues her interest by attending county, district, state and national shows and sales and being a leader to younger members in her county.

Cassy Krull is currently a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville majoring in Agricultural Education and Animal Science with a dairy emphasis. Her career goal is to promote and educate others about the dairy industry through either teaching or going back into the industry and farming herself. She has been active on campus by being involved in Dairy Club, Dairy Judging and other activities. Cassy has also been active in her county’s 4-H, FFA and Junior Holstein Associations. We look forward to Cassy joining our team for the summer months!

For further details, please contact the Red & White Dairy Cattle Association at 308B Ogden Ave., Clinton, WI 53525; Phone: (608) 676-4900 or 4909; Fax: (608) 299-0800; Email: rwdcastephanie@gmail.comor rwdcareg@gmail.com; Website: www.redandwhitecattle.com.

Founded in 1964, the Red & White Dairy Cattle Association has been located in Crystal Spring, Pennsylvania since 1975 and Clinton, Wisconsin since 2009. The RWDCA strives to encourage and promote the progressive breeding and development of superior Red & White Dairy Cattle by providing breeders with information, programs, and services to help track, evaluate, and improve the breed from one generation to the next. The Association is based on the principle of an open herdbook and currently serves over 1,300 members. For additional information, you may contact the RWDCA at (608) 676-4900 or 4909 or visit www.redandwhitecattle.com.

Holstein Association USA is currently seeking applications to fill two open seats for adult representatives from Areas III and IV on the Junior Advisory Committee (JAC). The JAC is the governing body of the National Junior Holstein Association, serving as a sounding board for Junior members and advisors, and overseeing Holstein youth programs. Adult representatives bring valuable perspective and guidance to the committee. The current adult representatives from Areas III and IV will be completing their terms at the National Junior Holstein Convention this July. Applications must be submitted to Holstein Association USA by March 15, 2013.

Area III covers Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin; and Area IV includes Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Adult representatives are eligible to serve up to two two-year terms on the JAC. The committee meets annually, via conference call or in-person, to discuss Junior Holstein Association matters, and attendance at the National Junior Holstein Convention is mandatory, as the committee assists with coordinating events and carrying out activities. Travel and lodging expenses associated with serving on the JAC are covered by Holstein Association USA. This year’s newly appointed representatives will start their official duties following the 2013 National Convention.

Ideal committee members will be knowledgeable about Junior Holstein programs; have a strong communication network with members in their designated area; must commit to attending designated JAC meetings; and must display the highest standards of ethics and commitment to youth programs.

Learn more about the JAC or download an application at www.holsteinusa.com/juniors/content/membership.html. With questions or for more information, contact Kelli Dunklee, youth programs specialist, at 800.952.5200, ext. 4124, or kdunklee@holstein.com.

Austin Schwartzbeck of Union Bridge, Md., is Holstein Association USA’s 2012 Overall Judi Collinsworth Outstanding Junior Exhibitor Award recipient. The Collinsworth Award is presented annually in honor of former Holstein Executive Director of Member and Industry Services, Judi Collinsworth. The award recognizes youths’ work and involvement with Holstein cattle and dairy activities. Recipients are selected based on sportsmanship, herdsmanship and level of participation in Holstein activities. Schwartzbeck is the ninth youth to receive this honor, and receives a $500 scholarship.

“I feel very honored to be selected as this year’s Judi Collinsworth Award winner,” Austin said. “Winning this award greatly reflects on how much I love to show my Registered Holstein cattle and my participation in Holstein activities that I have learned so much from.”

Schwartzbeck received the Collinsworth Award at the 2012 Premier National Junior Holstein Show in Harrisburg, Pa., where he has been an exhibitor for several years. The 21-year-old son of Gus and Lisa Schwartzbeck has enjoyed being involved on his family’s Peace and Plenty Farm his entire life, in all aspects of the operation. Austin says his life’s passion is breeding and exhibiting Registered Holstein cattle, and his ultimate goal is to pass the farm on to the fifth generation of farmers in his family.

Austin has been a very active member of both the Maryland and National Junior Holstein Associations, participating in a wide range of Junior Holstein activities. He has competed in both dairy bowl and dairy jeopardy at the state and national levels, and has received many accolades through the years, including Junior breeder of an Excellent cow, 2007 national Young Distinguished Junior Member finalist, and 2010 National Distinguished Junior Member semifinalist. He currently represents Area 1 on the National Junior Holstein Advisory committee.

One of Austin’s proudest moments happened in 2011 when he won Junior Champion and Champion Bred and Owned Heifer at the International Junior Holstein Show in Madison, Wis., with his heifer, Peace&Plenty Asteroid Fishy. While he loves showing, Austin says it’s not all about bringing home ribbons and trophies. “One of the most rewarding things I have learned through my years of showing Holsteins is the true value of family and friends in the dairy industry. Showing cows has brought about some of my closest friendships, and I have met countless friends and contacts from every region of the country as well as those in other countries.”

Schwartzbeck is currently a junior at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, where he is studying dairy science. At college he is a member and has held leadership positions with the Dairy Club and Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. He judged for Virginia Tech at the 2011 National Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo, where he was the ninth high individual, helping the team to an impressive second place finish.

One Judi Collinsworth Award recipient is selected at each of the four National Junior Holstein Shows. All winners receive a $250 cash award and are invited to apply for the Overall Collinsworth Award. Other winners from 2012 National Junior Holstein Shows include Briar Jeg, Chehalis, Wash., International Junior Holstein Show; Katie Muntz, Cynthiana, Ky., Grand National Junior Holstein Show; and Wilma Van der Laan, Frederick, OK, Southern Spring National Junior Holstein Show.

Applications for the Judi Collinsworth Award are available online at www.holsteinusa.com/juniors or at any of the 2013 National Junior Holstein Shows. For more information on Holstein youth programs, contact Kelli Dunklee at 800.952.5200, ext. 4124 or kdunklee@holstein.com.

The ninth annual Midwest Dairy Challenge, which ran February 6-8, 2013, attracted 79 students from 19 universities and colleges to the event hosted in Manitowoc, Wis., by Lakeshore Technical College.

“The heavy snow presented a challenge to our students, but the outstanding group rose to the challenge to analyze the two dairies,” said Contest Chair Bryan Horn from Semex.

Dairy Challenge is an innovative dairy analysis competition developed by industry and university professionals, which exposes students to opportunities in a vibrant dairy industry. Working in five-person, mixed-university teams, students at the Midwest Dairy Challenge assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm and presented recommendations for improvement to a panel of judges and participating farm families.

After arrival, students participated in educational seminars by industry leaders. Kristi Fiedler of Genex Cooperative, Inc. shared approaches to evaluate dairy reproductive performance, followed by Paul Jandrin, AgSource Cooperative Services who spoke on using DHIA records. Laurie Schetter, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, presented financial ratios to evaluate economic position of dairy operations, followed by Darin Bremmer of Vita Plus Corp. who demonstrated how to evaluate nutritional health of a dairy operation.

The next day, students visited one of two dairies for on-farm analysis. Host Farm 1 was Soaring Eagle Dairy, Newton, Wis., owned by Jim and Sandie Fitzgerald and daughters Kelly, Julie and Stacy, while Farm 2 was Meadowbrook Dairy, Manitowoc, Wis., owned by the Pete and Shellie Kappelman family.

Friday was presentation day, when each team gave a 20-minute presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session and critique by the judges.

Throughout the event, participants networked with industry volunteers who assist in contest coordination. Representatives from many platinum sponsors – several looking to hire interns and full-time employees – were available for a career and innovation fair. Representatives were also able to share new technologies and trends emerging in their industry.

Also on Friday, Shelly Mayer from Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin provided an inspiring communication training program for the students.

Judges chose two teams as 1st place winners, Team Select Sires from Farm 1 and Team Virtus Nutrition from Farm 2. Individuals on the winning Team Select Sires were Ben Thorpe, University of Minnesota; Samantha Mamarow, Michigan State University; Alaina VanWesten, Northeast Iowa Community College; Trisha Blaser, University of Wisconsin-River Falls; and Sara McCullough, Purdue University. Individuals on Team Virtus Nutrition included Jordan Hanson, Iowa State University; Vernon Oostra, Dordt College; Dillan Schumacher, Northeast Iowa Community College; Nick Miles, Lakeshore Technical College; and Katie Haerr, University of Illinois.

A complete list of Midwest Regional Dairy Challenge contest participants and their placing can be found on the Dairy Challenge web site at http://www.dairychallenge.org/mw_event.php.

The national Dairy Challenge contest will be April 4-6, 2013, in Fort Wayne, IN.

North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge was established in 2002 as a management contest to incorporate all phases of a specific dairy business. Its mission is to facilitate education, communication and an exchange of ideas among students, agribusiness, dairy producers and universities that enhances the development of the dairy industry and its leaders. NAIDC is supported completely through generous donations by 125 agribusinesses and dairy producers, and programs are coordinated by a volunteer board of directors.

For more information, visit www.dairychallenge.org or www.facebook.com/DairyChallenge

LOOKING GOOD: Michelle Horn of Camerons Line clips a cow ready for showing. (WARWICK SMITH/FAIRFAX NZ)

Manawatu Standard – The Dairy Event brings the best dairy cows to Feilding each year, as people travel from the deep south and far north to pit their stock against one another. Jill Galloway went along.

It is all about seeing how your stock matches up against other dairy cows.

“You can sit at home and think you have the best cows in the country but, unless you come to a dairy show like this, you don’t really know,” says Alison Trounce from Seadown, near Timaru.

She and husband Lyndsay were 15 hours on the road and a ferry ride away from the Dairy Event 2013. They left with two “cow floats” on Saturday afternoon, January 26, arriving at the Feilding show a day later.

They came with three in-milk cows and one heifer, all holstein friesians.

“The Dairy Event is important.

“It is a spectacle and all breeds are here. Most of the country’s major breeders still come,” says Mr Trounce.

They are past winners of many show ribbons and that translates into a higher sale price when the Trounces sell dairy cattle.

“It is good for others to see what you have and what’s around.

“It showcases and promotes the herd,” says Mrs Trounce.

Dairy Event chairman Lawrence Satherley says 330 dairy cattle were registered this year.

The show was on last week, from Wednesday to Friday, but some stock left on Saturday on the long trek home.

Mr Satherley says the event brings about 3000 people to the area and generates about $200,000 in expenditure.

“The motels were all full, people ate at restaurants, cafes, some needed to get their car or truck fixed at a garage, and they shop. It is worth a lot to the whole region.” Most people stay in motels, hotels and homestays around Feilding, and the overflow goes to Palmerston North.

Feilding Promotion works tirelessly to get people into accommodation, says Mr Satherley.

This is the fifth year Feilding’s Agricultural Stadium has hosted the Dairy Event, the all-New Zealand show. It is an annual event and it is good to have all the cattle under one roof, he says.

As well as most cattle being there for the show, a few are sold each year. This time it was the Summer Sensation sale at which 24 cattle went under the auctioneer’s hammer, plus five embryo packages.

While the stadium was full with black and white (holstein friesians) and brown (jersey) cows, there were a few red and white cows as well, the ayrshires, guernseys and milking shorthorns making their presence felt. The cows have hay and water. Many lie down to chew their cud. Most look relaxed.

People were busy grooming their cows. There is a small milking shed at the back of the stadium where in-milk cows were milked, so their udders would look their best when they went into the show ring. Cows were shaved, washed and their tails brushed, so they could put their best hoof forward.

Mr Satherley says the reality is there are many ways of looking at dairy farming – production per cow or per hectare, and there are some that have low amounts of supplements, while others go for a lot of supplements, such as palm kernel extract for their dairy cows.

The show evens things up.

“The Dairy Event is all about breeding cows which are superior on conformation. [Farmers or buyers] see where they rank among other good dairy cows.”

He says some bring in the best dairy genetics from all around the world and inseminate their cows with them.

Mr Satherley says young people compete too, during the Youth Show. They have to prepare a cow – clip and clean her, show her and they are judged as a team on that, rather than on the cattle beast.

It is about getting young people to be part of the dairy industry.

They are seen as key. There has been a system of sharemilking, starting with provision of labour only, managing a herd, then owning the cows, and finally working up to owning a farm. Something many sheep and beef as well as arable farmers, can only dream of.

None have such a system of making their way to owning a farm.

Mr Satherley says the judges at the Dairy Event come from overseas, and have no knowledge of the previous history of studs.

He says there have been many studs in the event which have been going for four or five generations.

“There is an amazing knowledge of stockmanship. It goes right from teenagers to grandparents.

“They know if a cow is off-colour and usually know how to treat it themselves.”

Don Ferguson is 78 years old, and says there were three generations of Fergusons at this year’s Dairy Event. Some younger (fourth generation) Fergusons wanted to come but they were back at school.

He has passed on the farm to son Warren but Don can’t stay away.

Dressed in his overalls, he sits and watches how his son and grandsons are doing with the cattle. “There’s a real family interest,” he says.

“My parents helped me, and now my son is farming, and we [Don and his wife] are on two acres.

“My grandchildren and great-grandchildren are interested.”

They are all at Otorohanga’s Ferdon Genetics stand, which has brought the most cattle to the event – 20. Don Ferguson has been showing dairy cattle for 66 years.

He started at calf club when he was 11. And he says he has been showing stud cattle for 60 years.

“And in that time, I have never missed a Waikato A & P Show.”

Mr Ferguson runs six cows in conjunction with the Queen.

He has two of their cows, sisters that are 6 and 7, at the show. They are jerseys.

He says the stud shows cattle because it allows it to compare its cows with others. Mr Ferguson says there have been disappointments during his show life but a “knock back doesn’t do you any harm” and makes you refocus your breeding.

And it makes a success feel great, he says.

When it comes to national dairy shows, he is a strong supporter and so are his family.

“It shows other breeders and the public what you’re doing. And breeding generations of good cattle – it gives you satisfaction.”

Junior exhibitors went head to head in the Junior Dairy Showmanship Contest on Friday, Jan. 11 at the 2013 Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.

The showmen were split into four classes by their age. Class one ranged from age 18-20, class two ranged from 16-17, class three ranged from 13-15, and class four ranged from 9-12 years of age.

The top three contestants received a plaque. Katie Shultz of York County was took class one honors. Cody Eller of Bedford County won class two. Madelin Sweatlock of Lebanon County took honors in class three. Ravyn Bashore of Lebanon County won class four.

Top three showmanship winners of Class one in the Junior Showmanship Contest at the 2013 Pennsylvania Farm Show. From left to right: Katie Shultz, Michala Kuhlman, and Laura Nell.

Class two winners:
1st- Cody Eller, Bedford Co.
2nd – Emily Heilinger, Lebanon Co.
3rd – Bradley Moyer, Lebanon Co.

Class four winners:
1st- Ravyn Bashore, Lebanon Co.
2nd – Stephanie Younker, Berks Co.
3rd – William Cree, Greene Co.
4th – Hallie Kunkel, Berks Co.
5th – Madison Davis, Fayette Co.
6th – Mason Davis, Fayette Co.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural event in the nation, featuring nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibitors. The show runs Jan. 5-12 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg. Admission is free and parking is $10. Visit www.farmshow.state.pa.usfor details.

Pennlive – The doors to the Pennsylvania Farm Show complex hadn’t been locked behind the departing crowd before a whoop went up from a group of teenagers in the main cattle barn.

Patrick Leahy, 17, and Judd Erdman, 18, – both from Lebanon County – had jumped onto a show box and begun gyrating a mock-burlesque, as their friends hooted and made cat calls.

Emily Heilinger, 15, of Lebanon takes a snooze while her three Brown Swiss cows do the same during the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Having crawled into her sleeping bag around 11 p.m., Heilinger was up and milking the cows by 5 a.m.

“When all the people leave, the party starts,” said Troy Longenecker, 20, of Annville.

That’s a bit of an overstatement. Dairy exhibitors continued to tend their cattle all around the boisterous little group, but there’s no question the atmosphere had relaxed.

Radios were turned up. Conversations were now peppered with bits of profanity. Younger exhibitors laughed and played.

It’s as if – when the daily throng of jostling visitors emptied from the cattle barns – everyone exhaled.

Unlike the visitors, the dairy exhibitors live at the Farm Show. What for others is an entertaining day or evening out is for them round-the-clock work.

The faces of farming

Throughout the day, all had been on their best behavior, aware that they were the face of agriculture for tens of thousands of people.

While the gates are open to the public, the dairy exhibitors know it’s their job not only to make sure their cows are presentable, but also to upend common stereotypes and misperceptions about farms and farming.

Abby Sterner, 15, and her brother Ethan, 10, both of Montgomery County, take advantage of the late night lack of crowds at the Farm Show to practice their showmanship.

They’re well-educated. They’re professional. They’re essential to the economy of the state and the nation.

And they help feed us.

“It’s nice being able to educate the public,” said Lauren Nell, of Gettysburg, who did college homework on her laptop as she tended her Holsteins in the North East cattle barn.

Nell is studying early childhood and special education at Slippery Rock University. But like many others, she took a hiatus from winter break for the Farm Show.

It’s in her blood: she started showing cows for 4-H when she was 8 years old.

Educating the public takes many forms. That afternoon, Republican Sen. Richard Alloway walked one of Nell’s cows into the annual Legislative Dairy Showmanship contest, in which state lawmakers attempt to do in the show ring what their young constituents do.

It’s not easy.

Dairy exhibitors sleep wherever they can, so long as they are close to their cows. As one explained, “Once you lay down, you’re out… That alarm goes off really early.”

All the cows have been trained to step forward – or back up – at the tug of a halter, but there are rules governing how a cow should stand before a judge and special tricks to make sure she does so to her best advantage.

When a milking cow stands before a judge, she looks best if the hind leg toward the judge is placed slightly forward, and the other slightly back. If the judge walks around to her other side, her feet should be shifted accordingly.

Nell said Alloway has been showing her cows in the legislative contest for several years.

“It makes you realize how much people don’t know about showing,” she said.

To Alloway’s credit, he’s learning.

“He actually is getting better,” said Nell. “He was switching feet and everything.”

As Nell typed on her laptop, fellow exhibitor Jake Brake, of Franklin County, removed manure from behind nearby cows and forked it into a wheelbarrow. They weren’t Brake’s cows, but in this arena, neighbors look out for neighbors.

Katie Shultz, 21, of Dillsburg, prepares fresh, clean bedding for her cows. Keeping cows clean is a constant concern for dairy exhibitors during the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Meanwhile, a football sailed over both their heads.

Joe Murren, 20, of New Oxford, was “taking advantage of some uncrowded aisles” for a game of catch with Kendra Earl, 21, of Palmyra.

The hour or so after the crowds leave is the only down-time exhibitors regularly get; soon, the work begins again.

In the main barn, Leahy, Erdman and Longenecker were sashaying down the aisle, doing a dance with pitchforks, when a cow humped up and deposited a steaming plop onto the straw.

“You gonna dance and get the crap, or what?” Katie Donmoyer chided the boys.

The “party” was over.

The high whine of clippers cut through the low cacophony of other barn sounds as Jim Mapes, 20, of Mifflinburg, trimmed the shaggy winter coat off his father’s Brown Swiss.

Some pulled their cows to the wash rack for an evening scrub. Others scooped into feed sacks and broke open bales of alfalfa. Still others added sawdust and shaken straw as extra bedding for the stalls.

The routine had resumed.

Abby Sterner, 15, of Montgomery County, took the time to walk her four-year-old champion Brown Swiss slowly along the main corridor that is normally elbow-to-elbow with people during the day.

It provides some exercise for the cow, which has been tied up all week, she said.

It also provides both Sterner and the cow an opportunity to practice the showmanship drills they will have to use during competition at the end of the week.

She said the cow – a veteran of the show ring and blue ribbons – cooperates only “when she wants to.”

“She has the most attitude I’ve ever seen in a cow,” said Sterner.

The night watch

As midnight approached, the radios were turned down, the clippers were turned off, and the barns became more subdued.

Jim Mapes, 20, of Mifflinburg, gives his father’s cow a late night clipping during the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Most of the cows had bedded down and were either quietly chewing their cud or fast asleep.

Many of their owners followed suit.

Exhausted, the exhibitors collapsed on cots, on air mattresses, on bales of straw. One group brought a plush couch.

As Sterner prepared to go to sleep, she explained, “It’s a two-hour drive for us, so going home really isn’t an option.”

Sleeping in the barns eliminates the expense of a hotel and allows her to keep a close eye on the cows.

Nell agreed.

“I like being close to the cows in case something happens,” she said. “There have been times cows get caught in their ropes.”

Nathan Baumgardner, 20, of Dillsburg shuffles the deck for a late-night game of cards in the cow barns at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. The names of the cards games being played are unprintable. As one of his competitors said, “If (the game) has got a vulgar name, it’ll be played.”

The Gettysburg veteran does not, however, sleep next to the cows.

“You can only lay beside a cow for so long before it gets up,” she said, and curling up on a bale of straw loses its novelty pretty quick.

Nell sleeps in the back hallway “where it’s dark, warm and quiet.”

“Once you lay down, you’re out.” she said. “That alarm goes off really early.”

But the barns never fully go to sleep.

Somewhere, amid the rustling of sleeping bags and the snoring, someone is always keeping a watchful eye.

Not far from his two Ayreshires, 20-year-old Nathan Baumgardner, of Dillsburg, shuffles cards.

Several aisles away, first-time exhibitor Madelyn Swetlock, 14, of Lebanon County, is on late night “poop duty” with several friends.

First-time dairy exhibitor, Madelyn Swetlock, 14, of Lebanon County, sits vigil during late night “poop duty” at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Exhibitors work hard to keep their cows clean, which includes removing manure as soon as it hits the straw. “If their tails pop up, you’d better start running,” she said.

“If their tails pop up, you’d better start running,” she said. If a cow were to lay in it, it makes washing it in the morning all the more onerous.

An early start

The watchful quiet lasts only a few hours.

Sometime around 4 a.m. the alarm next to Nell’s ear and others begin to go off.

It’s time to start milking.

Bleary-eyed exhibitors plod their cows to the milking station. Others begin mucking out whatever may have fouled the straw in the night. The aisles become a thoroughfare of wheelbarrows.

The sound of splashing water echoes in the indoor wash rack.

A rooster crows in the darkened barn next door.

The day has begun.

Within an hour, the barns are alive with activity. The cows are 10-deep in the milking parlor, and Nell is working alone.

Lauren Nell, of Gettysburg, is milking her cows by 5 a.m. “That alarm goes off really early,” she said. Nell, who has been showing cows since she was 8 years old, values the few hours of sleep she gets during the Farm Show, so she steals off to sleep in a back hallway, “where it’s dark, warm and quiet.”

“My sister-in-law went into labor tonight,” she said. But she’s not worried about handling the chores by herself: “There’s always people to help.”

In a few hours, the doors will open, and thousands of people will begin streaming in to experience the sights and sounds of the Farm Show.

The exhibitors will be ready.

Even the youngest have been doing this at county fairs and regional competitions for months.

It began in March for Abby Sterner.

“I start walking them more, giving them baths, keeping them clean,” she said. “I start showing in June, and show them all the way through September. Then we have a little break before coming here, but it’s pretty much all year long.”

Her reasons for doing it are like most of the others.

“I just like being with the cows,” she said. “It’s fun to show them, even though it’s a lot of work… and it’s nice to win.”

Casey Morey, Rochester, Alberta
The 2012 Nola Brown Continuous Achievement Award was presented during the National Jersey Show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair to Casey Morey of Rochester, Alberta. This award is presented annually to post-secondary education student who demonstrates avid participation in activities in their home communities, while displaying strong leadership skills, ambition, initiative, and have a strong independent work ethic.

Casey is a dedicated individual who has been very active in her community. She is hard working, ambitious, goal-oriented and passionate, and an enthusiastic participant in both the agricultural sector, as well as her community at large.

Casey takes pride in her involvement with the Jersey breed. She recently showed the first-place Intermediate Calf at the Western Canadian Classic Youth Show, with a heifer that she both bred and owned. This was the first time in the 28 year history of the program that a Jersey heifer won a conformation class at the WCC.

Casey is currently enrolled at the University of Alberta, with plans to complete a degree in Animal Health before pursuing a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, specializing in dairy cattle. Her long-term goal is to open her own veterinary clinic, while still being actively involved with the family dairy operation of Unique Stock Farm.

Casey has successfully balanced 4-H, working on her parents’ farm and volunteering, and she firmly believes this will help her prepare for a career in Veterinary Medicine.

Congratulations, Casey!

For more information on the Nola Brown Continuous Achievement Award, please visit http://www.jerseycanada.com/pages/nola-brown-award.html.

Prix Nola Brown pour l’accomplissement continu

Casey Morey, Rochester, Alberta

Le Prix Nola Brown 2012 pour l’accomplissement continu fut présenté à Casey Morey de Rochester, Alberta lors de l’Exposition nationale Jersey de la Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Ce prix est présenté annuellement à un étudiant au post-secondaire qui démontre une participation engagée aux activités de sa communauté tout en démontrant des talents de leadership, de l’ambition, de l’initiative et une éthique solide de travail.

Casey est une personne dévouée qui est très active dans sa communauté. Elle travaille fort, est ambitieuse, fonceuse et passionnée. Elle est une participante enthousiaste tant dans le secteur agricole que dans sa communauté en général.

Casey est fière de son engagement auprès de la race Jersey. Récemment, elle a présenté la première place Veau intermédiaire lors de l’Exposition jeunesse classique de l’ouest canadien (Western Canadian Classic Youth Show), une génisse qu’elle a elle même vu naître et grandir. C’était la première fois au cours de leurs 28 ans d’existence qu’une génisse Jersey remportait une classe de conformation à la WCC.

Casey étudie présentement à l’Université de l’Alberta où elle compte compléter un diplôme en Santé animale avant de poursuivre un doctorat en médecine vétérinaire à l’Université de Calgary, spécialisation en bovins laitiers. Son but à long terme est d’avoir sa propre clinique vétérinaire tout en participant étroitement à l’entreprise laitière familiale, Unique Stock Farm.

Casey a su partager son temps entre le 4-H, le travail sur la ferme de ses parents et le bénévolat. Elle croit fermement que tous ces engagements lui aideront à se préparer pour sa carrière en médecine vétérinaire.

Félicitations, Casey!

Pour plus d’informations sur le Prix Nola Brown pour l’accomplissement continu, visitez lehttp://www.jerseycanada.com/pages/nola-brown-award.html.

Friday, November 30 is the deadline to submit applications for the third Jersey Youth Academy, July 14 through 19, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio.

Established in 2008, Jersey Youth Academy achieves three broad objectives: first, for the participants to learn why and how the Jersey breed has grown and prospered, and what the future holds for the Jersey business; second, for them to meet leaders from the Jersey community and from across the support industry, and to gain their unique insights about the dairy business with a specific focus on the Jersey cow; and third, to learn about the range of career opportunities that involve the Jersey breed and Jersey products, and begin the journey that will take them to success working in the Jersey dairy business.

Youth who will be juniors or seniors in high school in the fall of 2013 and current college students who will have at least one year remaining to complete their degree are eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. residents.

The application is posted on the Academy web site at http://academy.usjersey.com.. A total of 36 individuals will be selected based on merit, motivation and preparation for the program as reflected in the written application and goal statement.

All program and transportation costs are paid by the Academy’s 501(c)(3) educational foundation. Contributors to the foundation represent a broad spectrum of Jersey breeder and dairy industry support, with the largest contribution to date coming from the all-donation National Heifer Sale in June, 2011.

Applications must be received in the office no later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on November 30.

For more information, contact Dr. Cherie L. Bayer, Director of Development for the American Jersey Cattle Association, at 614/322-4456 or email academy@usjersey.com.

DATE Nov 4th & 5th, 2012
LOCATION Royal Winter Fair – Toronto, Canada
JUDGE Showmanship Judge: Mike West & Associate: Paul Hunt
Conformation Judge: Donald Dubois

Grand Champion – Dan Werry – Durham West
Reserve Grand Champion – Natasha Trip-Niagra North
HM Grand Champion – Peter Leach- Kawartha Lakes

Grand Champion Calf – M Signature Verbatrim Tia Marie (Verbatrim), Alana McKinven, Quebec South East
Reserve Champion – Sharp Acres St Jessy (Secure), Ronald Werry, Durham West
HM Champion – Guyview Lauthority Lizanne (Lauthority), Iris Wolfensberger, Stormont

Junior Showmanship (92)
1. Connor Mann- PEI
2. Matt Lange- South Simcoe
3. Cally Finley- Durham West
4. Madison Dyment- Oxford
5. Caitlin Jampen-Dundas
6. Abbi atkins-Wellington
7. Troy Killough- Elgin
8. Kirkland Reaney – Carleton
9. Kyle Bouma- PEI
10. Connor French- Wellington
11. Cassie hawthorn- perth
12. Dawson Turcott- Peterborough
13. Ashley Harvey- South Simcoe
14. Blaire French- Wellington
15. Brett Stockdale- Peterborough
16. Megan Johnson- Bruce
17. Kyleigh Jampen- Dundas
18. Raine Beckwith- New Brunswick
19. David Leach- Kawartha Lakes
20. Rebeccas Franken- Huron
21. Jessica Sills-Hastings
22. Tessa Bowes- Lanark
23. Laura DeKlein- Middlesex
24. Cassandra Allen- Prescott
25. Rebeccas Spuehler- Prescott

Intermediate Showmanship (122)
1. Peter Leach- Kawartha Lakes
2. Alana McKinven- Quebec south East
3. Travis Canning- Wellington
4. Alex Chabot- Russell
5. Emma Farlinger- Dundas
6. Matthew Forestall- Northumberland
7. Bryce Seaborn- Northumberland
8. Courtney Ray- Hastings
9. Jordan Thompson- Peel
10. Jessica Carr -Northumberland
11. Emma-Sue Johnson- Bruce
12. Chris Deklein-Middlesex
13. Rebecca Doyle- Durham West
14. Amy Elliott- Lambton
15. Christopher Franken- Huron
16. Jocelyn Sayles- Brant
17. Ryan Willows-Perth
18.Victoria Eastman- Carleton
19. Dayna Snowdon- Grenville
20. Graham Orser- Frontenac
21. Josh Karn- Oxford
22. Jocelyn Sayles- Brant
23. Tamara Hamilton -Russell
24. Bronwyn O’Neill- Lennox & Addington
25. Harley Wilson – Nova Scotia
26. Tyson Walker -Wellington
27. Ali Underwood- Huron
28. Serena Lamont- Bruce

Senior Showmanship
1. Dan Werry – Durham West
2. Natasha Trip-Niagra North
3. Patrick Baird- Durham west
4. Taryn Campbell-Durham West
5. Ronald Werry-Durham West
6. Kyle Clement-Leeds
7. Dakota Doyle- Durham West
8. Brittany Lenselink – Wellington
9. Jessica Rodrigue- Quebec Northwest
10. Micheal Barnum- Northumberland
11. Maxime Montplaisir- Quebec center
12. Kristen Brnum-Northumberland
13. Eric Donnan – Hastings
14. Eleri Morris-North Simcoe
15. Cory Robinson-Renfrew
16. Steve Glaude-Glengarry
17. Scott Brown-Lennox & Addington
18. Sarah Jeffs-Northumberland
19. Paul Patenaude- Russell
20. Christine Armstrong-Halimand
21. Iris Wolfensberger-Stormont
22. Bethany MacDonald-Glengarry
23. Jilian Baird-Durham West
24. Jennifer Charlton-Brant
25. Ryan Crowley- Peterborough
26. Kayla St Cyr- Quebec South East
27. Michelle Slaughter- Lambton
28. Shea O’Neill-Grey

Junior Calf (33)

1. Guyview Lauthority Lizanne (Lauthority), Iris Wolfensberger, Stormont
2. Cherry Crest lavanguard Roz (Lavanguard), Caitlin Jampen, Dundas
3. rotaly Windbrook Hilda (Windbrook), Mauranne Hebert, Quebec East
4. Centuryholm Sexyandiknowit (Sanchez ), Victoria Eastman, Carleton
5. Bobmur Colt Lavish P (Colt P), Cassie Hawthorne, Perth
6. Pleasant Nook Tinkerbell (Dempsey), Meghan Eby, Waterloo
7. Crovalley Gold Rapcity (goldwyn), Vanessa Crowley, Peterborough
8. Hanalee Attic jaguar (Attic), Grace McLeod, Oxford
9. Hicklee Sid Satin (Sid), Morgan Hickling, Bruce
10. Limbra Jessie Kimi (Jessie), Kaley Huybregts, Stormont

Intermediate Calf (73)
1. Sunspark Windbrook Extra (Windbrook), Natasha Tripp, Niagra North
2.Wilsonburg Sanchez marley (Sanchez), Darcie Wilson, Nova Scotia
3.Kingsway Lauthority All in (Lauthority), Matthew Forestall, Northumberland
4. Cherry Crest Aspen Twix (Aspen), Bethany MacDonald, Glengarry
5. High Point Rox Delight (Windbrook), Jilian Baird, Durham West
6. Goldenflo Wind Jack in the Box (Windbrook), Brodie MacBeath, PEI
7. Kingsway Godlwyn Dallas (Goldwyn), Derek Lee, Northumberland
8. Dillman Atwood petina (Atwood), Jessica Rodrigue, Quebec North West
9. McIntosh Juanita Goldwyn (Goldwyn), Greg McIntosh, Oxford
10. Crovalley Goldwyn Amazeme (Goldwyn0, Ryan Crowley

Senior Calf (99)
1. Signature Fevered Pitch (Fever), Emma Farlinger, Dundas
2. Redlodge Dempsey Avatar (Dempsey), Fabienne Kagi, Stormont
3. D ray dempsey Summit (Dempsey), Marie-Pier G Vincent, Quebec South
4. Lornevea Braxton Dolly (Braxton), Dan Werry, Durham West
5. Bonnie brae Seaver Bentley (Seaver), Kenny McRae, Prescott
6. Kaymanor Jersey Devil (Dundee), Peter LEach, Kawartha Lakes
7. Comestar Alica Goldwyn (Goldwyn), Bryce Seaborn, Northumberland
8. Phoenixholm Attic Montana (Attic), Zachary Cyr, Quebec South East
9. willdina Fever Timely (Fever), Bailey T Pool, Chatham Kent
10. Rayd oex Jordan Zel Rose (jordan), Christine Armstron, Halimand

Colored Breeds (11)
1. Musquie Calimero Chikeela (Calimero), Ashleigh Benedict, Nova Scotia
2. Wonderent Rebeldoodle (Wonderment), Marshall Ellis, Nova Scotia
3. Lashburn Kellybuck Britney (kellybuck), Carrie Simpson, quebec South West
4. Broadview Zipper 3 (Caspian), Courtney Stringer, York
5. Bartonleigh Calimero Blitz (Calimero), Jared Linttell, Prescott
6. Allegro Everest Surreal (Everest), Nova Scotia
7. Landslide Laure (Harry), Ty Hornbrook, New Brunswick
8. Comfort Farms Dalilah (Yogibear), marty Dykstra, Niagra North
9. Maplehurst Pies Rosalinga (Pies), jocelyn Forster, Wentworth
10. Eastwind Galaxy Magic (Galaxy), Sara Akkermans
11. dun Rovin Frontier Amrillo (Frontier), Jakob Vogel, Glengarry

Jersey Calves (14)
1. Gladale Sweet Baby G (Buster), Martha Mckinnon, Quebec South East
2. Homridge B honey (Buster), Brooke McKinven, Quebec South East
3. Leachland Kit Kat K (Minister), David leach, Kawartha Lakes
4. Huronia RBR Cherish 18Y (Ressurection), Courtney Ray , Hastings
5. golden Comerica Loreal (Comerica), Serena Lamont, Bruce
6. Glenholme Request Triumph (Request), Curtis Ruta, Peel
7. Willow Creek exploit Glitter (Exploit), Adrian Barnia-Plassotta, Weaterloo
8. Geordawn Verbatim Classy 10Y (Verbatim), Caleigh Van kampen, Dufferin
9. Willdina Tequila Jackie (Tequila), Erin Warwick, Durham East
10. Bridon Calcium Gina (Calcium), Brent Sayles, Brant

Jersey Yearlings (21)
1. M Signature Verbatrim Tia Marie (Verbatrim), Alana McKinven, Quebec South East
2. Golden Grandprix Miracle (Grandprix), Alisha Burgess, Middlesex
3. Bridgeview Money Impala (on the Money), Colton Oughtred, Brant
4. Smitden GP Nuggles (Grand Prix), Laura DeKlein, Middlesex
5. Enniskillen Tequila R Daisy (Tequila), Melyssa Sargent, Durham East
6. Enniskillen Nevada Nuggy (Nevada), Bruce Sargent, Durham East
7. Masonvale Res Sasquatch (Ressurction0, Summer Mason, Quebec South East
8. Drentex Reagan Skippy (Reagan), Carolyn Coddingto, Quebec South East
9. Drentex Request Bella (request), patricia Caldwell, Carelton
10. Geordawn Reagan Dahlia (Reagan), Alicia Van Kampen, Dufferin

Summer Yearling
1. Brismer Damion Jasmine (Damion), Veronique Brisson, Quebec South West
2. Belfast Goldwyn Lasenza (Goldwyn), Alex Chabot, Russell
3. Red Oak Sanchez Odyssey (Sanchez), Kyle Bouma, PEI
4. Brownlands Teancious slick (Tenacious), Scott Brown, Lennox & Addington
5. Hazbro Sanchez All-Spark (Sanchez), Tyson Walker, Wellington
6. Kingsway Fever Cow Bell (Fever0, Michael Barnum, Northumberland
7. Therindale Fever Blackberry (Fever), Dakota Doyle, Durham West
8. Weeks Dundee Anika (Dundee), Sarah MacDonell, Nova Scotia
9.Embrdale Bailey Federal (Federal), Cmaeron Stockdale, Peterborough
10. Mactalla Fever Iris (Fever), Kathryn mcCully, New Brunswick

Junior Yearling
1 Sharp Acres St Jessy (Secure), Ronald Werry, Durham West
2. Morsan Atwood Burka (Atwood), Daniel Martin, Bruce
3. Donelea Alex Ballerina (Alexander), Ava Doner, Durham East
4. Jeffshaven Goldwyn Bambi (Goldwyn), Sarah Jeffs, Northumberland
5. Winright Sanchez Jurassic (Sanchez), Kyle Clement, Leeds
6. Milibro Magnetism Rosemacy (Magnestism), Maxime Montplaisir, Quebec Centre
7. Donnandale Denzel Cocopuff (Denzel), Eric Donnan, Hastings
8. Marcon Goldwyn Casila (Goldwyn), Marika Boissonneault, Quebec East
9. Scosim Sterlng Penelopy (Sterling), Carolyn Redmond, Waterloo
10. Hanalee San Alabama (Sanchez), Celeste Cook, Perth

The Michigan team, left to right: Savannah Katulski, Hayleigh Geurink, Joe Domecq, Sarah Black, Megan Bush, Megan Filhart

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan is home to the No. 1 youth dairy judging team in the country. The Michigan youth delegation earned enough points to top teams representing 31 other states in this year’s National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest, held Oct. 1 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. The team was the highest ranking team both overall (beating out second-place Minnesota by 44 points) and in oral reasons. The double win is a first for the Michigan Dairy Youth Program, which is led by Joe Domecq, Michigan State University (MSU) animal science specialist and coordinator of the Michigan dairy judging program.

By winning first place overall, the team earned an invitation to travel to Europe for the two-week International Livestock Judging Tour, an honor awarded to the three top-ranking teams from the national contest. This year marks the sixth time in nine years that the youth team from Michigan has earned this honor by placing either second or third (five times) and first in 2012.

Competing on the Michigan youth team were MSU students Megan Bush, from Swartz Creek; Hayleigh Geurink, Allendale; and Savannah Katulski, Goodrich; and Alma College student Megan Filhart, Rosebush. The team was coached by Domecq and Sarah Black, volunteer assistant coach from Eagle.

“I can’t say enough about the level of commitment and dedication the members of this team made in preparation for the national contest,” Domecq said. “In addition, the program is fortunate to have a large number of volunteers and judging team alumni who are willing to volunteer numerous hours to help train and mentor the youth over the course of the practice season. The entire experience is about more than practicing for a contest – it’s about continuing to build the dairy judging program and helping these young people develop the skills necessary to succeed in life.

As a team, Michigan placed first in the Ayrshire breed, first in the Guernsey breed, second in the Holstein breed and fifth in the Jersey breed. Individually, each team member placed among the top 10 in one or more breeds.

Bush finished second place overall, fourth place in placing points only and fifth place in oral reasons. She was high individual in the Guernsey breed, third high individual in the Ayrshire breed and sixth in Jerseys.

Filhart was third high individual overall, second in both the Ayrshire and Holstein breeds, fifth place in placing points only and seventh place in oral reasons. Geurink placed eighth in oral reasons, ninth overall and was the second high individual in the Guernsey breed. Katulski placed seventh in the Brown Swiss and Guernsey breeds and was 20thhigh individual overall.

World Dairy Expo is like no other dairy industry event in the world. It features an industry trade show with well over 1,100 exhibitors from around the world, national dairy cattle shows and sales for seven dairy cattle breeds, youth judging contests, virtual farm tours and educational programs. Total attendance for the weeklong event tallies close to 70,000.

For more information about the Michigan Dairy Youth Program and the Michigan dairy judging program, contact Domecq at domecqjo@anr.msu.edu or (517) 353-7855.

Sponsors for the MSU and Michigan dairy youth judging programs are ABS Global, Inc., NorthStar Cooperative, the Michigan Holstein Association, the Michigan District 1 and District 6 Holstein Associations, the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, the Michigan Milk Producers Association and the Michigan Dairy Memorial Foundation.

Penn State took home top honors, winning the overall team title along with finishing first in team reasons at the Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. The team was led by Isaac Haagen, the overall high individual and second in reasons. Hayden Hauschildt placed first individual with reasons and second overall individual leading UW-Madison to a second place overall team finish and second in reasons. Rounding out the top five teams overall were: Iowa State University, third; University of Minnesota, fourth; and UW-River Falls, fifth. Ninteen teams competed in this year’s contest.  Teams and individuals receiving recognition are:

Overall Top 10 Teams

1.   Penn State; 2539; coached by Dale Olver
2.   UW-Madison; 2526; coached by Wethal and Kelroy
3.   Iowa State University; 2460; coached by Dr. Lee Kilmer
4.   University of Minnesota; 2447; coached by Hansen, Thurk and Ellinghuysen
5.   UW-River Falls; 2446; coached by Steve Kelm
6.   Virginia Tech; 2439; coached by Knowlton and Barnes
7.   Cornell University; 2435; coached by Kevin Ziemba
8.   University of Illinois; 2394; coached by Gene McCoy
9.   Cal Poly State University; 2387; coached by Dr. Stan Henderson
10.   Kentucky; 2351; coached by Amanda Sterrett

Overall Top 10 Individuals

1.   Isaac Haagen, 859, Penn State
2.   Hayden Hauschildt, 850, UW-Madison
3.   Ariel Taxdal, 849, Penn State
4.   Jayne Esch, 841, University of Minnesota
5.   Abbey Wethal, 840, UW-Madison
6.   Jacob Brey, 836, UW-Madison
7.   Katie Adams, 833, Iowa State University
8.   Chanse Huggins, 833, University of Florida
9.   Rebecca Shaw, 831, Penn State
10.  Jessica Sentelle, 829, Virginia Tech

Top 10 Teams Reasons

1.   Penn State, 828, coached by Dale Olver
2.   UW-Madison, 827, coached by Wethal and Kelroy
3.   University of Minnesota, 825, coached by Hansen, Thurk and Ellinghuysen
4.   Virginia Tech, 821, coached by Knowlton and Barnes
5.   Iowa State University, 819, coached by Dr. Lee Kilmer
6.   Cornell University, 794, coached by Kevin Ziemba
7.   UW-River Falls, 781, coached by Steve Kelm
8.   Michigan State, 781, coached by Joe Domecq
9.   Cal Poly State University, 778, coached by Dr. Stan Henderson
10. Kansas State University, 774, coached by Jon Pretz

Top 10 Individual Reasons

1.   Hayden Hauschildt, 282, UW-Madison
2.   Isaac Haagen, 281, Penn State
3.   Stephen Gould, 281, Cornell University
4.   David Hanson, 281, University of Minnesota
5.   Jessica Sentelle, 280, Virginia Tech
6.   Ariel Taxdal, 277, Penn State
7.   Jayne Esch, 277, University of Minnesota
8.   Kelsey Smith, 276, Virginia Tech
9.   Katie Adams, 275, Iowa State University
10. Abbey Wethal, 274, UW-Madison

Generous support from sponsors makes the 92nd Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest possible. In 2012, sponsors include: ABS Global, Accelerated Genetics, American Guernsey Association, American Jersey Cattle Association, American Livestock Insurance Co., American Milking Shorthorn Society, Ayrshire Breeders’ Association, Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association, CRV USA, Dr. Dave Dickson Trust, Hoard’s Dairyman, Holstein Association USA, Inc., International Protein Sires, Lakeshore Federated Dairy Cooperative, La Belle, Inc., Land of Living, Land O’Lakes, Inc., National Dairy Shrine, Red & White Dairy Cattle Association, Select Sires, Inc., Sexing Technologies, Taurus Service, Inc., Westway Feed Products, LLC and World Dairy Expo.

State University of New York (SUNY) – Cobleskill placed first in the International Post-Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held Monday, October 01, 2012 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisc. The winning team was anchored with a third place finish overall by Sarah Andrew. Other team members included Rayne Paddock, Marybeth Shults, and Emily Pelletier. Austen Schmidt, member of the UW-Madison Farm and Industry Shortcourse (FISC) team, took home top honors as the overall high individual and Samantha Ropp of Kaskaskia College placed first overall in individual reasons.

Fourteen Post-Secondary teams competed in the contest which included two portions: a conventional judging contest with evaluation and individual reasons, and a practical segment.  The practical contest is a unique contest that includes essential on-farm skills with linear scoring, registered heifer evaluations and commercial heifer evaluations.  Team and individual results for both portions are as follows:

Overall Top 10 Teams

1. SUNY – Cobleskill, 2,133
   Team members: Sarah Andrew, Rayne Paddock, Marybeth Shults, Emily Pelletier
2. Morrisville State College, 2,123
   Team members: Duncan Baaley, Marshall Hinz, Adam Hill, Scott Smith
3. UW-Madison FISC, 2,111
   Team members: Austen Schmidt, Nicholas Schuster, Luke Luchterhand, Bret Long
4. Michigan State Ag Tech, 2,107
   Team members: Malissa Reed, Britney Zondlak, Alli Oesch, Adam Guernsey
5. NE Iowa Community College, 2,101
   Team members: Rachel Scott, Nick Duncanson, Andrew Hornberg, Jake Mills
6. Kaskaskia College, 2,087
   Team members: Samantha Ropp, Amanda Malawy, Brian Schumacher, Cathy Guckian
7. Modesto Junior College, 2,024
   Team members:  Jaime Rivera, Eric Migliazzo, Roger Silva, Brian Lopes
8. University of Minnesota-Crookston, 1,939
   Team members:  Whitney Lian, Marilyn Lewis, Rochelle Herzog, Rachl Grant
9. Lakeshore Technical College Team #1, 1,838
   Team members: Samuel Nigon, Nicholas Miles, Jennifer Nash
10. Honduras, 1,801
    Team members: Iuan Bermudez, Edwin Rajo, Aaron Erazo, Roxana Torres

Overall Top 10 Individuals

1. Austen Schmidt, 747, UW-Madison FISC
2. Samantha Ropp, 723, Kaskaskia College
3. Sarah Andew, 721, SUNY – Cobleskill
4. Duncan Baaley, 716, Morrisville State College
5. Whitney Lian, 710, University of Minnesota-Crookston
6. Rachel Scott, 709, NE Iowa Community College
7. Nick Duncanson, 709,  NE Iowa Community College
8. Malissa Reed, 709, Michigan State Ag Tech
9. Marshall Hinz, 708, Morrisville State College
10. Rayne Paddock, 707, SUNY – Cobleskill

Top 5 Team Reasons

1. SUNY – Cobleskill, 509
2. Morrisville State College, 505
3. Kaskaskia College, 493
4. NE Iowa Community College, 489
5. UW-Madison FISC, 481

Top 10 Individual Reasons

1. Samantha Ropp, 177, Kaskaskia College
2. Mitchell Ruth, 174, Morrisville State College
3. Austen Schmidt, 173, UW-Madison FISC
4. Marshall Hinz, 172, Morrisville State College
5. Sarah Andrew, 170, SUNY – Cobleskill
6. Duncan Baaley, 170, Morrisville State College
7. Rayne Paddock, 170, SUNY – Cobleskill
8. Marybeth Shults, 169, SUNY – Cobleskill
9. Rachel Scott, 168, NE Iowa Community College
10. Nicholas Schuster, 168, UW-Madison FISC

Top 5 Teams Practical Contest

1. NE Iowa Community College, 516
2. SUNY – Cobleskill, 495
3. Modesto Jr. College, 478
4. University of Minnesota-Crookston, 470
5. Lakeshore Technical College #1, 441

Top 5 Teams Linear Contest

1. University of Minnesota-Crookston, 438
2. NE Iowa Community College, 435
3. SUNY – Cobleskill, 432
4. Modesto Jr. College, 413
5. Lakeshore Technical College #2, 386

Top 10 Individuals Linear Contest

1. Corissa Robinson, University of Minnesota-Crookston, 156
2. Marybeth Shults, SUNY – Cobleskill, 151
3. Whitney Lian, University of Minnesota-Crookston, 149
4. Andrew Hornberg, NE Iowa Community College, 147
5. Rachel Scott, NE Iowa Community College, 145
6. Rayne Paddock, SUNY – Cobleskill, 144
7. Eric Migliazzo, Modesto Jr. College, 143
8. Jake Mills, NE Iowa Community College, 143
9. Conner Tollenaar, Modesto Jr. College, 141
10. Emily Pelletierr, SUNY – Cobleskill, 137

Top 5 Teams Registered Class

1. SUNY – Cobleskill, 191
2. NE Iowa Community College, 187
3. Modesto Jr. College, 185
4. Lakeshore Technical College #1, 185
5. University of Minnesota Crookston, 176

Top 5 Practical Commercial Class

1. NE Iowa Community College, 184
2. Fox Valley Tech #1, 176
3. SUNY – Cobleskill, 160
4. Modesto Jr. College, 155
5. University of Minnesota-Crookston, 148

Generous support from sponsors makes the 23rd International Post-Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest possible. In 2012, sponsors include: ABS Global, Accelerated Genetics, Ag Bag, Alta Genetics, American Guernsey Association, American Jersey Cattle Association, American Milking Shorthorn Society, Art Nesbitt, Ayrshire Breeders’ Association, Bio-Vet, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association, CRV USA, Den-K Holsteins, Exels Holsteins & Jerseys, E-Zee Milking Equipment, LLC, Hoard’s Dairyman, Holstein Association USA, Inc., International Protein Sires, J.W. Crowley Extension Fund, La Belle, Inc., Lakeshore Federated Dairy Cooperative, Land O’ Lakes, Inc., Maureen DeBruin, Merrick Animal Nutrition, Inc., National Dairy Shrine, Red & White Dairy Cattle Association, Semex USA, Sexing Technologies, Stone-Front Farms, The Hartford Livestock Department, UltraScan, Inc., Westway Feed Products, LLC, World Dairy Expo and World Wide Sires.

Michigan reigned supreme at the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest on October 1 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisc. Team members Megan Filhart, Hayleigh Geurink, Megan Bush and Savannah Katulski led the team to the top in overall placings. Respectively, Megan Filhart and Megan Bush placed second and third in overall individual judging.   The Michigan team was coached by Joe Domecq and Sarah Black.  Placing second, but with equal skills and points was Minnesota. Four points behind them was Pennsylvania.  Tony Garcia of California was the high individual overall and first in oral reasons.  Thirty-One teams from around the country competed in the dairy cattle evaluation contest judging 10 classes, and giving oral reasons on five classes.  Results are as follows:

Top 10 Teams Overall

1. Michigan, 2,045, coached by Domecq and Sarah BlackTeam members: Megan Filhart, Hayleigh Geurink, Megan Bush and Savannah Katulski
2. Minnesota, 2,001 coached by Scheffler and Pieper
   Team members: Mary Liebenstein, Emily Pieper, David Trcka, Dennison Nelson
3. New York, 2,001, coached by Doug Waterman
   Team members: Miquela Hanselman, Andrew Chlus, Jacob Duppengiesser, Heidi Vanleishout
4. Pennsylvania, 1,994,  coached by Chad Dechow
   Team members: Caitlyn Pool, Dyllan Himmelberger, Tim Yoder, Elliot Elsbree
5. Wisconsin, 1,952, coached by Behling/ Grosenick/ Sloan
   Team members: Andy Sell, Janelle Remington, Carrie Warmka, Brad Warmka
6. Ohio, 1,949, coached by Bonnie Ayars
   Team members: Laura Bond, Emily Dudash, Hillary Hayman, Meghan Thurston
7. California, 1,948, coached by Donny Rollin
   Team members: Tony Garcia, Justin Bopp, Tristan Rollin, Brandon Carreiro
8. New Hampshire, 1,940, coached by Jessica Chickering
   Team members: Brooke Clarke, Jacob Blake, Lucas Deblois, Tristan Phillips
9. Maryland, 1,930, coached by Jessica Little
   Team members: Tessa Wiles, Carol Debaugh, Scott Debaugh, Derrick Zimmerman
10. Illinois, 1,897, coached by David Fischer
    Team members: Adrienne Brammeier, Jessica Telgamann, Morgan Wendling, Brett Woker

Top 10 Individuals Overall:

1. Tony Garcia, 700, California
2. Megan Bush, 690, Michigan
3. Megan Filhart, 688, Michigan
4. Dyllan Himmelberger, 686, Pennsylvania
5. Emily Pieper, 680, Minnesota
6. Miquela Hanselman, 677, New York
7. Jacob Duppengiesser, 675, New York
8. Kylie Ward, 671, North Carolina
9. Hayleigh Guerink, 667, Michigan
10. Mary Liebenstein, 665, Minnesota

Top 10 Team Reasons:

1. Michigan, 677, coached by Domecq and Black
2. Minnesota, 677, coached by Scheffler andPieper
3. Pennsylvania, 673, coached by Chad Dechow
4. New York, 661, coached by Doug Waterman
5. Wisconsin, 654, coached by Behling/ Grosenick/ Sloan
6. Maryland, 635, coached by Jessica Little
7. California, 632, coached by Donny Rollin
8. Ohio, 630, coached by Bonnie Ayars
9. Iowa, 628, coached by Lyons and Lovstuen
10. Florida, 628, coached by Holcomb and Clements

Top 10 Individual Reasons:

1. Tony Garcia, 234, California
2. Dyllan Himmelberger, 231, Pennsylvania
3. Mary Liebenstein, 230, Minnesota
4. Jacob Duppengiesser, 228, New York
5. Megan Bush, 227, Michigan
6. Andy Sell, 227, Wisconsin
7. Megan Filhart, 225, Michigan
8. Hayleigh Geurink, 225, Michigan
9. Laura Bond, 224, Ohio
10. David Trcka, 224, Minnesota

Generous support from sponsors makes the 91st National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest possible. In 2012, sponsors include: ABS Global, Accelerated Genetics, American Guernsey Association, American Jersey Cattle Association, American Livestock Insurance Company, Inc., Ayrshire Breeders’ Association, Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association, CRV USA, E-Zee Milking Equipment, LLC, Hoard’s Dairyman, Holstein Association USA, International Protein Sires, Lakeshore Federated Dairy Cooperative, Land of Living, Land O’Lakes, Inc., Maryland Brown Swiss Association, Merrick Animal Nutrition, Inc., Mrs. Judy Majeskie, Nasco, National Dairy Shrine, Pfizer Animal Health, Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, Select Sires, Inc., Sexing Technologies, The Hartford Livestock Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science Dickson Fund, Westway Feed Products, LLC and World Dairy Expo.

The third annual World Dairy Expo Youth Fitting Contest was held Sunday morning. The participants, whose ages ranged from 16-21 years, from across the United States and Canada, demonstrated their dairy cattle fitting skills in this competitive event. Each contestant was responsible to bring an unclipped animal to the contest and their own equipment and supplies. They clipped and fit the hair to enhance each animal’s strengths and weaknesses within the time limit. These eager youth clipped and fitted the animals to perfection. Jason Thomas, Lowville N.Y. served as the official judge who evaluated the twenty participants’ fitting skills.

Top Individuals of the Youth Fitting Contest:

• Wayne Cyrus Conard, Sharon Springs, N.Y.
• Michael Barton, Copake Falls, N.Y.
• Adrian Franken, Teeswater, O.N.
• Lee Morey, Rochester, Minn.
• Ashley Stolzfus, Berlin, Penn.

This contest kicks off the first of many youth events this week at World Dairy Expo. Generous support from sponsors makes the Youth Fitting Contest possible. In 2012, sponsors include: Aesculap AG Germany, Animart, La Belle, Inc. and Wisconsin State Farmer.

The Jersey Canada Youth Committee is pleased to announce two winners of the 2012 Jersey Canada Youth Scholarship.  Congratulations go to Annie Grubb, Brigham, Quebec, and to Hiske Renkema, Mount Elgin, Ontario.

Each year Jersey Canada offers two scholarships of $750, which recognize outstanding interest, knowledge and achievement in the Jersey Breed as well as agriculture in general.  The 2012 scholarship recipients are very worthy individuals, indeed!
Annie Grubb

Annie Grubb is a student at McGill University, where she is studying Agribusiness and Agrology.  Annie explains that she chose this course of study “because it combined both my passion for agriculture and my strength for mathematics.”

Annie was raised on a mixed Holstein and Jersey farm in Brigham, Quebec.  She plays an active role in the raising and breeding of the Jersey heifers.  Annie enjoys showing Jersey heifers as her 4-H project, and works hard to show her Jerseys at the local achievement day and occasionally at the Quebec 4-H provincial rally.

Annie has served on the Quebec 4-H provincial board of directors, and is a member of the Quebec 4-H financial committee.  She has experience as a youth director for the Brome Fair Horticultural Society, and has worked two summers as a student technician at the Club-conseil Gestrie-Sol, and experience which helped to reinforce Annie’s passion for the industry.

Hiske Renkema

Hiske Renkema is a 3rd year student at the University of Guelph, where she will major in Animal Science, and minor in Business Administration.  At the University of Guelph, Hiske takes advantage of opportunities to learn about new technologies, meet individuals passionate about the Agriculture Industry, and connect with professors and other industry specialists.

Hiske is involved in many extra-curricular activities, including College Royal Society, Junior Farmers, International Studies, and Orientation Week Volunteer.

Hiske bought her first Jersey heifer in 2008, and now owns five Jerseys under her own prefix:  Halfway.  After completing her degree in 2014, Hiske plans to fully take over one of her family’s farms.

Judge Bruce Sayles

Novice Showmanship(16)
1st Cameron Barkey, Durham East
2nd  Cody Armstrong, Peterborough

Junior Showmanship (16)
1st Liz Teel Durham West
2nd David Leach Kawartha Lakes

Inter Showmanship(17)
1st Peter Leach Kawartha Lakes
2nd Cameron Stockdale, Peterborough

Senior Showmanship (10)
1st Dan Werry Durham West
2nd Dakota Doyle Durham West

Champion- Peter Leach Kawartha Lakes

Reserve Champion – Dan Werry Durham West

Honourable Mention – Dakota Doyle Durham West

Colored Breeds (11)
1st David Leach Kawartha Lakes – Leachland Kit Kat K
2nd Aidan Bullock Peterborough – Jasper Coulton Chocolate

Junior Calf (21)
1st Sierra McMorrow Kawartha Lakes – Kawartha Braxton Vienna
2nd Vanessa Crowley Peterborough – Crovalley Gold Rapcity

Intermediate Calf (12)
1st Jillian Baird Durham West – High Point  Rox Delight
2nd Ryan Crowley Peterborough – Crovalley Gold Amaze Me

Senior Calf (17)
1st Dan Werry Durham West – Lorneva Braxton Dolly
2nd Peter Leach Kawartha Lakes – Kaymanor Jersey Devil

Summer Yearling (8)
1st Patrick Baird Durham West – Royalwater Fever Jenna
2nd Dakota Doyle Durham West         Therindale Fever Blackberry

Junior Yearling(6)
1st Ronald Werry Durham West – Sharpacres St Jessy
2nd Ava Doner    Durham East – Donalea Alex Ballerina

Champion 4-H Calf – Dan Werry Durham West – Lorneva Braxton Dolly

Reserve Champ Calf – Jillian Baird Durham West – High Point  Rox Delight

Hm Champ Calf – Ronald Werry Durham West – Sharpacres St Jessy

Top Team – Collegiate

1. University of Minnesota (2,108 points)
2. University of Wisconsin- Madision (2066 points)
3. University of Wisconsin- River Falls (2055 points)
4. Cornell Unversity (2052 points)
5. Penn State University (2043 points)

Top Five Individuals- Collegiate
1. David Hanson, University of Minnesota
2. Labecca Johnson, University of WI- River Falls
3. Stephen Gould, Cornell University
4. Theresa Twohey, University of Minnesota
5. Jayne Esch, University of Minnesota

Top Five Teams- 4-H
1. Ohio (1877 points)
2. New York (1841 points)
3. Wisconsin (1825 points)
4. Pennsylvania (1817 points)
5. Maryland (1817 points)

Top Five Individuals- 4-H
1. Trent Miller, WI
2. Emily Dudash, OH
3. Abigail Jantzi, NY
4. Hillary Jackson, OH
5. Laura Bond, OH

Top Five Teams- FFA
1. Minnesota
2. Georgia
3. Indiana
4. Missouri
5. West Virginia

Top Five Individuals- FFA
1. Haely Leiding, MN
2. Kayla Leiding, MN
3. Emma Eckrote, IN
4. Travis Troendle, MN
5. Taylor Gunter, GA

Baraboo, Wis. – The 19th Annual Accelerated Genetics Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest was held September 16, 2012 in Viroqua, Wis., with the University of Minnesota taking top honors in both reasons and overall. The University of Minnesota team was coached by Dr. Les Hansen, Scott Ellinghuysen and Alicia Thurk. Team members Jon Schmitt, Doug Petzel, Tyler Otte, and Laura Rosenhammer, took home the coveted Brown Swiss Canton III Traveling Trophy for winning the contest.

Placing second overall was the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, coached by Cory Weigel and Ryan Weigel. Team members included: Paul Johnson, Cassy Krull, Sarah Endres, and Andrea Pagenkopf. Rounding out the top three teams was South Dakota State University, coached by Steve Crego. Team members included: Alisha VanderWal, Chelsey Johnson, and Chris Schulze.
The top overall individual award went to Jon Schmitt from the University of Minnesota. The other top individuals included (listed in order from 2nd-10th): Erik Warmka, University of Wisconsin-River Falls; Aaron Mitchell, University of Illinois; Doug Petzel, University of Minnesota; Sarah Endres, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Tyler Otte, University of Minnesota; Alisha VanderWal, South Dakota State University; Kyle Jacobs, Kansas State University; Chris Schulze, South Dakota State University; and Paul Johnson, University of Wisonsin-Platteville.

In the oral reasons competition the University of Minnesota took top honors again with second place going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, coached by Chad Wethal and Brian Kelroy and team members: Mackenzie Nichols, Cassie Endres, Laura Finley and Anna Blake; and third place to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Each year the top three individuals for oral reasons receive a special scholarship from the James W. Crowley Fund. This years top three individuals were: Cassie Endres, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Tyler Otte, University of Minnesota; and Jon Schmitt, University of Minnesota.

A total of 17 teams participated in this year’s contest representing the states of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. They judged dairy breeds including, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey and Milking Shorthorn with each participant placing 10 classes and giving five sets of oral reasons.

A key part of the judging contest are the youth that serve as leadspeople. Each year, Vernon County youth assist with the contest by leading the cattle – this year 22 youth participated. Showmanship awards are then given to the youth based on their skills exhibiting the cattle and sportsmanship.

In the Junior Showmanship Division Brianna Hall placed first, Mikayla Lepke placed second and Courtney Moser placed third. Placing first in the Senior Showmanship Division was Logan Guttenberger, second place Arlisa Landis and third was Ryan Guttenberger. And the Overall Showmanship Winner was Jacob Leum who received the David Larson Memorial Showmanship Award – a special award in memory of David Larson, who worked very closely with the Vernon County youth and the judging contest.

This contest would not be possible without the tremendous support of the numerous contest and award sponsors. They include: American Guernsey Association, American Jersey Cattle Association, American Milking Shorthorn Society, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Chart Industries, Inc., Church of Christ, Connie Schmelzer, Hampel Corporation, Holstein Associaiton USA, James W. Crowley Fund, Merial, Ltd., Milk Products, Inc., Pfizer Animal Health, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Sci-Tech Premixes, Star Blends, Supreme Awards, Swiss Valley Farms, Taylor-Wharton Cryogenics, The Baraboo National Bank, The Bank of Viroqua, Vernon County Agricultural Society, Vernon County Junior and Open Show Exhibitors, and Wisconsin Brown Swiss Canton III – Jane of Vernon.

Accelerated Genetics is a global provider of bovine genetics and research, reproductive services, and solution-based animal health products. With a focus on People, Products and Pride, the Accelerated Genetics vision is to be the producer’s trusted first choice.

439 youth from 9 states competed on Sunday, September 16th in the largest ever showmanship contest held in Harrisburg, PA during the All-American Dairy Show.

Junior division

138 head of junior competitors.

1. Mason Mazzaro, 11 of Williamsfield, Ohio
2. Trinity Miller, 10, Westminster, MD
3. Bradley Richman, 10, Mannington, NJ
4. Anna Klink, 9, Linesville, PA
5. Dayton Pitzer, 9, New Alexandria, PA
6. Jailynn Gilbert, 10, Meadville, PA
7. Brooke Cornell, 11, Berlin, PA
8. Mikayla Davis, 11, Leesport, PA
9. Tucker True, 11, Perry, NY
10. Kiley Cassell, 11 , Duncannon, PA

Intermediate division

166 contestants

1. Kyle Barton, 14 of Ancramdale, NY
2. Jacob Kline, 14, Myerstown, PA
3. Daniel Kitchen, 14, Danville, PA
4. Kayla Umbel, 13, Emmitsburg, MD
5. Hannah Rhoades, 15, Greenville, OH
6. Maddy Manges, 13, Fairhope, PA
7. Lane Kummer, 12, Evans City, PA
8. Kayla Windecker, 15, Frankfort, NY
9. Lexi Winkler, 14, Woodbine, MD
10. Kelsey, Heiney, 13, Strasburg, PA

Senior Division

135 other contestants

1. Jade Jensen, 19, Joplin, MO
2. Second – Elijah Dobay, 17, Farmdale, OH
3. Corbin Wood, 21, Littletown, PA
4. Lauren Nell, 19, Gettysburg, PA
5. Madison Fisher, 21, Claysburg, PA
6. Spencer Weimer, 21 Emlenton, PA
7. Ashlee Dietz, 21, Southington, OH
8. Kaitlyn Corbatt, 19, Williamsport, MD
9. Laura Emerson, 21, Middletown, DE
10. Justin Kennedy, 17, New Castle, PA

September 6th, 2012
Western Washington Fairgrounds – Puyallup, WA
Judge: Herby Lutz

Novice Showmanship (11)
1. Brylee Yackley – Onalaska, WA
2. Clancy Krahn – Albany, OR
3. Lauryn Young – Chahalis, WA
4. Scott Christiansen – Turner, OR
5. Briggs Snell – Tillamook, OR

Junior Showmanship (11)
1. Zack Schilter – Chehalis, WA
2. Gracie Krahn – Albany, OR
3. Ryan Erickson – Lynden, WA
4. Derek Littrel – Deer Park, WA
5. Helena Van Ess – Duvall, WA

Intermediate Showman (8)
1. Nicole Sanders – Hilmar, CA
2. Alicia Smaciarz – Raymond, WA
3. Tyler Meyer – Toledo, WA
4. Kyle Erickson – Lynden, WA
5. Mieke Van Ess – Duvall, WA

Senior Showman (10)
1. Mike Kortus – Lynden, WA
2. Andrea Smaciarz – Raymond, WA
3. Natalie Sanders, Hilmar, CA
4. Rebecca Thomas – Cornelius, OR
5. Rebekah Gourley – Scio, OR

The sun was hot, the cattle were clipped and the excitement was high as the 2012 Inter-County Judging competition kicked off at the Embro Fairgrounds on Thursday, August 2nd. A total of 86 participants took part in the competition, judging nine classes of cattle from area farms throughout the day.

Participants started off the day by writing a quiz based on material from the “You be the Judge” manual, which all young judges use to hone their skills. Upon completion of the 50-point quiz, participants headed outside to evaluate three classes of Holsteins, three classes of Jerseys and one class each of Brown Swiss, Guernsey and Ayrshire cattle.

After spending the morning judging, participants broke for lunch before reconvening to give reasons in the afternoon. Seniors gave reasons on six of the classes they judged that morning, while juniors gave reasons on three classes. Participants later gathered in the main building to receive official placings and cuts from the day’s judges: Alicia Horne, Murray Reissner, Bruce Sayles, Jennifer Peart, Mike West, Steve Fraser, Ken Empey, Art Groenewegen and Brian Carscadden.

At 4:30, participants gathered for a roast beef dinner and waited in anticipation to find out which four participants had won the 10-day all-expenses-paid trip to Madison, Wisconsin to attend World Dairy Expo.

Following dinner, Jason French of the Ontario Holstein Branch thanked the sponsors and volunteers for making the day so successful. Sarah McIntosh of John Deere – the event’s premier sponsor – congratulated all participants and wished the winning team well in Madison.

This year, Vanessa Crowley of Peterborough, Michael Lupton of Oxford, Jenna Elliott of Lambton and Chris Steven, also of Lambton, will represent Ontario at World Dairy Expo where they will compete in the 91st National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. They were among the top winners of the day and will travel to Madison for 10 days in October with Bert Stewart and Murray Reissner as coaches.

Following in her siblings’ footsteps in years past, Vanessa Crowley was named High Individual winner in the senior category. High Individual runner-up was Michael Lupton.
Winning High Senior Team this year was the Lambton County team made up of Jenna Elliott and Chris Steven and coached by Brian Slaughter. Michael Lupton and Marty Hazeleger of Oxford, coached by Dean Karn, were runners-up.

In the junior division, Mikayla Ringelberg of Wentworth had an outstanding day. She won High Individual and was named Junior Rookie of the day. High Individual runner-up was Peter Leach of Kawartha Lakes. This year’s High Team in the junior division was made up of Madison Dyment and Trent Jones of Oxford, coached by Dean Karn. Brent and Connor Sikma of Durham East, coached by Glenn Barkey, were runners-up. Congratulations to all 2012 winners listed below!

Thank you to the fantastic group of volunteers and committee members who went above and beyond to make everything run smoothly! We also wish to thank the Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund and John Deere, as well as the numerous sponsors and supporters who continue to make the event possible each year.

• SENIOR DIVISION RESULTS
  • High Team and Coach – Sponsored by Genervations – Jenna Elliott and Chris Steven, coached by Brian Slaughter (Lambton)
  • Runner-Up High Team and Coach – Sponsored by C.I.B.C. –  Michael Lupton and Marty Hazeleger, coached by Dean Karn (Oxford)
  • High Individual – Sponsored by Bert Stewart -• Vanessa Crowley (Peterborough)
  • Runner-Up High Individual – In Memory of Bill Dobbin – Michael Lupton (Oxford)
  • High Placing – Sponsored by Clarence Diefenbacher – Grant Armstrong (Northumberland)
  • Runner-Up High Placing – Sponsored by Fradon Holsteins – Cameron Stockdale (Durham East)
  • High Reasons – Sponsored by Joe Snyder -Alan Nanne (Lanark)
  • Runner-Up High Reasons – Sponsored by Hessholm Holsteins -Michael Lupton (Oxford)
  • High Holsteins – Sponsored by Lowell Lindsay – Dan Werry (Durham West)
  • Runner-Up High Holsteins – Sponsored by Riverdown Holsteins – Marty Hazeleger (Oxford)
  • High Jersey – Sponsored by Joel Bagg – Alan Nanne (Lanark)
  • Runner-Up High Jersey – Sponsored by Bell City Jerseys – Jenna Elliott (Lambton)
  • High Other Breeds – Sponsored by Terry Beckett – Vanessa Crowley (Peterborough)
  • Runner-Up High Other Breeds – Sponsored by Murray Reissner – Grant Armstrong (Northumberland)
  • High Quiz – Sponsored by Paul Larmer – Courtney O’Neill (Lennox & Addington)
  • Runner-Up High Quiz – Sponsored by Bill Edelstein – Julia Lensvelt (Perth)
  • Rookie Award – Sponsored by Ken Empey – Chris Steven (Lambton)
• JUNIOR DIVISION RESULTS
  • High Team and Coach – Sponsored by TD Canada Trust -Madison Dyment and Trent Jones, coached by Dean Karn (Oxford)
  • Runner-Up High Team and Coach – Sponsored by John Deere – Connor Sikma and Brent Sikma, coached by Glenn Barkey (Durham East)
  • High Individual – Sponsored by Phyllis MacMaster – Mikayla Ringelberg (Wentworth)
  • Runner-Up High Individual – Sponsored by Geoff Innes – Peter Leach (Kawartha Lakes)
  • High Placing – Sponsored by Jason French -Connor Sikma (Durham East)
  • Runner-Up High Placing – Sponsored by Ebyholme Farms – Peter Leach (Kawartha Lakes)
  • High Reasons – Sponsored by Steven Fraser – Peter Leach (Kawartha Lakes)
  • Runner-Up High Reasons – Sponsored by Earl Osborne – Mikayla Ringelberg (Wentworth)
  • High Holsteins – Sponsored by Select Sires – Brett Stockdale (Durham East)
  • Runner-Up High Holsteins – Sponsored by Select Sires – Justin Velthuis (Carleton)
  • High Jerseys – Sponsored by R.J. Farms – Peter Leach (Kawartha Lakes)
  • Runner-Up High Jersey – Sponsored by Maple Leaf Jerseys – Mikayla Ringelberg (Wentworth)
  • High Quiz – Sponsored by Altona Lea Farms – Madison Dyment (Oxford)
  • Runner-Up High Quiz – Sponsored by Quinndale Holsteins – Mikayla Ringelberg (Wentworth)
  • Rookie Award – Sponsored by Ken Empey – Mikayla Ringelberg (Wentworth)

Christine Reitsma, an 18-year-old college student from Sauk Centre, was crowned the 59th Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Wednesday.

Reitsma, the first Princess Kay to hail from Stearns County, will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for more than 4,000 Minnesota dairy farmers. Christine is the daughter of Paul and Carolyn Reitsma of Sauk Centre, and will attend the University of Minnesota Twin Cities this fall studying applied economics.

County dairy princesses from throughout Minnesota competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Victoria Haler of Waconia, representing Carver County, and Kelsey Mussman of Claremont, representing Steele County, were selected as runners-up. Mussman was also named Miss Congeniality. Scholarships were awarded to Reitsma, Mussman and Laura Rosenhammer of Sleepy Eye, representing Brown County.

One of Reitsma’s first duties as Princess Kay will be to sit in a rotating cooler for about six hours on the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair to have her likeness sculpted in a 90-pound block of butter. Each of the other finalists will have her likeness carved in butter during the fair, as well. This year marks butter sculptor Linda Christensen’s 41st year carving the Princess Kay of the Milky Way winner and finalists at the Minnesota State Fair.

Throughout her year-long reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Reitsma will make public appearances helping consumers make a connection with Minnesota dairy farm families who are dedicated to producing wholesome milk while caring for their animals and natural resources.

Princess Kay candidates are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills, personality and enthusiasm for dairy promotion. The Midwest Dairy Association sponsors the Princess Kay program with funds provided by dairy farmers.

Midwest Dairy Association is a non-profit organization that provides consumers with information about the nutrition and wholesomeness of dairy foods, and conducts research and promotional programs.