Last year’s Reserve Grand Champion came back as a four-year-old and won it all, in the open show and the junior show, for Brittany Taylor and Laylaa Schuler of New Glarus, Wis.
Laylaa Schuler had spent all day worrying about one thing: whether Stevie would lead. She did. By the end of Thursday’s International Guernsey Show at World Dairy Expo, the homebred four-year-old had collected nearly every major banner in the Coliseum.
Judge Chris Lang of Big Prairie, Ohio, and associate judge Kevin Stoltzfus of East Earl, Pa., named Donnybrook Ammo Stevie Grand Champion and Senior Champion of the open show. She was also Grand Champion and Senior Champion of the Junior Show. Then came Best Bred & Owned, Best Udder, Total Performance Winner and the Holstein Marketplace Sires International Type & Production Award.
That’s a long way from 2025. A year ago she won the Senior Three-Year-Old class, then Intermediate and Grand Champion of the Junior Show. In the open show she was Reserve Grand behind Kadence Fames Lovely. This year nobody stood in front of her.
“She just escalated from there”
The owners shared in a ringside interview that Stevie wasn’t always a standout. They showed her as a fall calf and she placed somewhere in the middle of her class. After she calved in, she “just escalated from there.”
Laylaa led her and said it “feels really good now.” Brittany, watching from outside the ring, said she was “very anxious.” Both admitted their emotions got the better of them. They’d hoped Stevie could come back strong, but they said you never expect to walk out and just win. They were showing younger cows that morning too, so there wasn’t much time for nerves before the four-year-olds went in.
Brittany said it hadn’t really sunk in yet and probably wouldn’t for a while, “just like it has the last couple years.” She also thinks Stevie’s best days are still ahead of her. Laylaa just wants her to keep calving in and see what she can do.
They thanked their aunt and uncle, Cammy and Jesse Dorn, calling them the backbone of the operation. They also thanked their grandparents, Duane and Lori Schuler, who started the Donnybrook herd.
On Friday, Stevie returned to the Coliseum for the Supreme Champion selection. Supreme went to the Jersey Stoney Point Joel Bailey for Vierra Dairy Farms, with the Holstein Eixdale Pwrup Alongside as Reserve.
Venus and the 2025 class winners
The Reserve Grand Champion followed a similar path. RHG Villa Breezy Venus-ET won the Senior Two-Year-Old class in Madison last year. This year she won the Senior Three-Year-Old class and was named Intermediate Champion for Alison, Leo & Brianna Gartman of Sheboygan, Wis. She also took Intermediate and Reserve Grand in the Junior Show.
Honorable Mention Grand and Reserve Senior went to PR-Valley Gem Summit Quiana, second to Stevie in the four-year-old class. She shows for N, E, R & T Chupp, K Brewer, B Carpio and E Allen of Inola, Okla. Sniders HP GG Pie Ashton-ETV, second in the aged cow class a year ago, won it this time and was Honorable Mention Senior for Prairie Cream and Valley Gem of Cumberland, Wis.
In the intermediate ranks, PR-Empire McDreamy Lainey won the Senior Two-Year-Old class with Best Udder and Bred & Owned honors. She went on to Reserve Intermediate for Tim & Megan Schrupp of Paynesville, Minn. Honorable Mention was Twin County Tina Turner, the Junior Three-Year-Old winner for Landree Fraley of Muncy, Pa. She finished fifth as a Summer Junior Two-Year-Old in 2025 and was Reserve Intermediate of the Junior Show this year.
Knapp takes Premier, Valley Gem the groups
Knapp Genetics of Epworth, Iowa (Austin & Jenna Knapp) was named Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor. They won Best Three Females and placed first and third in Produce of Dam. Knapps AP Tokyo-ETV won the Lifetime Production Cow class with Best Udder and Bred & Owned honors. Unos APie Uncover-ET won the Spring Junior Two-Year-Old class for Knapp Genetics and Jesse & Kiley Muse.
Tokyo, Uncover and Ashton all helped make Indian Acres American Pie the Premier Sire. So did Summit AP Kitty-ETV, the Yearling in Milk winner for Makenzie & Callen Ferris.
Valley Gem Farm of Cumberland, Wis., won the Exhibitor’s Herd and the Junior Best Three Females. They were second in both Best Three Females and Produce of Dam. Valley Gem Cadet Saucy won the Summer Junior Two-Year-Old class.
The Taylor, Schuler and Haag families did more than win Grand. Hickman Valleys S Blakely won the Five-Year-Old class and was Honorable Mention Senior in the Junior Show. They were also second in the Exhibitor’s Herd. In Wednesday’s heifer show, Kayleigh Haag was named Premier Exhibitor.
Heifer show: Beryl tops the fall calves
Knapps PK Drone Beryl-ET won the 29-head Fall Calf class and went on to Junior Champion. She’s owned by Jesse & Kiley Muse, Jim & Valerie Spreng and Jay Ackley of Glasgow, Ky.
Reserve went to Gold N Pines U Butter Me Up-ETV, last year’s winning Winter Calf, who won the Winter Yearling class this year. She’s led by Dylan & Cameron Ryan and owned by Bruce, Val, Ashley & Shawon Vande Zande of Fond du Lac, Wis. She was also Junior Champion of the Junior Show. Valley Gem PC JCP Duvet-ETV, the Fall Yearling winner, was Honorable Mention and Reserve Junior Champion of the Junior Show for Tom & Bill Blue, with Carissa Pittman leading.
Adams Creek (Kate Nuttleman) of Bangor, Wis., was Premier Breeder of the heifer show. Springhill James Dean-ETV was Premier Sire.
Junior Show highlights
Juniors won Grand, Reserve Grand and Intermediate in the open show. In the Junior Show, Hi Guern View Drone Antigua was Honorable Mention Grand, Reserve Senior Champion and Best Bred & Owned for Alaina Dinderman of Orangeville, Ill. She won the Junior Three-Year-Old class in Madison last year.
Complete class-by-class results follow below.
