Kira and Griffin Lamb’s aged cow sensation caps a dominant day in Hamburg as JP Charest rewards dairy quality, open ribs, and mammary systems that stop you in your tracks.
The 2026 International Jersey Show at the New York Spring Dairy Carousel delivered one of the deepest, most competitive lineups Hamburg has seen in years. Judge JP Charest of Quebec sorted through massive classes — 27 entries in the fall heifer calf class alone — inside the Showplex at the Erie County Fairgrounds on March 29, running simultaneously alongside the Northeast Spring National Red & White Show in the adjacent ring.
And when the dust settled, there was no debate. Kevetta Colton Delilah, the 94-point aged cow exhibited by Kira and Griffin Lamb, walked away as both Junior Show Grand Champion and Open Show Grand Champion. She’s the reigning Grand Champion of the 2025 World Dairy Expo Junior Show and Reserve All American Aged Cow — and she looked every bit that caliber in Hamburg.
Delilah Was Never in Doubt
JP Charest didn’t mince words. When it came time for the grand champion drive, he acknowledged the obvious: the senior champions were going to be grand and reserve, and the intermediate champion would slot into honorable mention. “No surprise,” he said. “Quality cows”.
Delilah’s combination of tremendous openness, dairy quality, feet and legs, and ring presence made her untouchable. The commentators had called it well before the tap — “the presence of that cow is astounding,” one noted, while the other quipped about whether it was presence or if “she’s just crazy… she’s got her head up, and she’s always on, so alert”.
Reserve Grand Champion went to Waymar Viral Noel, the 93-point five-year-old exhibited by Isaac Fultz, Forex Ford, and Cache Valley Genetics. Here’s the kicker: this cow hasn’t been in a show ring since the Royal in 2024. She traces back to the legendary Waymar Patrick Nadine — a cow one commentator recalled parking “a truck in that cow’s rib cage” when he saw her in 1996. Viral Noel’s mammary system, forequarter attachment, and venetion earned her a handy win in the five-year-old class and a well-deserved reserve banner.
Honorable Mention Grand Champion went to McWilliams CC Double, the intermediate champion exhibited by Valerie and Jim Sprang and Ackley. JP kept six cows in his intermediate pull instead of the usual five — a testament to the depth in the two-year-old and three-year-old ranks.
The Heifer Show: Spats VIP Sorrell Tops a Loaded Field
The open show junior championship went to MPH Spats VIP Sorrell, the winning spring yearling exhibited by Matt Seneca, Kutu, and T & K Reynolds. Charest called her an “easy winner” — a heifer that combined beautiful style, open rib, width in all her parts, and a gorgeous set of feet and legs. Her pedigree stacks up too, with a 95-point next dam and 94-point third dam.
Reserve Junior Champion of the open show was Holly Lane BL Video Dolce Vita, exhibited by Rory Cornell. This fall yearling owned her class and then flipped to Junior Champion of the Junior Show, where Charest praised her correctness, ring presence, and length from hooks to pins. She’s bred by a partnership spanning South America and Canada — a Holly Lane-bred Video daughter tracing into the Cross Brooks family.
Honorable Mention Junior Champion of the open division was South Mountain & Co Rock Rebellion, the winning summer yearling for Rodney and Kate Hetz and Renee Pieric, a Rascal daughter out of a 93-94 point dam.
McWilliams CC Double earned intermediate champion honors with what Charest described as a cow that “puts it all together” — a high, wide rear udder and beautiful forequarter that edged out a strong group. Reserve intermediate went to Underground Milkshakes Margo for Cameron and Macy Crothers, while Nicole Arrowsmith’s Hillacres Video Abba picked up honorable mention.
The senior three-year-old class produced a notable entry in Robin Hood MPH Tequila Rose, who was Junior Supreme Champion at the Pennsylvania Farm Show just two months earlier. She placed second behind Isaac Fultz’s excellent Casino daughter from Newark Valley — a herd the commentators praised for “extraordinary herd averages for a long time”.
The lifetime production class featured two warriors within 5,000 pounds of each other. Elm View Farm’s Willabar Diamondback Rose, an excellent-95 cow with roughly 160,000 pounds lifetime, topped Lantland’s 94-point entry carrying approximately 163,000 pounds. Charest noted that the first cow “overpowers” on frame and spring of rib, though both 10-year-olds with seven lactations “stood the test of time”.
Mason Zimba: The Quiet Dominator
If there was a premier exhibitor story at this show, it’s Mason Zimba and Z Class/Sunnyside Farms. Zimba’s fingerprints were everywhere:
- Junior 3-year-old class winner with ZC & SS Laspada Constance
- Reserve Intermediate Champion of the Junior Show
- Winning Junior Best Three in both the Junior and Open shows
- Winning Produce of Dam
- Best Three Females winner
- Multiple entries placing consistently across heifer and cow classes
His Z Class program is breeding them and showing them at a level that’s hard to ignore. The Laspada daughters, the Garland Crown two-year-old, the Cash Recognition winter yearling — Zimba brought depth, not just a single headliner.
The Crothers Sisters Keep Climbing
Cameron and Macy Crothers had a banner day that included the winning four-year-old (Jaybird SSF Reckless Jola at 91 points), reserve intermediate champion (Underground Milkshakes Margo), and honorable mention grand champion of the Junior Show. They also placed in the produce of dam. The Silver Springs Farm and SSF genetics connection is paying dividends, and these two are building a show string that demands attention at every level.
Sale Night Heifer Makes Immediate Impact
One of the more compelling storylines: Big Guns Joyride Valhalla, consigned by Glamourview/Yeager & Walton, sold as Lot 2 at the NY Spring Select Sale on Saturday night and walked into the winter yearling class the next morning to place second behind Maker Farms’ Side Show Ruby Red. Her dam is a 93-point cow tracing to the Vanilla family. Gene Yeager picked her up, and she immediately proved her worth in one of the show’s toughest heifer classes.
A Judge Who Knew What He Wanted
JP Charest was consistent all day: open ribs, dairy character, width through the chest and rump, high and wide rear udders with venetion and texture. He rewarded correctness on the move and wasn’t afraid to separate close placings on mammary quality alone. His enthusiasm was infectious — the commentators noted he was “clutch on the mic” and described him as “an enthusiastic, positive judge” who was “looking for people to talk to” between classes.
Running a Jersey show simultaneously with a Red & White show in the same building is logistically chaotic. Credit to show committee chairperson Ginny Folts and the crew — including the tireless ring-runner Deb Crothers, who corrected class placings “five times, no joke” as JP shuffled his winter yearling order repeatedly in a class of 18.
What This Show Tells Us
The 2026 NY Spring Jersey Show confirmed a few things worth watching as the season unfolds:
- Kevetta Colton Delilah is the cow to beat in 2026. At every angle, she’s operating at a level that separates her from the pack. The Lambs have a legitimate national contender.
- The Video daughters are showing up everywhere — from Rory Cornell’s junior champion to Nicole Arrowsmith’s entries to Caroline Arrowsmith’s string. That sire is stamping quality mammary systems and dairy character into the breed.
- The next generation of exhibitors — Zimba, the Crothers sisters, Rory Cornell, the Arrowsmiths — aren’t just showing up. They’re winning classes, collecting banners, and building programs that rival established operations.
Hamburg delivered. The water was deep, the quality was real, and the Jersey breed walks out of the Showplex with a clear message: the 2026 show season is going to be a fight from top to bottom.
HEIFER CLASSES
Fall Heifer Calf
- Labels Out Dexter — Evan Westerfield
- Dream Valley Tour de France — Michael Bosley
Winter Heifer Calf (27 entries)
- Pacific Edge (dam was Supreme Champion WDE Junior Show 2024) — Daniel Hosking, New Berlin, NY
- Rock and Roll Serenity (Hidalgo x EX-91 dam) — Christy Ellsworth & Sara Reed
Summer Yearling
- South Mountain & Co Rock Rebellion (Rascal x 93-94 pt dam) — Rodney & Kate Hetz and Renee Pieric
- HRC Manhattans Moneymaker (93 pt dam) — Cameron & Macy Crothers
Spring Yearling (19 entries)
- MPH Spats VIP Sorrell — Matt Seneca, Kutu, T & K Reynolds
- Spades Gigawatt Spice — Ford & Handley Kids
- Ravenside Hidalgo Genesis — Sara Reed, Columbia Cross Roads, PA
- Jeff Van Patten entry
- Beth Roberts entry (Kid Rock x EX-93 dam)
- (entry 1086) 7–10. (additional placings announced on Showman; 1st Junior: Jacob Smith Gall with Bar KG entry; 2nd Junior: JKB Maverick Lena — Jersey Newland, Kirby Nichols & Bryce Warner)
Winter Yearling (18 entries)
- Maker Side Show Ruby Red — Maker Farms (Carrie Alexander), Rockwood, ON
- Big Guns Joyride Valhalla — Glamourview/Yeager & Walton (sold at NY Spring Select Sale the night before)
- Cash Out Kid Rock Vice — Sailor Reynolds, Ren Crest Farm
- Z Class Cash Recognition — Mason Ziemba (1st Junior)
- South Mountain & Co Chocolate Chip Cherish — Kira & Griffin Lamb (2nd Junior)
Fall Yearling
- Holly Lane BL Video Dolce Vita — Rory Cornell
- Maker Reckless Shivers — Maker Farms
- Rock and Roll entry — Christy Ellsworth & Sara Reed (Hidalgo x EX-91 dam)
- Katie Carpenter entry (Coco Chip daughter)
- Elizabeth Bosley entry (Canadian Club x VG-86 dam, 4th dam Veronica)
COW CLASSES
Summer Junior Two-Year-Old (1 entry)
- Locus Air Victorious Maddie — Riley Hanes, Maryland
Spring Junior Two-Year-Old (8 entries)
- Z Class Garland Crown — Mason Ziemba, Sunnyside Farms (Sexing Garland daughter)
- River Valley Chief daughter — Grace Klein
- Flat Rock Savage Little Missy (VG-88) — Nicole Arrowsmith
- Klein entry (Kid Rock x EX-94 Hired Gun dam)
- Maker Farms Lala daughter (EX Tequila dam, 3-4 dams EX) — Carrie Alexander
- Star Rock Victorious Ellie (VG-85, dam of Rivendale VIP Eloise) — Cooper Merrill
- Joel daughter (VG-88 dam, 2nd dam EX-94 All Canadian Mature Cow) — Tyler Spencer
- Milo Vindication daughter
Fall Senior Two-Year-Old
- Palmerton Frank Shiloh — Crothers
Winter Senior Two-Year-Old
- McWilliams CC Double — Valerie & Jim Sprang & Ackley (bred by Doe Brainer, Bowen & Carters Corners)
- Z Class Vale Canadian Winter — Mason Ziemba & Peter Vail
- Hillacres Knox Stargaze — Nicole Arrowsmith
Junior Three-Year-Old
- ZC & SS Laspada Constance — Mason Ziemba (also 1st Junior Exhibitor)
- Lulin CC Shameful — Bryant Stuttle & Emily/Jason Monnet
- Underground Dotty Dot — Owen & Lucy Kimball
Senior Three-Year-Old
- EX Casino daughter (dam EX-95, The Changer Height cow, exhibited at WDE 2024) — Isaac Fultz, Newark Valley, NY
- Robin Hood MPH Tequila Rose (Junior Supreme Champion PA Farm Show Jan 2026; dam EX-92, 2nd dam 92, 3rd & 4th dams 94) — Carly Spicer
- Victoria’s daughter — Katie Carpenter
- VG-86 entry (returning from 2025 show)
Four-Year-Old
- Jaybird SSF Reckless Jola (91 pts) — Cameron & Macy Crothers
- Lookout Baby Got Back — Lookout/Brooke McKinnon (McKinven), Canton de Hatley, QC
- Plumb Line V Sunflower (Best Bred & Owned) — Olivia Carey
Five-Year-Old
- Waymar Viral Noel (EX-93, traces to Waymar Patrick Nadine) — Isaac Fultz, Forex Ford & Cache Valley Genetics
- Lily Johnson entry
- Caroline Arrowsmith entry
- Maverick Mace entry
Aged Cow
- Kevetta Colton Delilah (EX-94, Grand Champion WDE Junior Show 2025, Reserve All American Aged Cow) — Kira & Griffin Lamb
- Hillacres Lala Sleeping Beauty — Nicole Arrowsmith
- Kilgas Victorious Candy — Beau Pheasant
Lifetime Production
- Willabar Diamondback Rose (EX-95, ~160,000 lbs lifetime, 7 lactations, 10 years old) — Elm View Farm
- Lantland entry (EX-94, ~163,000 lbs lifetime, 7 lactations)
CHAMPIONS — OPEN SHOW
Junior Champion: MPH Spats VIP Sorrell — Matt Seneca, Kutu, T & K Reynolds Reserve Junior Champion: Holly Lane BL Video Dolce Vita — Rory Cornell HM Junior Champion: South Mountain & Co Rock Rebellion — Rodney & Kate Hetz, Renee Pieric
Intermediate Champion: McWilliams CC Double — Valerie & Jim Sprang & Ackley Reserve Intermediate Champion: Underground Milkshakes Margo — Cameron & Macy Crothers HM Intermediate Champion: Hillacres Video Abba — Nicole Arrowsmith
Senior Champion: Kevetta Colton Delilah — Kira & Griffin Lamb Reserve Senior Champion: Waymar Viral Noel — Isaac Fultz, Forex Ford & Cache Valley Genetics HM Senior Champion: Jaybird SSF Reckless Jola — Cameron & Macy Crothers
Grand Champion: Kevetta Colton Delilah — Kira & Griffin Lamb Reserve Grand Champion: Waymar Viral Noel — Isaac Fultz, Forex Ford & Cache Valley Genetics HM Grand Champion: McWilliams CC Double — Valerie & Jim Sprang & Ackley
CHAMPIONS — JUNIOR SHOW
Junior Champion: Holly Lane BL Video Dolce Vita — Rory Cornell Reserve Junior Champion: Z Class Cash Recognition — Mason Ziemba HM Junior Champion: HRC Manhattans Moneymaker — Cameron & Macy Crothers
Intermediate Champion: Palmerton Frank Shiloh — Crothers Reserve Intermediate Champion: ZC & SS Laspada Constance — Mason Ziemba HM Intermediate Champion: ZC & SS Garland Crown — Mason Ziemba
Senior Champion: Kevetta Colton Delilah — Kira & Griffin Lamb Reserve Senior Champion: Waymar Viral Noel — Isaac Fultz, Forex Ford & Cache Valley Genetics HM Senior Champion: Jaybird SSF Reckless Jola — Cameron & Macy Crothers
Grand Champion: Kevetta Colton Delilah — Kira & Griffin Lamb Reserve Grand Champion: Waymar Viral Noel — Isaac Fultz, Forex Ford & Cache Valley Genetics HM Grand Champion: Underground Milkshakes Margo — Cameron & Macy Crothers
GROUP CLASSES ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws
Junior Best Three Females (7 entries)
- Mason Ziemba — Durhamville, NY
- Ernest Kueffner & Terri Packard — Boonsboro, MD
- Maker Farms, Inc. — Rockwood, ON
- Sara Reed — Columbia Cross Roads, PA
- Madison Fisher — Tully, NY
- Michael Bosley — Glen Rock, PA
- Camryn & Maci Crothers — Pitcher, NY (scratched)
Produce of Dam (9 entries)
- Mason Ziemba — Durhamville, NY
- Caroline Arrowsmith — Peach Bottom, PA
- Camryn & Maci Crothers — Pitcher, NY
- Morgan Houghton — Paxton, MA (scratched)
- Lily Marshman — Oxford, NY (scratched)
- Ford & Handley Kids — Richmond, UT (scratched)
- Ford & Handley Kids & Cache Valley Genetics — Richmond, UT (scratched)
- Krissa Brewer — Bangor, PA (scratched)
- Michael Bosley — Glen Rock, PA (scratched)
Dam & Daughter (2 entries)
- Caroline Arrowsmith — Peach Bottom, PA
- Mason Ziemba — Durhamville, NY (scratched)
Best Three Females (5 entries)
- Mason Ziemba — Durhamville, NY
- Thomas & Amanda Arrowsmith — Peach Bottom, PA
- Ryan Lawton — Newark Valley, NY
- Camryn & Maci Crothers — Pitcher, NY (scratched)
- Lookout/Brooke McKinven — Canton de Hatley, QC (scratched)
SPECIAL AWARDS
Premier Breeder: Mason Ziemba / Z Class Jerseys Premier Exhibitor: Mason Ziemba 1st Junior Exhibitor (Spring Jr. 2-Year-Old): Mason Ziemba 1st Junior Exhibitor (Junior 3-Year-Old): Mason Ziemba Best Bred & Owned (4-Year-Old): Plumb Line V Sunflower — Olivia Carey Herdsmanship: Nickerson, Hills, Atherton families