Judge calls it: Juniors dominated to the extent that the open show was ‘unsuspenseful.’ The pros never stood a chance.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On September 29, at World Dairy Expo, juniors stopped preparing for dairy’s future and started owning it. Judge Mark Rueth watched teenagers crush seasoned professionals in the open shows, calling the outcome “unsuspenseful”—these kids brought cattle with the structural excellence and genomic superiority that veterans couldn’t match. With replacement heifers at $3,010 and climbing, the youth displaying “width to the chest floor” genetics that extend productive life aren’t just showing cattle—they’re demonstrating economic survival skills most established operations lack. Minnesota’s third consecutive collegiate judging victory and SUNY Cobleskill’s Post-Secondary sweep confirm that this isn’t just youth development—it’s industry succession happening in real-time. The brutal truth from Madison: farms partnering with these genomic-native juniors will thrive, while those still referring to them as “kids” are managing their own obsolescence.

MADISON, WIS — Let me tell you what happened on September 29 at World Dairy Expo, because if you weren’t standing ringside, you missed watching the dairy industry’s power structure flip on its head.

Judge Mark Rueth from Oxford, Wisconsin, stepped into those colored shavings Monday morning to evaluate the International Guernsey Show, and by the time he was done, everyone knew we’d witnessed something special. But it wasn’t just the cattle quality that had folks talking — it was who was winning.

When the Kids Beat the Pros at Their Own Game

Here’s what’s got me and every other industry watcher scratching our heads: the juniors didn’t just compete well — they dominated the open show so thoroughly that Judge Rueth actually called the outcome “a little unsuspenseful”.

Now I’ve been around long enough to remember when junior shows were about learning the ropes. You’d bring your decent heifer, gain some experience, and maybe place in the middle of the pack if you worked hard. Not anymore. These kids are bringing cattle that would’ve been grand champions five years ago, and they’re beating professionals who’ve been breeding cattle longer than these juniors have been alive.

Take Donnybrook Ammo Stevie, owned by Brittany Taylor and Laylaa Schuler from New Glarus. This cow didn’t just win the Junior Show — she took Reserve Grand in the open competition. When teenagers are placing ahead of operations that have been perfecting genetics for generations, something fundamental has shifted.

The Guernsey Show: Where Excellence Met Economics

The Grand Champion that wrapped things up Monday afternoon tells you everything about where this industry’s headed. Kadence Fames Lovely, owned by Kadence Farm, swept the whole show — Grand Champion, Best Bred and Owned, Best Udder, Total Performance Winner. That’s what we call a clean sweep, and it doesn’t happen by accident.

What really caught my attention was what Rueth was looking for. He kept talking about “power and some front end” and specifically “width to the chest floor”. Now, for those of you milking cows every day, you know what that means — these are cows built to last. With replacement heifers selling for $3,010 per head, according to the USDA’s July numbers, and some markets reaching $4,000 for springers, every extra lactation is money in the bank.

Valley Gem Farm from Cumberland, Wisconsin, took Premier Breeder while Springhill from Big Prairie, Ohio, grabbed Premier Exhibitor. But here’s the kicker — Springhill James Dean was Premier Sire for the heifer show, showing how AI has leveled the playing field. When everyone has access to the same genetics, it’s management and cow care that makes the difference.

Jersey and Ayrshire: California Meets the Midwest

The Jersey heifer show started at 7 a.m. sharp on Monday, and California came to play. Kash-In Video Stop and Stare-ET, owned by Kamryn Kasbergen and Ivy Hebgen from Tulare, took both open and junior division Junior Champion titles. That’s West Coast genetics making a statement.

But don’t count out the Midwest. The Millers Joel King Majesty, owned by the partnership of Keightley-Core, Millers Jerseys, and junior members Rhea and Brycen Miller from Oldenburg, Indiana, didn’t just take Reserve — they earned the Junior Champion Bred & Owned award. That’s homegrown genetics saying, “we can compete with anybody.”

The Ayrshire show on Monday afternoon was the Bricker Farms show, as plain and simple as that. Their Reynolds daughter, Bricker-Farms R Cadillac-ET, swept Junior Champion honors in both divisions. When you’ve got Todd and Lynsey working with their kids, Allison, Lacey, and Kinslee, plus partners like Carli Binckley and Wyatt Schlauch, that’s three generations of knowledge in one cow.

The Judging Contests: Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

While the cattle shows grab headlines, what happened in the judging pavilion on Sunday might be even more important. The University of Minnesota just three-peated the National Intercollegiate contest with a score of 2,505. That’s not luck — that’s a program.

Brady Gille, Alexis Hoefs, and Keenan Thygesen didn’t just pick the right cattle; they explained why, taking top honors for oral reasons with 821 points. When you can articulate why one cow beats another under pressure, you’re developing skills worth real money. These are the folks who’ll be making million-dollar genetic decisions in five years.

SUNY Cobleskill’s performance in the Post-Secondary division was even more dominant — they swept everything. Connor MacNeil’s 769-point individual score demonstrates what happens when farm kids take education seriously. Coach Carrie Edsall has these students thinking like they already own the farm.

The 4-H contest? Five points separated Minnesota and Wisconsin — 2,058 to 2,053. Campbell Booth from Wisconsin had the high individual at 708, but Minnesota’s depth carried the day. These aren’t just kids learning to show — these are future herd managers, nutritionists, and geneticists cutting their teeth.

What Monday’s Shows Mean for Your Operation

Looking at what went down on September 29, a few things jump out at me.

First, if you’re not investing in youth programs, you’re missing the boat. When Rueth talks about the Guernsey breed’s “family-oriented” and “welcoming” culture, which fosters this success, he’s onto something. The farms bringing juniors to Madison aren’t doing charity work — they’re building their future. With 6 million kids in 4-H and another million in FFA, we are witnessing the largest agricultural education movement in history unfold right now.

Second, cow longevity has just became your most important profit center. With replacement costs where they are — Wisconsin seeing a 69% spike year-over-year to $2,850 per head — keeping cows healthy for that fourth and fifth lactation isn’t optional anymore. Research shows extending productive life by just one lactation can reduce replacement needs by 25%. At current prices, that’s serious money.

Third, the genomic revolution has democratized excellence. When Judge Rueth praised these “milkier” Guernseys with exceptional “strength” and “balance,” he was describing genetic progress that would’ve taken decades before the advent of genomics. The 2025 genetic base change indicates that we’ve made significant progress in five years, requiring us to recalibrate the scale.

The Real Story from the Colored Shavings

Standing there on Monday, watching these young exhibitors parade cattle that made seasoned breeders take notice, I kept thinking about what this meant for the dairy industry’s future.

See, it’s not just that the kids are good — it’s that they’re approaching cattle breeding differently. They grew up with genomics as a given. They’ve never known a world without EPDs and PTAs. While some of us learned to evaluate cattle with our eyes first and data second, these juniors learned both simultaneously.

The economics support them as well. CoBank’s research indicates that heifer inventories could decline by another 800,000 head before recovering in 2027. With processing capacity expanding — we’re talking $10 billion in new facilities coming online — the producers who can navigate this shortage while maintaining quality will write their own ticket.

Monday’s Bottom Line

September 29, 2025, won’t go down as just another day at World Dairy Expo. It’ll be remembered as the day we saw the future take the halter and lead.

When juniors consistently beat open competition, when genomic data matters as much as visual appraisal, and when cow longevity becomes the difference between profit and loss, you’re not watching gradual change — you’re watching revolution.

The message from Madison is clear: The next generation isn’t preparing to enter the industry. They’re already here, they’re already winning, and they’re already changing the rules. The question isn’t whether you’ll adapt to their way of doing things — it’s how quickly you can learn from what they’re already doing better.

For those of us who’ve been in this industry awhile, Monday was either a wake-up call or validation, depending on how much we’ve invested in bringing young people along. For the juniors? It was just Monday — another day of doing what they’ve been trained to do since they could walk: evaluate, select, compete, and win.

The colored shavings have witnessed a great deal of history over the years. But mark my words — September 29, 2025, will be remembered as the day dairy’s future became its present.

Learn More:

• Canada’s Young Breeders Take Europe by Storm – Discover how North American youth programs are creating international champions, with tactical insights on training methods and mentorship structures that produce juniors who dominate against 13 countries’ best talent.
• Why Raising Your Heifers Just Became Profitable Again – With replacement heifers hitting $3,010 nationally, this analysis reveals why raising your own is now 54% cheaper than buying, including genomic selection strategies that cut heifer losses by 40% and deliver $2,810 more lifetime revenue.
• Component Gold Rush: Are You Still Breeding for Volume While Your Neighbors Cash In? – Learn how genomics doubled genetic progress rates since 2009, why butterfat at 4.23% changes your breeding priorities, and specific sire selection criteria that progressive farms use to mine component profits while others chase outdated volume metrics.

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