Lindsey Middleton lost her shot at the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic to ringworm. What she did next, and who kept showing up for her years later, is a story for every exhibitor walking into the Royal this weekend.
Lindsey Middleton was 13 when she qualified for the Scotiabank Hays Classic, today’s TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic. Days before the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, her calf came down with ringworm, and she couldn’t compete. She went to Toronto anyway to support her team, and 4-H Ontario says she appreciated the experience of the national show.
The 4-H members who move into the Classic barn at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, will soon be bedding calves down on bark and shavings, with clippers humming nearby. Before any of that, the check-in vet inspects every calf for ringworm, warts and general wellbeing under Rule 12 of the 2026 rules. A calf that’s a risk to the others goes home. Outside vet notes aren’t accepted, and the check-in vet’s decision is final. The exhibitors who get through are there to learn to fit and handle a calf, and to learn to be the person their team can count on.
What the Classic asks of them
Rule 13 of the 2026 Classic Rules and Regulations says all clipping, conditioning and grooming must be done by a registered participant. That means someone showing in the Classic or a registered herdsperson, who must be a 4-H dairy calf club member from that county. If anyone else helps fit or prepare a calf, including chaperones and family members, the county loses 10 points and that calf is disqualified. The rule lets a herdsperson help prepare the team’s calves without leading one in a class.
The committee’s team-selection guidance in the same rulebook makes room for different strengths. Each county, district or province is asked to pick its five best conformation calves first, then add the three best showpersons who aren’t involved with those five. Both conformation and showmanship count toward the Premier County Award.
The adults who keep showing up
Middleton didn’t grow up on a farm, so she trained borrowed 4-H calves at Walnutknoll Dairy Farm in Fort Erie, Ont., during five years in the Bertie 4-H Dairy Club. Some of her favourite 4-H memories are warm fall days at the local fair with her clubmates and their calves.
As an adult, she co-wrote and co-produced Cows Come Home, a Bell Fibe TV1 series about competitive cow showing, and starred as its main character. When it premiered, 4-H Ontario announced the release and described the series as a lighthearted dramedy inspired by the impact of her 4-H experience.
Filming ran in fall 2024, with Walnutknoll as one of the main locations. “It was a very nostalgic, homecoming experience,” Middleton told 4-H Ontario. One of her 4-H leaders helped train the calves for the show, and the other held the calf between its scenes. Her club leader, Ariane Sneek, said being back in the barn with her “was like time had stood still. She was still beaming being back in the barn and working with the calves.”
Her leaders were still holding the halter.
Doug Wagner helped create the Contact Hays Classic, according to his Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame profile. In 2026, he’s still on the Classic committee.
Back to the barn
The 4-H lesson that sticks with Middleton every day the 4-H motto, “Learn To Do By Doing.” Producing the series meant incorporating a business and figuring out accounting and payroll. “Instead of clipping an animal, it’s now accounting!” she said.
Some exhibitors will have a hard day at the Royal. A class won’t go their way, or Sunday’s health check ends a calf’s show before it starts. When that happens, or when your class is over, go back to the barn and see who could use a hand.
2026 TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic
- The Royal: Nov. 6–15, Exhibition Place, Toronto
- Move-in and health check: Sunday, Nov. 8, from 6 a.m. Every calf is inspected on entry.
- Showmanship: Monday, Nov. 9, 9:30 a.m., Semex Ring of Excellence
- Conformation: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 8 a.m., Semex Ring of Excellence
- Eligibility: 4-H/AJRQ dairy calf club members aged 12 to 21 as of Jan. 1, 2026, with a 2026 dairy calf project
- Quality Seeds Dairy Supreme Championship: Saturday, Nov. 14, 5 p.m., Semex Ring of Excellence. The Classic’s junior champion competes for Quality Seeds Junior Dairy Supreme Champion.
- Judges and full schedule: The Royal’s Classic page
- Results: Posted by class on AssistExpo
- Rules: 2026 Rules and Regulations
Who was the 4-H leader who always held your halter? Share your Royal memories in the comments below.
Related: TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic 2025 results
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