The barns will be ready for cattle at noon on Friday, May 31 at the Cuming County Fairgrounds in West Point, NE. The show will begin at 10:30 am with showmanship on Saturday, June 1; followed by a judging contest and then conformation classes. All youth and adults across the Midwest are encouraged to exhibit. Entries will be accepted until 9:00 am the morning of the show.
Continue reading “Dean Dohle To Judge Cream of the Crop Dairy Show Saturday”
Continue reading “Rising Star Interns Visit With Dairy Specialist”
Megan Hettinga from Orange City was recognized this week by the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA), as one of the class members for the sixth Jersey Youth Academy, July 14 to 19 in Columbus, Ohio.
“The 36 young people from 17 states selected for this class exemplify the many talented, interested Jersey youth across the United States that our organization wants to encourage to pursue careers in the Jersey dairy business,” according to Jonathan Merriam, President of the American Jersey Cattle Association.
Continue reading “Megan Hettinga Going To Jersey Youth Academy”
On Sunday I had the opportunity to judge the dairy division of the annual Block and Bridle Club Little North American Showmanship Contest at the Hanson Center in Ames. It was the first time I had attended the event in many years and lots has changed. The event chairmen and their team deserves lots of kudos- the event was very professional.
I attended the 13th Annual IA-MN Youth Dairy Show last Saturday in Sibley. Judge Darrel Rennich from South Dakota evaluated 88 head from 48 exhibitors.
Iowa winners included:
Reserve Junior Champion Brown Swiss, Adam Hansmann, Boyden
Junior Champion Holstein, Jonathan Krogman, Ashton
Junior Champion Jersey, Logan Knapp, Larchwood
Reserve Junior Champion Jersey, Angie Knapp, Larchwood
Grand and Reserve Champion Brown Swiss, Adam Hansmann, Boyden
Reserve Grand Champion Holstein, Avery Zylstra, Ashton
Grand Champion Jersey, Hailey Godbersen, George
Reserve Champion Jersey, Nathan Knapp, Larchwood
Intermediate Showmanship, Jonathan Krogman, Ashton
Senior Showmanship, Adam Hansmann, Boyden
I enjoyed visiting with new breeders and some familiar folks including long-time Brown Swiss breeder Galen Fick. Also attending was Carl and Jan Aschoff from West Point, NE. They are long-time managers the Nebraska Cream of the Crop Dairy Show in June each year.
It was mid-March many years ago that my Dad loaded his nine-year-old son up on a Sunday afternoon and they went down to the Telleen’s dairy to judge Brown Swiss cows. It was my first judging workout and it set the stage for what soon became the most exciting thing in that nine-year-old dairy kid’s life. While we raised Holsteins at the time, I was excited to see the big, Brown Swiss cows and was challenged by the differences between the two breeds.
Continue reading “Judging Teams Learn Life Skills Plus Have Fun”
Many years ago I spotted a poem under the lid of Melvin Scholl’s showbox. Melvin was one of the top fitters in his day and worked for the top herds like Curtis Candy, Maytag and Pabst. He was a great mentor and eventually he gave me a copy of that poem. Over the years I have modernized it and shared it with lots of families. Since this is “show season”, I will share it again.