Mrs. Bonnie Ayars, Extension Dairy Program Specialist, The Ohio State University
The September calendar includes the best cow shows in the nation, and the premier judging contests are held in conjunction with these events. These students have been quite visible in the parlor at the Ohio State Fair, as volunteers in 4-H state-wide programs, and as members of Buckeye Dairy Club. Many of the readers of this newsletter will have found themselves associated with these “judges.”
The OSU dairy judging teams have traveled in 8 different states, competing in 4 separate contests. The primary Scarlet team, including Hannah Thompson, Laura Gordon, Jason Miley, and Curtis Bickel, finished 4th overall at the Eastern States Exposition. Also traveling on this trip was another team composed of Linda Brahler, Katie Cole, and Sabrina Eick. The "Scarlet" team earned 1st place honors in Jersey and 3rd in Brown Swiss and Ayrshire. As an individual, Jason was high in Brown Swiss and 2nd in Jersey, while Sabrina Eick earned top honors in the Ayrshire division. Laura Gordon placed second in reasons as did the team.
Scarlet Team: Curtis Bickel, Jason Miley, Laura Gordon, Hannah Thompson, and
Coach Bonnie Ayars
At the Pennsylvania All American Contest, the "Scarlet" team was 5th overall and high in the Brown Swiss division. Individually, Laura Gordon had a very good day placing 3rd overall, and Hannah Thompson was 4th with her reasons. Onto the national competition at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, the "Scarlet" team was 5th overall out of 20 universities represented. They were 2nd team in Brown Swiss, 5th in Jersey, Guernsey, and reasons. Jason was 3rd in Brown Swiss, and Laura was 3rd in Holstein. The top 25 in the contest are presented with the title of “All American” and are eligible to apply for a variety of scholarships. Jason, Laura, and Hannah all received this status, with Hannah in 8th place, Laura in 12th, and Jason in 17th.
A core of volunteers assisted on these trips, and thanks are extended to them for contributing their time and expertise. These include Kelly Epperly, Bernie Heisner, and Julie Delavergne.
The "Gray" team traveled to the Accelerated Contest held annually in Wisconsin. Bill Langel (OSU alumnus) traveled with this group composed of Rachel Foureman, Matthew Borchers, Dan Nicol, and Derik Baumer. Dan had a positive day as 8th high individual. This team will also travel to the North American Dairy Show contest in November.
Gray Team: Bill Langel, Derik Baumer, and Matt Borchers (back row),
Rachel Foureman and Dan Nicol (front row).
Following are the links for more detailed results...
Eastern States: http://www.thebige.com/fair/agriculture/documents/10dairyjudging4yrres.pdf
Pennsylvania All American: http://www.allamerican.state.pa.us/PressReleases.aspx?PRID=366
World Dairy Expo: http://www.worlddairyexpo.com/media-news-releases-display.cfm?RecordId=449
Our 4-H team at Pennsylvania and Wisconsin included one member, Jacqueline Sherry. Jacqueline is now a freshman at Ohio State, and she finished right in the middle of both contests. What a great experience she had as she was mentored carefully by the collegiate teams. One of your good questions would be to inquire why we did not have a team of four. As you know, kids have many different activities…especially sports. I find it challenging when some of best talent makes a choice other than judging. Even my diligent efforts cannot make up for such pressures that 4-Hers and their parents must experience.
However, we did have plenty of 4-Hers training at our Maryland State Fair “boot camp” trip. They were disciplined and skilled, and were developing into a talented group. I learned many of these have the opportunity to be in 4-H for two more years. With the support of my volunteers, we decided to let them mature before using them in the major contests. Keep an eye on this group. They have been coming up through the ranks, and yet, some are “raw” talent discovered in our judging clinics at the State Fair. With their passion, you will be hearing more out of this group. Four of those include Dan Grim (Lorain County), Stacie Steel (Tuscarawas County), Eileen Gress (Wayne County), and Rachel Townsley (Champaign County). They will be judging in Louisville at the North American contest.
Ohio will also have a Quiz Bowl team competing in the national contest on November 6th in Louisville, Kentucky. The team includes Rachel Townsley, Eileen Gress, Sam Weeman, Brandon Meier, and alternate Billy Grammer. Their expertise has been enhanced by seasoned quiz bowl coaches, Lisa Gress and Lorraine Townsley, with support from Julie Martig.
Let’s wish all our “Buckeye” teams’ good luck!