Ms. Laurie Winkelman, Dairy Program Specialist, The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University Dairy Judging Team recently completed its 2006 season. The dairy judging season officially started during the Ohio State Fair in August when students worked extremely long hours in the milking parlor and dairy cattle barn during the run of the Fair. Over Labor Day Weekend, the students traveled to Timonium, Maryland and judged more than 20 classes at the Maryland State Fair.
Before Fall Quarter classes started, 2 teams were sent to contests in Viroqua, Wisconsin and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Four undergraduate students represented The Ohio State University by competing in the Accelerated Genetics Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest in Viroqua, WI on September 16. After placing 10 classes and preparing 5 sets of oral reasons, the team placed 16th overall and 5th in Brown Swiss. Team members included Allison Stammen (New Weston, OH), Danielle Hulit (Mansfield, OH), Brian Hartschuh (Bloomville, OH), and Matt Jackson (Muskingham Co.). The team was paced by Stammen, who placed 27th overall. Kelly Epperly from Anna, OH, a recent graduate from the Department of Animal Sciences, served as Assistant Coach and traveled with the team to Wisconsin.
On the same weekend, four other undergraduate students competed in the All American Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on September 18. After placing 10 classes and preparing 5 sets of oral reasons, the team placed 12th overall, 5th in linear evaluation, and 8th in Jersey. Team members included Dan Ziegler (Belleville, WI), Cade Stockberger (Utica, OH), Michele Lahmers (Ashland, OH), and Sheryn Schlairet (Mt. Vernon, OH). Stockberger led the team by placing 33rd overall.
The Harrisburg team also represented Ohio State at the National Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. During the first week of October, the students traveled to Madison and participated in numerous farm practices before World Dairy Expo. In an extremely high scoring contest, the OSU team placed 14th overall out of 21 teams. The team placed 9th in Ayrshire and Red and White Holstein. At the World Dairy Expo contest, Ziegler was 8th in Milking Shorthorn, 15th in Brown Swiss, 28th in Guernsey, and 11th in Linear Evaluation. Stockberger placed 3rd in Ayrshire and 29th in Guernsey. Schlairet and Lahmers placed 22nd and 24th, respectively, in Red and White Holstein.
The season wrapped up with the North American International Livestock Exposition Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest in Louisville, Kentucky. At the beginning of November, Stammen, Hartschuh, Schlairet, and Hulit joined forces to participate in the contest. In a challenging contest, the Ohio State team placed 14th overall out of 16 teams. The team was led by Stammen, who placed 22nd overall, 2nd in Holstein, 15th in Brown Swiss, and 17th in Guernsey. Schlairet placed 6th in Brown Swiss. Hartschuh was 20th in Ayrshire.
The team is coached by Laurie Winkelman, Dairy Program Specialist for The Ohio State University. The team wishes to thank COBA/Select Sires for their continued financial support of the team, and the many farms that opened their doors for practices during the judging season.
2006 World Dairy Expo team: Dan Ziegler, Sheryn Schlairet, Michele Lahmers,
and Cade Stockberger.
2006 Louisville Team: Allison Stammen, Sheryn Schlairet, Danielle Hulit,
and Brian Hartschuh.