The high schools students evaluated four classes of dairy cattle and answered a few questions on the classes. Those TAQs, as they are called, include inquiries asking which cow was the best uddered, which had the weakest pasterns, and so forth. For this contest, TAQs are a substitute for oral reasons.
The top three winning FFA chapters hailed from Wisconsin: Denmark, Marshfield, and Osceola. Missouri’s Pleasant Hope FFA chapter placed fourth and Wisconsin’s West DePere finished in fifth.
Denmark FFA team members included Jeremy Schlies, Vicky Leiterman, and Emily Knoll. Marshfield FFA’s team consisted of Justin Kuse, Rainna Simone, and Kaitlyn Kuse. The all-ladies team of Kristi Getschel, Marie Haase, and Mikayla Peper represented Osceola FFA and placed third.
High Individual
It was a tight contest at the top. Just two points behind Getschel was Logan Vandehei of West DePere. He had a three-point advantage over Cole Kudrna of Milton FFA. Ethan Koopmans of Beaver Dam FFA trailed by two more points, and Jeremy Schlies of Denmark FFA was a mere one point behind at 195.
Following the contest, FFA members took in the dairy shows, walked through the trade show, and visited with other FFA members from across the Midwest.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville organizes the Central National FFA Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. Full results can be found here.
The author is the online media manager and is responsible for the website, webinars, and social media. A graduate of Modesto Junior College and Fresno State, she was raised on a California dairy and frequently blogs on youth programs and consumer issues.
