The Merle Howard Award given to the show's top junior exhibitor. The award is given in honor of the 1954 Klussendorf winner Merle Howard. Howard was a long-time World Dairy Expo volunteer, who also served as herd manager for Mooseheart Farms, as Holstein classifier, and later in the sales and export business. He was on the first board of directors of National Dairy Shrine and is only one of six people to have won its 4-E Award for outstanding service.