The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

Zeeland resident Chelsea Barnes, a 4-H member from Ottawa County, was the state’s top senior division dairy cattle judge at the Michigan 4-H Youth Dairy Days, an annual dairy youth activity held in conjunction with the Michigan Dairy Expo. This year’s expo, the 20th annual, took place July 17-21 at the Michigan State University (MSU) Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education in East Lansing. As the high individual overall in the senior division, Barnes received the George M. Robb Memorial Award.

Youth are eligible to compete in one of three age divisions in the dairy cattle judging contest: novice, junior or senior. Participants in the senior category – for young people ages 15 to 21 – evaluated the conformation of eight classes of dairy animals (four animals in each class) and presented three sets of oral reasons. Evaluation scores were tallied according to how closely the contestant’s placing matched the judges’ official placing. In the oral reasons presentation, which is comparable to making an oral defense case in court, judges assign individual scores to each contestant based on how well the young person can justify his or her reasons for placing the cows in the order he or she did. Contestants can earn a total of 50 points in both the evaluation and oral reasons parts of the contest for each class.

Individuals compete against one another with the shared goal of placing among the top 25, which earns them a chance to vie for one of 12 positions on the state’s traveling youth dairy cattle judging teams. These teams will compete at three national contests in the fall – the All-American in Harrisburg, Pa., World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., and the North American International Livestock Exhibition in Louisville, Ky. The Michigan 4-H Youth Dairy Days dairy cattle judging contest is just the first step in what will be a series of intensive workouts and independent practices to earn a spot on one of the teams.

Rounding out the top 25 overall individuals in the senior division of the dairy cattle judging contest, in chronological order, were:

2. Miriah Dershem, Clinton County (St. Johns)
3. Ian Black, Clinton County (Eagle)
4. Jessie Nash, Clinton County (Elsie)
5. Catie Theisen, Isabella County (Mt. Pleasant)
6. Connor Nugent, Kent County (Clarksville)
7. Drew Neyer, Isabella County (Shepherd)
8. Grace Sayles, Shiawassee County (Owosso)
9. Caleb Whittemore, Ingham County (Leslie)
10. Kristin Burkhardt, Livingston County (Fowlerville)
11. Jessica Parrish, Kent County (Caledonia)
12. Miriam Cook, Clinton County (Pewamo)
13. Ashton Geurink, Ottawa County (Zeeland)
14. Skylar Daray, Kent County (Ada)
15. Jennifer VanLieu, Branch County (Reading)
16. Elyse Zimmerlee, Eaton County (Bellevue)
17. Mason Shilling, Branch County (Reading)
18. Dakota Dershem, Clinton County (St. Johns)
19. Shannon Good, Allegan County (Caledonia)
20. Owen Bontekoe, Isabella County (Marion)
21. Chrissy Polzin, Washtenaw County (Saline)
22. Grace Chisley, Shiawassee County (Perry)
23. Cheyenne Jakus, Clinton County (St. Johns)
24. Anna Wehler, Allegan County (Caledonia)
25. Steven Fakan, Muskegon County

In the team category, Clinton County Team A placed first overall and first in oral reasons. Team members were: Ian Black, of Eagle; Miriam Cook, of Pewamo; Miriah Dershem, of St. Johns; and Jessie Nash, of Elsie.

The second place team overall and in oral reasons, represented Ottawa, Shiawassee, and Washtenaw counties. Team members were: Chelsea Barnes and Ashton Geurink, of Zeeland; Chrissy Polzin, of Saline; and Grace Sayles, of Owosso.

The third place team overall and in oral reasons was from Kent County: Kristen Burkhardt, of Fowlerville (Livingston County); Skylar Daray, of Ada; Connor Nugent, of Clarksville; and Jessica Parish, of Caledonia. Fourth high team overall and in oral reasons was the team representing Isabella and Shiawassee counties. Team members were: Owen Bontekoe, of Marion; Grace Chisley, of Perry; Drew Neyer, of Shepherd; and Caitie Theisen, of Mt. Pleasant. Fifth place overall was a team with youth from Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties: Dakota Dershem and Cheyenne Jakus, of St. Johns; Caleb Whittemore, of Leslie; and Elyse Zimmerlee, of Bellevue.