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Holstein Association USA recognized Junior members in Acme, Michigan during the 2018 National Holstein Convention for their participation in a variety of activities. Nearly 350 Junior Holstein members competed in activities and contests at the National Junior Holstein Convention, held June 29 through July 3 in Acme, Michigan. Contests are designed to showcase talents and develop skills that will be useful for these young Holstein breeders’ future endeavors.

Prepared Public Speaking Contest
Broken into three age divisions, 50 youth participated in the prepared public speaking competition. Following are the results from each division.

Junior Division (ages 9-13 as of January 1)
1st place: Jenna Larson, Florida, Apps in Agriculture
2nd place: Sarah Craun, Virginia, What's in Your Glass
3rd place: Sydney Gwidt, Wisconsin, A2 Milk

Intermediate Division (ages 14-17 as of January 1)
1st place: Danielle Herrick, New York, Genomics
2nd place: Shelby Sumner, Florida, Milk Quality vs. Quantity
3rd place: Elizabeth Swatling, New York, PTSD in Cows

Senior Division (ages 18-21 as of January 1)
1st place: Connor Nugent, Michigan, Robots-Please Milk the Cows
2nd place: Brock Irwin, Illinois, Game on - Being Efficient During Tough Times
3rd place: Hanna Richman, New Jersey, The Power of Art in Conveying the Spirit of the Dairy Industry

Folding Display Competition
Forty-six entries were submitted in this year's Folding Display competition. Participants create a free-standing display educating people about a dairy industry-related topic of their choice. Youth are divided into three age divisions, and each division has two categories – Scientific and Creative. Junior Holstein members are not required to attend the National Convention to enter a display and compete in this contest. Following are the results for each category.

Junior Creative Displays
1st place: Rachel Craun, Virginia, Achieving "TLC" Total Livestock Calmness
2nd place: Jocelyn Troutman, Pennsylvania, Colostrum
3rd place: Hannah Scott, Iowa, Oh Nuts! It Can't Be Milk

Junior Scientific Displays
1st place: Sarah Craun, Virginia, Hit Em With Your Best Shot
2nd place: Joseph Coltrane, North Carolina, Pop a Shot
3rd place: Jenna Larson, Florida, Feel the Breeze

Intermediate Creative Displays
1st place: Lauren Siemers, Wisconsin, Connect the Pieces of Agvocating for Agriculture
2nd place: Anna Klink, Pennsylvania, Weird Uses of Milk

Intermediate Scientific Displays
1st place: Bailie Shultz, Washington, Sustainable Dairy Farming
2nd place: Clarissa Ulness, Wisconsin, Why So Special
3rd place: Siana Barrett, California, Water

Senior Creative Displays
1st place: Molly O'Sullivan, New Jersey, Methane Balloons
2nd place: Sarah Gardner, Pennsylvania, A Cow's Digestion System

Senior Scientific Displays
1st place: Cole Verano, Florida, Eye in the Sky
2nd place: Taylor Pool, Pennsylvania, What are you Powered By?
3rd place: Daniel Kitchen, Pennsylvania, The Evolution of Dairy Cattle Breeding

State Scrapbook
The state scrapbook contest gives each state the chance to tell the story of activities and events their Junior Holstein associations take part in each year. Five states submitted traditional scrapbooks this year.

1st place: Iowa
2nd place: Illinois
3rd place: Michigan
4th place: New England
5th place: Minnesota

Digital State Scrapbook
The Digital Scrapbook division had nine entries submitted this year. This division is judged on the same criteria as a traditional scrapbook, but entries must be presented on a computer, DVD player, or other digital format.

1st place: Florida
2nd place: Iowa
3rd place: New England
4th place: Illinois
5th place: New York

State Banner
The state banner competition allows states to creatively showcase their state pride, with seven entries submitted this year, displayed throughout the week at the Convention.

1st place: California
2nd place: Virginia
3rd place: Missouri

New Representatives Elected to Junior Advisory Committee (JAC)
Three new youth area representatives were elected to the National Junior Advisory Committee (JAC) during the National Junior Forum. These youth members were appointed to the Junior Advisory Committee: Area 2 - Korey Oechsle, Ohio; Area 4 - Hayley Fernandes, California; and At-Large - Matthew Boop, Pennsylvnia.

The JAC is the governing body of the Junior Association and oversees the organization's activities. Youth committee members are elected by the Junior membership at the National Junior Forum, and members serve two-year terms.

See the Summer 2018 issue of The Pulse, and visit our website, www.holsteinusa.com, for more coverage of the 2018 National Holstein Convention..

Holstein Association USA, Inc., www.holsteinusa.com, provides products and services to dairy producers to enhance genetics and improve profitability–ranging from registry processing to identification programs to consulting services.

The Association, headquartered in Brattleboro, Vt., maintains the records for Registered Holsteins® and represents approximately 30,000 members throughout the United States.