To be recognized with a Fitting & Showmanship Achievement Award, youth competitors must be one of the top five finishers in their respective Youth Fitting Contest division and place in the top 15 of their age division in the Youth Showmanship Contest. Meanwhile, the Overall Fitter Award pits the winners of each division against each other to determine the best youth dairy cattle fitter of the contest.

“We are excited to recognize youth participants on a global scale who have dedicated numerous hours to refining their fitting and showmanship skills. It is our hope that the new Fitting & Showmanship Achievement Awards will encourage youth to become well-rounded exhibitors while also increasing participation in both youth contests.” explained Cassi Miller, WDE International/Youth Programs Specialist.

Open to any young dairy enthusiast, ages 13-21 and 9-21, respectively, Expo Youth Fitting and Youth Showmanship Contest participants are not required to exhibit in one of the WDE breed shows to qualify. However, to be eligible, contestants must use an animal that will be shown or sold at Expo in 2019. Complete contest details and registration forms are available in the Expo Premium Book or on the WDE website.

Judging the 2019 WDE Youth Fitting and Youth Showmanship Contests are:

Youth Fitting Contest

Adam Hunt, Genetic Consultant with Select Sires Genervations, Ecginburg, Ontario, Canada

Youth Showmanship Contest

Junior Division: Nate Oleniacz, Dairy Focused Consultant at Cargill Animal Nutrition, New Oxford, Pa.

Intermediate Division: Brian Coyne, Business Analyst, Select Sires, Inc., Hilliard, Ohio

Senior Division: Daniel Bauer, URUS, Product Development Analyst, Lake Mills, Wis.

Dairy judges from around the globe are also invited to participate in the second annual Showmanship Judges Clinic on Monday, September 30 in the Coliseum. The clinic will begin at 2 p.m. with introductory showmanship guidelines. At 2:30 p.m., it will progress to an advanced session which will include examples of how to efficiently work a showmanship class, terminology and mock classes to place. To participate in this free clinic, individuals are required to register on the WDE website.

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo brings together the latest in dairy innovation and the best cattle in North America. Crowds of more than 65,000 people, from nearly 100 countries, will return to Madison, Wis. for the 53rd annual event, October 1-5, 2019, when the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, dairy and forage seminars, a world-class dairy cattle show and more will be on display. Visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or YouTube for more information.