For Ken Main and Kenny Joe Manion of Copake, N.Y., success at the International Brown Swiss Show once again came from their winning Aged Cow and Senior Champion, Cutting Edge Thunder Faye. After entering the ring to the sounds of Swiss yodeling, she was named Grand Champion of the show on Wednesday afternoon, making her a back-to-back winner of this award.
There was an incredible amount of pride and excitement in the Coliseum for this cow who has stood the test of time and for the tradition of honoring the origin of the breed. The yodeling performance was done by the New Glarus Yodel Club.
“Timeless is how I would describe this champion cow,” official judge Gerrit DeBruin said after naming Faye as the winner. “She’s just so feminine, sharp, angular, and has an udder to match what you look for in a winner.” Judge DeBruin was assisted in the Brown Swiss Show by associate judge Hayden Hauschildt.
Following Faye’s continued success was Robland Norwin Bermuda-ET, owned by Tony Kohls and Goldfawn Farm of Mcgregor, Texas. After topping the Senior Three-Year-Old class, she was named Intermediate Champion before receiving the honor of Reserve Grand Champion.
Further success was found by Hannah and Mark Balthaser of Bernville, Pa., when their winning Five-Year-Old, Northkill Creek Groovy, achieved Reserve Senior Champion honors. Additionally, Ritchi View Nuck Hum Dinger was named Reserve Intermediate Champion after coming second in the Senior Three-Year-Old class. Dinger is owned by Mountain View Meadows Brown Swiss of Winlock, Wash.
The honor of Junior Champion went to the top Summer Yearling, Random Luck Total Perfection, exhibited by Jacob Harbaugh and Matthew Thompson of Marion, Wis. Following this as Reserve Junior Champion was Pit-Crew Daredevil Kyla-ET, who is leased by Allison Foss and owned by Pit-Crew Genetics of Cambridge, Minn. Kyla previously won the Spring Yearling Heifer class. All of these champions found themselves at the top out of a whopping 390 animals entered.
In addition, Elite Dairy-Ken Main and Peter Vail received the Premier Breeder Award. The Premier Exhibitor Award was given to Ken Main and Kenny Joe Manion, adding fuel to the champion fire. Premier Sire of the show was Voelkers TD Carter for the second year in a row. Pit-Crew Genetics earned Premier Breeder and Exhibitor of the Heifer Show. Adding a new name to the list of winners, Brown Heaven R Famous-ET became this year’s Premier Sire of the Heifer Show.
Impressive performances from Brown Swiss juniors
Age continued to create champions in the International Junior Brown Swiss Show, as the winning Five-Year-Old and Senior Champion, Northkill Creek Groovy, took the title of Grand Champion out of 154 entries. Groovy was exhibited by Hannah and Mark Balthaser of Bernville, Pa. Following this, the honor of Reserve Grand Champion went to Random Luck B Tea Rose, who is owned by Matthew and Allison Thompson of Darlington, Wis. Tea Rose found this success after topping the Component Merit Cow class and being named Reserve Senior Champion.
The winning Junior Three-Year-Old and Intermediate Champion of the Junior Show was Kruses LJ Fab Skylar-ET, owned by Cole and Carter Kruse of Dyersville, Iowa. The final champion cow was Terra Rose Cliff Shasta, exhibited by Adele Biasini or Morrisville, Vt. Shasta previously topped the Senior-Two-Year-Old class and received Reserve Intermediate Champion.
During the selection for Junior Champion, the winning Summer Yearling stood out to the judges. Her name is Random Luck Total Perfection, and she is owned by Jacob Harbaugh and Matthew Thompson of Marion, Wis. The Reserve Junior Champion was the winning Spring Yearling, Spots Pride Play It Again, which is owned by Tristen Ostrom of Kaukauna, Wis.
“Thank you to all of the exhibitors for trusting us to call it like we see it today,” Judge DeBruin said. “It has been the honor of a lifetime.”
Mikayla grew up near Osceola, Wis. She discovered her passion for the dairy industry while working on her neighbors’ Holstein dairy farm. That spurred her involvement in 4-H and FFA, and following graduation from Osceola High School, she headed to the University of Minnesota to pursue a degree in agricultural communication and marketing. During the school year, she worked as a website designer for the University of Minnesota department of animal science, and last summer, she was a farmer relations intern for Midwest Dairy. Peper served as the 2022 Hoard’s Dairyman editorial intern.