GUERNSEY — C D A B

C starts this exceptional class of Guernsey cows and wins easily over D. C overpowers D with an enormous advantage in strength and capacity. She is longer, deeper, and wider than D. C is also much higher and wider in her rear udder attachment as well as more powerful through the front end. I grant that D is leveler on the floor of her udder.

In a close middle pair, D places over A because of her femininity and dairyness. D is longer in her neck and has more breed character about her head. She is also deeper in her rear rib and cleaner through the hock. Still further, D is leveler on the floor of her udder and longer and smoother in her fore udder attachment. A keeps this a close pair because she has more length of frame and width of chest and is more uniformly wide at the top of her rear udder than D.

In the final pair, A places over B because she stands on a straighter set of rear legs as viewed from the side. A is also much cleaner through the front end, longer in the neck, and freer of excess flesh through her hips, pins, and thighs. I grant that B has a tremendous edge in depth and openness of rib, but I left her last because she doesn’t show the same sharpness and cleanliness as the other cows in the class.

About the judge . . . Gerrit DeBruin

DeBruin placed the GUERNSEYS. He and his wife own and operate an independent nutrition consulting business and own a small, elite herd of Brown Swiss known as Just So Farm. They have bred and developed numerous All-American nominations, including two in 2023. DeBruin’s extensive judging experience includes placing animals at four different national shows; nearly every state fair across the Midwest; major shows in Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru; and as both an associate and lead judge at World Dairy Expo. He has also used that expertise to coach 4-H and FFA dairy judging teams for 25 years.

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