The 2025 National Judges Conference will be held on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at Quietcove Holsteins in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Registration is now open for the event.
“We welcome you to attend the 2025 National Judges Conference at Quietcove Holsteins,” says Tim Ziemba, Holstein Association USA’s National Show Coordinator. “We appreciate the Elsass family for opening their doors to us and displaying their cattle, providing a realistic ‘show ring’ atmosphere for an immersive learning experience.”
The conference is designed to sharpen participants’ judging skills, deepen their understanding of Holstein cattle evaluation, and promote consistency in the show ring. By providing expert guidance and hands-on experience, the conference develops a trusted network of highly qualified judges that shows of all sizes can rely on when making judging selections.
The Judges Conference will include in-depth classroom sessions led by experienced judges. Attendees will also participate in hands-on learning activities, including placing classes of heifers and cows and giving a set of reasons. Participants will also listen to placing and reasons from both fellow attendees and officials.
Schedule of events:
Thursday, April 17, 2025
7:30 – 8:00 AM – Registration
8:00 – 10:00 AM – Classroom Discussion
10:30 – 11:30 AM – Linear Discussion
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Lunch
12:30 – 4:30 – Class Evaluations
Registration details:
Interested participants can find more details and register for the Judges Conference online at www.holsteinusa.com/shows/judges_conference.html using a credit card. The pre-registration fee is $100. Pre-registration will close once all spots are filled or two weeks before the conference on Thursday, April 3, 2025, whichever comes first.
A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites for Judges Conference participants. Hotel rooms are available for the nights of April 16 and 17, 2025, and must be booked by April 3, 2025, while availability lasts. The easiest way to secure a reservation is by booking online.
Participants interested in attending the Judges Conference without receiving an official rating are welcome for the experience but will not be eligible for the Holstein Association USA Judges Lists. All attendees will need to register for the Judges Conference.
Participants must be 22 years old by the day of the conference to attend. To register online, visit www.holsteinusa.com/shows/judges_preregister.html. For more information contact Tim Ziemba at 800.952.5200 ext. 4285 or by email at Tziemba@holstein.com.
About the Judges List:
Each year, Association USA provides a list of certified dairy cattle judges as a resource for shows of all sizes around the country. The list has two tiers – National and Approved. All National Holstein Shows will be required to select their judges from the National list. Associate judges for National Shows must be selected from either the National or Approved list. Nationally sanctioned Junior Holstein Shows must select their judge from either the National or Approved list.
In order to be on the Approved List, judges must have participated in a Judges Conference within the last five years and receive a satisfactory rating from the conference. To learn more about the Judges Lists, visit www.holsteinusa.com/shows/judges.html.
