Total attendance was up, with 65,136 attending. International visitors came from 87 countries. The commercial trade show booth also had an international flavor, with exhibitors from 26 countries.
Total dairy cattle on the grounds tallied 2,411 head. Holsteins top the list with 652 head, followed by Jersey and Brown Swiss. Exhibitors came from nearly every corner of the continent, representing 36 states and 6 Canadian provinces.
Four breed sales were held on the fairgrounds. The Top of the World Jersey Sale averaged $2,760 on 25 lots, with a top of $7,000. The top Ayrshire lot fetched $6,000. The 15 Ayrshire lots averaged $3,399. The Holstein World Classic averaged $19,666 on 44 lots. Click to see the opening of the sale and first lots sell. The World Premier Brown Swiss sale averaged $4,674 on 37 lots with the top lot going for $19,000.
The selection of the Supreme Champion of the Junior Show tapped a repeat exhibitor. Ben Sauder of Tremont , Ill., took Supreme honors with Claessic Vindicat Genie in 2010, while his Jersey cow Kandy Kiss was last year's Supreme winner. Reserve Supreme of the Junior show was awarded to Britney Hill, Vermont, on Magic Meadows BBBK Alexus, the Grand Champion Ayrshire. See the complete list of past Supreme Winners of the Junior Show.
Saturday concluded with the selection of Supreme Champion. Click here to see the video announcement on our Hoards@Expo blog from yesterday. Harvue Roy Frosty, the Holstein, was named Supreme Champion for the second year in a row for Mike and Julie Duckett, Jim and Nancy Junemann, and Scott and Nancy Armbrust, Rudolph, Wisc. Click here to see the past winners of Supreme Champion back to 1970. Blondin Redman Seisme, the Red & White Champion was Reserve Supreme for Morsan Farms of Ponoka, Alberta, Canada.
We had an exciting week as we celebrated 125 years of Hoard's Dairyman. After hosting the commercial exhibitor party on Tuesday evening, Bonnie Mohr spent time signing her "Foster Mothers of the Human Race painting" in our coliseum booth on Wednesday through Saturday. See our blog on Bonnie in the booth!
We blogged throughout the week, which were posted on the redesigned Hoard's Dairyman website. Attendees to the booth could also purchase subscriptions and several books. Free one-month passes to Hoards Online, the digital version of our publication were also distributed. Ray Lein of Paynesville, Minn., was the lucky winner of the drawing for the framed Bonnie Mohr print.
Expo is more than the cows – it's the people who enjoy the cows and this industry. Whether you are a cattle exhibitor, attending producer, allied industry representative, youth competitor, or one of thousands of Madison school children attending the show, all had to leave the event impressed.
We look forward to seeing you in 2011 when Expo is "Around the World of Dairy in 5 Days".
