The Hoard’s Dairyman Farm hosted nearly 300 4-H, 2-year college, and 4-year university dairy judges and their coaches this morning for one final practice before tomorrow’s dairy judging contests at World Dairy Expo. A Guernsey junior two-year old class, composed of four maternal sisters, and a class of four-year-old Guernsey cows were paraded for the youth and their coaches.
At these pre-World Dairy Expo practices, no official placings are announced. The coaches use the opportunity to discuss the cows — both their strengths and flaws —with their team to fine-tune their judging skills and reasons content.
The editorial team of the magazine prepared the cows for the day’s activities, including halter-breaking, washing, and presenting the cows. They were also on hand to answer questions about the farm, the summer editorial internship, and the magazine in general.
There will be three national contests, all held at World Dairy Expo tomorrow morning. After a full day of classes and oral reasons, the evening concludes with a banquet to announce the official placings and recognize the winners. Hoard’s Dairyman will be live posting the results from the banquets as they are announced. So, if you cannot be at the banquet with your hometown team or alma mater, follow us on Facebook to see how they faired. Feel free to like, comment, or share our posts.
Other nearby Wisconsin dairy producers hosted judging practices this weekend as well. They included Cozy Nook Farm (Brown Swiss), Mapleton Valley Farm (Milking Shorthorns), Crescentmead (Red and Whites), and Ocean-View Genetics at Dun-Did (Holsteins). An additional judging opportunity was available this year on Friday and included stops at Golden Oaks and Luck-E Holsteins in Illinois.
Good luck to all competing in tomorrow’s contests, and thank you for visiting the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm!
The author is the online media manager and is responsible for the website, webinars and social media. A graduate of Modesto Junior College and Fresno State, she was raised on a California dairy and frequently blogs on youth programs and consumer issues.
