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Just two points separated the top two teams in the 2016 Lely National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. Once the classes were judged and reasons given, the 4-H team from Minnesota came out on top of the 26 participating teams, sneaking past Wisconsin 4-H.
Minnesota was led by Emily Benrud, who won the reasons portion of the contest and placed fourth overall individually. Teammates Clint Irrthum and Ben Thompson received All-American honors along with Benrud, placing eleventh and fourteenth overall, respectively. Tess Hokanson rounded out the Minnesota team.
The Minnesota team also earned a second-place finish in the reasons portion of the contest. The youth were coached by Tony and Mazie Scheffler.
Coming in second was Wisconsin 4-H, paced by Brooke Roberts’ third-place overall finish. Her sister, Vanessa Roberts, also cracked the top 10 individually, placing ninth. Their teammates, Jake Siemers and Jared Zutz, received All-American recognition as well by placing in the top 25 individuals overall.
The Wisconsin team, coached by Paul Siemers and Angie Ulness, won the reasons contest. Vanessa Roberts earned a second-place finish individually in reasons, while Brooke Roberts placed fifth.
The third-place team overall hailed from New York. Michigan came in fourth, and Ohio finished in fifth.
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Cook was third in reasons and Baumgardner was fourth individually. Michigan was the third-placed reasons team, followed by Pennsylvania and New York.
The top individual in placings went to Adam Simon of Iowa. He lost just 10 points over the 10 classes.
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The author is an associate editor and covers animal health, dairy housing and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy farm near Plymouth, Wis., and previously served as a University of Wisconsin agricultural extension agent. She received a master’s degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s from University of Wisconsin-Madison.