To kick off the action in the showring at World Dairy Expo, the International Junior Holstein Show did not disappoint. Official judge Pat Conroy of Angola, Ind., sorted through 258 cattle in total alongside associate judge Callum McKinven of Canton de Hatley, Quebec, Canada, to select the champions of the show.
“I judged this show in 2013 as well,” judge Conroy mentioned during his selection for the grand champion of the show. “It was a good show then, but it’s truly a great show now. There has been so much improvement in quality and depth, which is something to be proud of.”
At the end of a long, exciting day, the winning Senior Three-Year-Old cow, Ms. Triple-T Grateful-ET was named the Grand Champion after achieving Intermediate Champion. This well-balanced cow is owned by Colton Thomas of North Lewisburg, Ohio.
For the judges, overall body confirmation and a more youthful udder carried Grateful over the Reserve Grand Champion and Senior Champion of the show who was also tapped first for the 150,000 Pound Production Cow. Kevetta Chelios Brooke is her name, and she is owned by Kyra and Griffin Lamb and Margaret Winspear of Oakfield, N.Y.
“For us today, this 3-year-old has such a tremendous udder, a hard top, and amazing strength throughout, taking nothing away from the open-ribbed and dairy production cow,” judge Conroy discussed in his final reasons of the day.
Reserve Senior Champion went to R-John Crushin On Courtney, exhibited by Jaycey and Hadley Ross of Delavan, Wis. Nathanial King of Schuylerville, N.Y., had the Reserve Intermediate Champion with Kings-Ransom CR Dazzling.
Earlier in the day, Kiko Solo Jawdropping 1891-ET, owned by Elizabeth Kiko of Salem, Ohio, won the Winter Yearling Heifer class and was named the Junior Champion of the show. Additionally, the honor of Reserve Junior Champion went to Weigland Denver Athena-ET after topping the Spring Heifer class. Athena is owned by Ella, Adam, and Claire Bindl of Plymouth, Wis.
Mikayla grew up near Osceola, Wis. She discovered her passion for the dairy industry while working on her neighbors’ Holstein dairy farm. That spurred her involvement in 4-H and FFA, and following graduation from Osceola High School, she headed to the University of Minnesota to pursue a degree in agricultural communication and marketing. During the school year, she worked as a website designer for the University of Minnesota department of animal science, and last summer, she was a farmer relations intern for Midwest Dairy. Peper is serving as the 2022 Hoard’s Dairyman editorial intern.
