The first animals to parade across the colored shavings at this year’s World Dairy Expo were led by junior exhibitors participating in the Youth Showmanship Contest. In all, 345 contestants competed in three age divisions in the annual competition.
As always, prizes were up for grabs for the class winners. This year, generous cash prizes were also donated in memory of Annette Ostrom, a dairy cattle exhibitor, dairy bowl coach, and an enthusiastic supporter of dairy youth who lost her battle with cancer shortly after last year’s World Dairy Expo. Ostrom’s family chose to sponsor cash awards for the first and second placed youth in each age division, as well as for the overall showmanship winners, to honor her legacy.
The senior division, with 125 participants, was won by Wesley Winch of Wisconsin. The second-place senior exhibitor was Savannah Crack of Quebec. For the intermediate division, the winner was Wisconsin’s Kennedy Zimmerman. Logan Brass, also from Wisconsin, earned second place out of 108 exhibitors. In the junior division, there were 112 participants. Earning first place was Chesney Speich of Wisconsin. Royce Booth, also from Wisconsin, came in second.
These six youth then came back to the showring to compete for Supreme and Reserve Supreme Showman honors. Finishing at the head of the class was Winch, claiming the title of Supreme Showman and earning a cash award of $3,500 from the Annette Ostrom Memorial. Reserve Supreme Showman was Zimmerman, and she took home a $1,500 cash prize.
Judges for the showmanship contest were Jennifer Charlton of Brantford, Ontario; Terri Packard of Boonsboro, Md.; and Mandy Brazil-Schmidt of Petaluma, Calif. The top 10 youth in each division are listed below. Congratulations to all the participants!
Junior (Ages 9 to 13):
- Chesney Speich, Wisconsin
- Royce Booth, Wisconsin
- Livia Sandelier, Wisconsin
- Benny Uhe, Wisconsin
- Justin Brandel, Wisconsin
- Kamryn Kasbergen, California
- Kendall Thomas, Ohio
- Grace Beckett, Ontario, Canada
- Jacob Schimek, Minnesota
- Ava Williams, Pennsylvania
Intermediate (Ages 14 to 16):
- Kennedy Zimmerman, Wisconsin
- Logan Brass, Wisconsin
- Stella Schmocker, Wisconsin
- Alaina Dinderman, Illinois
- Lauryn Weisensel, Wisconsin
- Matthew Winch, Wisconsin
- Ava Hebgen, Wisconsin
- Kennedy Kimball, Maine
- Brittany Taylor, Wisconsin
- Cameron Ryan, Wisconsin
Senior (Ages 17 to 21):
- Wesley Winch, Wisconsin
- Savannah Crack, Quebec, Canada
- Kylie Konyn, Wisconsin
- Jon Chapman, California
- Tessa Schmocker, Wisconsin
- Kolton Crack, Quebec, Canada
- Emma Paulson, Wisconsin
- Sarah Hill, Vermont
- Elizabeth Schieferstine, New York
- FaithLynn Moore, Maryland
The author is the managing 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 the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
