Jersey Reigns Supreme at Expo, Twice
For the second time in history, the Jersey breed has bested all others and earned the most prestigious title — Supreme Champion — in both show rings at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. This year, Stoney Point Joel Bailey was named Supreme Champion in the open show while Pacific Edge VIP Tessah-ET earned the laurels in the junior show. Both were tapped in a ceremony to close World Dairy Expo on the afternoon of October 4.
“Bailey” competed for Supreme Champion after being named Senior and Grand Champion of the International Jersey Show on October 1. She received a score of 18 from the officials to win the title over the Reserve Supreme Champion, Premium Apple Crisp Lilly-Red, the Red & White champion that received 22 points.
This is the second consecutive year “Bailey” has been named Grand Champion of the International Jersey Show. She is owned by Vierra Dairy Farms of Hilmar, Calif., and was bred by Ashley R. Mayer of Taneytown, Md. She is an Excellent-95% daughter of Guimo Joel-ET with a top record of 4-2 305 22,030 5.1% 1,120 3.6% 796 75DCR.
“Tessah” earned the opportunity to compete for Supreme when she was tapped Intermediate and Grand Champion of the International Junior Jersey Show. She was a unanimous selection among the officials for Supreme Champion.
Shown by Coltan Seals of Tillamook, Ore., “Tessah” was also Reserve Intermediate Champion in the open show. The junior three-year-old is an Excellent-91% daughter of River Valley Venus VIP-ET. Coltan initially purchased “Tessah” as an embryo and now owns her in partnership with her breeder, Brent Rocha. She is the 2023 Junior All American Junior Two-Year-Old.
The first time Jerseys won Supreme honors in both shows at World Dairy Expo came in 2006 when Huronia Centurion Veronica 20J, exhibited by Arethusa Farm of Litchfield, Conn., was queen in the open show and Smart Nate Gunner Cher took the title for Amanda Curtis of Anna, Ohio, in the junior show.
Klussendorf Award
Tom Cull of Lomira, Wis., was presented with the Klussendorf Award, the highest accolade awarded to a dairy cattle showman in the U.S. Cull operates Budjon Farms, a mixed herd of Jerseys and Holsteins, and Budjon Boarding with his wife, Kelli. His father, John, has also played a pivotal role at the farm for many years.
Budjon Farms has been a dominant force in the show ring for the past two decades, winning Premier Breeder at World Dairy Expo six times. Budjon has shown four National Supreme Champions, four World Dairy Expo Grand Champions, four Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Grand Champions and three North American International Livestock Exposition Grand Champions. They have earned more than 180 All-American nominations and 80-plus All-Canadian nominations.
At Expo this year, Spring View Joel Kinsley, a five-year-old Budjon owns with Peter and Lyn Vail, was named Reserve Senior and Reserve Grand Champion of the International Jersey Show.
Cull has mentored many others who have achieved success in the dairy show ring and manages crews that care for show strings of upwards of 40-50 head at major dairy shows.
Youth Showmanship and Fitting Contests
World Dairy Expo welcomed 445 competitors to the colored shavings for the youth showmanship contest on September 28 in the Coliseum.
Among the three age division winners was Jersey junior Kayla Trustem of Evansville, Wis. She topped her class of 129 competitors in the intermediate division and received the Howard Voegeli First Place Award, a custom embroidered jacket and a pair of clippers. In the competition for Supreme Showman, she was named reserve winner.
Ranked among the top 10 in the junior division (ages 9-13) were Paige Zimmerman, Brodhead, Wis., second; Jaedyn McPherson, Grandview, Texas, fourth; Karlie Supplee, Chambersburg, Pa., fifth; and William Zimmerman, Brodhead, Wis., eighth. Also placing among the top 15 were Eli Arp, Norwalk, Ohio, and Kate Kasbergen, Tulare, Calif.
In addition to Trustem, four other Jersey juniors stood among the top 15 in the intermediate division (ages 14-16): Justin Brandel, Lake Mills, Wis., second; Ava Hebgen, de Forest, Wis., third; Taylor Lawrence, Brooklyn, Conn., 10th; and Avery Best, Lakeland, Fla., 12th.
Three Jersey juniors placed among the top 10 in the senior division: Katelyn Poitras, Brimfield, Mass., second; Lilly Johnson, River Falls, Wis., sixth; and Emily Good, Liberty, Ky., seventh. Other juniors among the top 15 were Olivia Finke, London, Ohio, and Summer Hammann, Barron, Wis.
Among the 41 competitors from a dozen states and one Canadian province who earned prizes in the youth fitting contest on the same day were several Jersey juniors. Awards were given in four categories: intermediate female and male and senior female and male.
Kayla Trustem came out on top again in this contest, winning the intermediate female division. She was followed in second by Kamrie Mauer, Brownton, Minn.
In the intermediate male division, Ethan Staudinger, Reedsville, Wis., placed third and Benny Uhe, Footville, Wis., stood fourth.
In the senior division, Jamie Gibbs, Rollingstone, Minn., was second female and Hannah Gingerich, Shippensburg, Pa., was fourth. Evan Cooper, Owego, N.Y., was the fifth-place male.
Youth Dairy Judging Contests
Jersey juniors swept the three major dairy judging contests held in conjunction with World Dairy Exp on September 29.
Kylie Konyn was the high individual overall in the 103rd National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held on September 29. While she and Naomi Scott from Iowa State University tied for overall points at 861, Konyn’s overall reasons score of 283 bested Scott’s by five points to break the tie. Originally from Escondido, Calif., Konyn won the Brown Swiss and Guernsey breeds and competed for the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison.
Also placing among the top 10 overall was Jersey junior Elizabeth Hyman of Adams, N.Y., who competed on the team from Michigan State University. She placed 10th with a score of 829.
The University of Minnesota (UMN) repeated as high team overall in the National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest and was high team for reasons as well. They were followed by UW-Madison, Iowa State University (ISU), Purdue University, UW-River Falls and The Ohio State University (OSU).
In the 34th International Post-Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, Jersey junior Lauryn Young of Buhl, Idaho, earned bragging rights as high individual overall with 783 points. Competing for Modesto Junior College was the winning team with 2,296 points. Other team members included Logan Silveira, Jon Chapman and Teresa Sousa. They were coached by Nicole Morris.
Placing second through fifth, respectively, were teams from State University of New York (SUNY)-Cobleskill, OSU Agricultural Technical Institute, Michigan State University Institute of Agricultural Technology and SUNY-Morrisville.
In the 102nd National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, Jersey junior Alexis Schultz of Marion, N.Y., was named high individual overall with a contest total of 702 points. She was also high individual for reasons at 237 points, followed by another Jersey junior, Mason Ziemba of Durhamville, N.Y., in second with a reasons score of 228. Ziemba was fourth high individual overall.
Their performance helped their New York team win the overall contest with 2,057 points, followed by the team from Florida with 2,051 points. Teams from Wisconsin, Maryland and Indiana placed third through fifth, respectively.
Other members of the New York team were Elsie Donlick and Alysha Kuhn. The team was coached by Dr. Douglas Waterman.
National Dairy Shrine Scholarships
In its 75th year of awarding scholarships to dairy youth, the National Dairy Shrine (NDS) awarded $45,000 in scholarships to 38 students from colleges and technical schools, including several Jersey juniors. Recipients were recognized at the NDS Awards Banquet on September 30.
Garrett Hastings, Chardon, Ohio, won the $3,000 Kildee Scholarship for graduate students in dairy fields. He received his undergraduate degree in animal science from OSU and will continue his studies at the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine this fall.
Kendal Jenkins, Columbia Crossroads, Pa., received a $1,000 Senior Student Recognition Scholarship for outstanding leadership, activity participation, academic ability and interest in the dairy industry. Students are nominated by their institution. Kendal is studying animal science at Pennsylvania State University.
Merton Sowerby Junior Merit Scholarships of $1,000 each were presented to Natalie Roe of Pickerington, Ohio, and Irene Nielsen of Potterville, Mich. Roe is a dairy science and life sciences communications major at UW-Madison while Nielsen is studying dairy science, agricultural communications and international agriculture at ISU.
Mike Lancaster Sophomore Merit Scholarships were given to Lauren Breunig, Sauk City, Wisc., and Regan Jackson, Clear Brook, Va. Breunig received the top prize of $1,500. She is a student at UW-Madison majoring in life sciences communications with a certificate in agricultural business management. Jackson received a $1,000 award. She is pursuing a major in nutrition and food science with a minor in biology from Louisiana State University.
Kylie Konyn earned the top NDS/Dairy Management Inc. Education and Communications Scholarships of $1,500. She is at UW-Madison majoring in dairy science with certificates in ag business management and science communications. Ainsley Noble, Lancaster, Wis., at UW-River Falls studying agricultural education, received a $1,000 award in this category.
Jordan Anderson, Centre Hall, Pa., received $1,000 NDS/DMI Milk Marketing and Dairy Products Scholarship. The University of Wyoming student is majoring in agriculture communications.
A $1,000 Marshall McCullough Communications Scholarship was given to Rachel Visser, Hutchinson, Minn. She is studying agriculture communications and marketing, agriculture and food business management at UMN.
Hunter Holewinski, Pulaski, Wis., received a Dairy Shrine Dairy Production Scholarship of $2,500. He majors in dairy science with a certificate in science communication at UW-Madison.
World Forage Analysis Superbowl
Winners of the World Forage Analysis Superbowl were recognized at a luncheon on October 2. Competitors from a dozen states submitted 207 entries in eight divisions. Several Jersey producers were among the winners.
An entry by Sand Creek Dairy LLC, Hastings, Mich., was named Grand Champion in the mixed/grass haylage division. The dairy placed second in the division for brown midrib corn silage, third in standard corn silage and fourth in alfalfa haylage. This is the third consecutive year Sand Creek Dairy has won a Grand Champion. They won the corn silage division last year and the alfalfa haylage division in 2022.
Nuttleman Farms of Bangor, Wis., earned Grand Champion in the baleage division while Rosedale Farm of Oxford, Wis., placed fourth with its entry in the grass hay category.
