MSU Ag Tech Dairy Judging Team is Successful at World Dairy Expo
10/29/09
Contact: Sara Long
517-432-1555, ext. 170
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Four second-year Michigan State University (MSU) Institute of Agricultural Technology dairy production program students competed in what turned out to be a close-scoring International Postsecondary Dairy Judging Contest held during World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., in early October.
Team members were Eric Cole, Bancroft; Elizabeth Reed, Owosso; James Weber, Vassar; and Eric Westendorp, Nashville.
Westendorp was fifth high placing individual overall and second in the Holstein breed. Cole was the second high individual in Brown Swiss and seventh in the Guernsey breed. Reed was fourth in the Red and White dairy cattle category.
Seventeen teams competed in this year’s contest, which was the 21st annual. The MSU team placed third in Brown Swiss, fourth in the Guernsey breed and eighth overall.
“The ultimate goal is to do well at Madison because it is the highest profile dairy judging contest in the country, maybe in the world,” says Joe Domecq, specialist in the MSU Department of Animal Science and dairy judging coach who traveled with the team. “It’s important to remember, though, that participating in dairy cattle judging is not necessarily about winning contests or even evaluating cows. It’s about developing professional and social skills -- such as critical thinking, public speaking and communication skills -- which one needs to be successful in the future.”
This year’s winning team was from the Ag Tech Institute at Ohio State University. The high individual was Matt Henkes from Northeast Iowa Community College.
World Dairy Expo is truly an international dairy event – it includes an industry trade show, national dairy cattle shows and sales, youth judging contests, virtual farm tours and educational programs. Total attendance for this year’s weeklong event was 64,796, which included 2,551 international guests representing 91 countries. Shows were held for seven dairy breeds. A total of 2,607 head were on the show grounds, representing 912 exhibitors from 35 states and seven Canadian provinces; and 752 commercial exhibitors from 24 countries took part in the industry trade show.
Sponsors for the MSU and Michigan 4-H dairy judging programs are ABS Global, Inc.; NorthStar Cooperative; the Michigan Holstein Association; the Michigan District 1 and District 6 Holstein Associations; the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club; the United Dairy Industry of Michigan; the Michigan Milk Producers Association and the Michigan Dairy Memorial Foundation.
For more information about the MSU and Michigan 4-H dairy judging programs, contact Domecq at domecqjo@msu.edu or call 517-353-7855.
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