Over 250 dairy judges descend on Hoard’s Dairyman Farm

This week isn’t just about attending the tradeshow and cow show in Madison for us. Our farm is a popular stop for many of the out-of-town guests coming to World Dairy Expo — so popular that on the Sunday prior to Expo week, over 250 youth visit the farm annually. The group includes many of the 4-H and collegiate dairy judging teams set to place cows on the colored shavings the very next day. The stop at the Hoard’s Dairyman farm serves as a practice. Yesterday, we prepared three cow classes for the youth to place, much like the handful of other farms the group visits during that same weekend.

We’d say the stop was a success this year. Our Guernsey cows behaved quite well on the halter, and, unlike last year, the shuffling of 500 plastic boots didn’t scare any of them. A huge thank you goes to members of the Fort Atkinson FFA Chapter: Seth Elsner, Hudson Elsner, Jed Agnew, Lucas Hetts, and Morgan Lundy all graciously helped us stage and lead the cows for the judging practice. Nearly every event that occurs this week is made possible through people just like this who give their time to make the week as successful as ever.

On this cold, windy, Monday morning, we are anxiously awaiting the 170 delegates and chaperones to arrive in Fort Atkinson from the National 4-H dairy conference.
As with every year, they’ll be stopping in our magazine offices, the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm, National Dairy Shrine, Nasco, and let’s not forget the church across the street for a delicious brunch!  We’ll post more later after they’ve been through.