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Holstein reigns Supreme, Snickerdoodle is Reserve

Harvue Roy Frosty, exhibited by Mike and Julie Duckett, Jim and Nancy Junemann and Scott Armbrust of Wisconsin took home Supreme Champion of World Dairy Expo 2009. Old Mill-E Snickerdoodle exhibited by Allen Bassler of Upperville, Vir. was Reserve Supreme for the second consecutive year. We captured the moment on video, watch it here:

Jersey, Ayrshire are Supreme and Reserve of Junior Show

Ben Sauder of Tremont, Ill., and his Jersey Xanadu Champion Kandy Kiss took home top honors in this year's junior show at World Dairy Expo. Coming in Reserve Supreme was the Ayrshire Blind Buck Vall Tri Redpepper exhibited by Sarah Pulver of Fort Edwards, New York.
We captured the moment on video...watch it here:

Snapshots of Expo: Supreme Show

Snapshots of Expo: Saturday Edition

Faces in the barn

We caught up with junior exhibitor Brittany Albrecht from Stewart, Minn. right after her cow was shown in the open show. Brittany came down with her one cow and has been taking care of her all week. Watch it here on Youtube.

Next year's theme....unveiled!

Here's the first artwork we've seen for next year's World Dairy Expo. Crowning achivements and golden opportunities looks to be the theme. What do you think? Comment below.

Gibson and Brothers Three win futurity

Brothers Three Wisp owned by Brothers Three Brown Swiss and Katie Gibson took home top honors in the Kingsmill Farm II futurity on Saturday. Coming in second was the Holstein: Arethusa Gold Valencia-ET, owned by Arethusa Farm in Litchfield, Conn.

Wisconsin's Kyle Natzke wins the 2009 Merle Howard Award

Kyle Natzke’s passion for showing and dairy cattle, demonstrated through his junior project work has earned him the 2009 Merle Howard Award. The son of Tim and Barb Natzke of Fond du Lac, Wis., Kyle is the sixth person to receive this award.

The Merle Howard Award is presented to youth who demonstrates exemplary skills in fitting, showmanship, and overall passion for the dairy industry.

This 18-year-old is active in 4-H and the Junior Holstein Association. Through these groups, Natzke has competed in local, state, and national dairy quiz bowl and dairy jeopardy competitions. Just this past year, his dairy bowl team won the state contest and represented his Wisconsin at the National Holstein Convention in Sacramento, California.

Not afraid of work, this outstanding junior has worked numerous shows and sales in both Canada and the United States and has garnered the respect of those working with him for not only his solid work ethic, but his expertise in handling and caring for quality cattle. This year, Natzke captured fifth place honors at the state dairy cattle judging contest as his Dodge County judging team won the event and earned the right to represent Wisconsin at this year’s National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo earlier this week.

Showing is his passion. In 2007, Natzke was named top showman within his breed at the Wisconsin State Fair. The very next year, he capped that off by being named Supreme Champion Dairy Showman at State Fair. That same year, he was named Champion Senior Fitter at the National Holstein Convention Fitting Competition. And earlier this week, Natzke earned the top honors in the Senior Showmanship Division at World Dairy Expo’s Showmanship Contest which featured 72 contestants from across the country.

Previous award winners of the Merle Howard Award include: 2004, Robert Teixeira, Turlock, Calif., 2005, Matthew Mitchell, Lafollette, Tenn., 2006, Greta Koebel, Three Oaks, Mich., 2007 Brandon Ferry, Pickett, Wis., 2008 Kelly Lee, Johnson Creek, Wis. Merle Howard was a respected dairy industry pioneer. Winner of the 1954 Klussendorf Award, Howard was a herd manager, Holstein classifier and later a sales and export business man. Serving on the first National Dairy Shrine Board, he became one of only seven people to receive the 4-E Award for outstanding service.

It takes many steps to cover the Expo

Today is the final day of World Dairy Expo and there is still time to see all the great commercial exhibits and the world class Holstein show.

The Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Team has been pleased to bring you coverage of the show on this blog. Shown above is the editorial team which includes (from left to right): Corey Geiger, Dennis Halladay, Steve Larson, Lana Olson and Ryan Ebert.

Attendance has been quite strong. On Tuesday, 12,535 attended the show; Wednesday, 11,270; Thursday, 12,591; and Friday 15,326. There were 2,402 animals entered in the seven breed shows. Totals are: Ayrshire, 235; Brown Swiss, 382; Guernsey, 199; Holstein, 555; Jersey, 482; Milking Shorthorn, 213; and Red and White, 336.

Even though the World Dairy Expo didn't start until Tuesday, the Hoard's Dairyman Editorial Team was busy with tours on the Sunday and Monday prior to the show. One of our editorial team members wore a pedometer for the show to track just how many steps our team makes during the event . . . Here are the results in steps:

Sunday - 30,056
Monday - 15,325
Tuesday - 14,348
Wednesday - 8,437
Thursday - 21,840
Friday - 17,738
Saturday - 7,324 as of 10:30 a.m.

That is a total of 115,068 steps . . . when translated into miles, it equates 57.5 miles and counting since there are seven hours before the show closes.

Green takes home Red and White Champion

A Deleware cow owned by Richard Green of Middletown, Del., took home top honors Thursday at the Grand International Red and White show. She was a five-year-old: Ky-Blue Rueben Marla- Red-ET. Coming in at Reserve Champion went to a four-year-old, Elmbridge FM Loveable-Red, exhibited by Lookout, Peter Tuytel, Jr. and Canton De Hately, Quebec, Canada.

Four Winds wins National Guernsey Show

Grand Champion honors of the National Guernsey Show went to Four Winds Mentor Highlite, owned by Clark & Joy Vilter of Hartland, Wisconsin. Reserve Grand Champion honors went to Mar Kat Jake Elsie, owned by Tyler, Paige, and Justin Chupp, and Dakota Zarlac of Inola, OK. Congratulations! The Holstein cows are currently on the colored shavings which will be followed by the Supreme Grand Champion Show.

Freebie scope-out

Tradeshows are never complete without give-aways. This year, we found a wide variety of freebies throughout the exhibition hall, area building, and coliseum trade show buildings. Of course there was the traditional pins like the ones shown here.

But beyond those, we found many more prized give aways like metal water bottles, and even hot pink calf pails. These noticable nearly-flourescent pails were eye-cathers around the grounds. The pails were given out by the Wisconsin-based nutrition company, Vita-Plus. Customers of the company were sent reminders prior to expo to bring in a post card to receive the pink pail.


Did you find any great give-aways this year at expo? Let us know what you found.

Faces in the crowd

Kathy stopped by our booth to find out if she could visit the Hoard's Dairyman farm, so, we sat down and had a brief visit with her.

McEvoy named 68th Klussendorf Winner

Charlie McEvoy, Marathon, N.Y, was named the 68th winner of the Klussendorf Trophy, the highest recognition given to a dairy cattle showman in the United States. The award is made in memory of Arthur B. Klussendorf, considered the outstanding showman of his time and a model for all those who have followed him.

McEvoy’s selection was made by members of the Klussendorf Memorial Association, formed in 1937, at its annual meeting held earlier this week in Madison, Wis. He received the silver trophy designed by Tiffany Jewelers of New York City from the 2008 winner and this year’s Holstein judge of the International Holstein Show, Mark Rueth, Oxford, Wis.

This year’s Klussendorf winner has a long and distinguished history with the dairy cow. McEvoy was born into a farm family who raised registered Holsteins and began showing at a very young age, and has since been part of the show-ring for every season of his 74 years. At age 16, he moved to Marathon, New York with his mother and father, and for nearly 60 years has resided at the same farm which he now owns in partnership with his youngest son.

It was in the early 1950s when McEvoy met Henry Thomas, a nationally known cattleman who served as his mentor for the coming years. Thomas worked with the McDonald Farm Guernsey herd and was the 1951 Klussendorf Award winner. During those days, the newest Klussendorf winner traveled across the country by railway to shows in Columbus, Chicago, Waterloo, and points farther west. During the ensuing years, our 2009 honoree worked with many Klussendorf winners and even helped Harry Strohmeyer, one of the three original members of the Klussendorf Committee, take several cattle pictures.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he continued to worked with great herds such as McJunkins, McDonalds Properties Guernsey’s, working with Denny Ferguson and High Meadow Guernseys, again teaming up with Henry Thomas. In the 1980s and 1990s, McEvoy worked at World Dairy Expo for great breeding establishments such as Lylehaven, Mansion Valley, Ladyholm, Pamton Farms, Dreamstreet Holsteins, Sycamore Hill Jerseys, and Areuthusa. At the same time, he has found time to show his very own MacMara herd.

A very generous man, McEvoy is very active in his county and state, helping out at numerous dairy shows. In 2006, he was honored for his dedication to the Cortland Classic show, and, in 2007, was honored for his outstanding fellowship and sportsmanship at the New York State Fair. Just this past year, this Marathon, New York native was named the 2009 Master Breeder Award at the New York All Breeds Convention. With all this said, perhaps his finest attribute comes from the fact he and his wife, Caroline, have raised and educated eight children who are professionally employed as engineers, lab techs, extension educator, and dairy producers.



THOMAS “MOSS” McCAULEY WINS KLUSSENDORF-MACKENZIE AWARD
Thomas “Moss” McCauley, Lowell, Mich., won the coveted Klussendorf-MacKenzie Award presented during the 43rd World Dairy Expo, in memory of Duncan McKenzie, 1961 Klussendorf winner. The combination of genetics and environment is what makes a good cow . . . great. The same can be said of making a good cowman a great one. This year’s MacKenzie winner grew up under the keen eye of his father who was a pioneer in embryo transfer. Additionally, this year’s winner had the unique opportunity to be mentored by Dr. David Hagen. With their home farm on the outskirts of Harrisburg, Pa., McCauley would spend days at the All-American learning from Dr. Hagen, who was the show’s official veterinarian.

Even at the young age of 10, McCauley had a keen eye. After being disappointed with his first year in 4-H, his father let him pick a calf at the All-American Elite Sale. There was only one calf that he wanted, and she developed into an EX-94 GMD, DOM that eventually went on to be named Grand Champion of the Junior National Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Later on, this Pennsylvania native worked at EmTram where he had the opportunity to be around many prominent cows and breeders. When he entered college, he stayed involved at EmTram and his own New Direction herd. At Penn State, he earned a degree in dairy science and some questioned why he didn’t take his 3.9 GPA to vet school. But, his passion was solely working with dairy cows.

Since then, he was worked with cattle from coast to coast. The time and dedication he has spent with his animals at the show fostered many friendships that have developed into strong partnerships. He has worked with such herds as Brigeen, MD-Hillbrook, Waverly, Rosedale, Exel, Nabholz, Oakvale, and Airosa, not to mention his own family’s herds of New Direction, Nugentdale, and now Tumbleweed Holsteins and Jerseys.