U of M takes third place in National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest
Heather Thorstensen
Date Modified: 10/13/2009 11:41 AM
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Agri News staff writer
MADISON, Wis. -- University of Minnesota took third place Sept. 28 in the National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo.
Team members were Jessica Achen of Sauk Centre, Mike Donnelly of Farmington, Staci Sexton of Millville and Brandon Thesing of Winona.
They judged 12 classes representing all seven major dairy breeds. They also gave six sets of reasons.
Coach Les Hansen said they're one of the best teams to come out of the university when it comes to giving reasons. They excel in oral delivery and their ability to be absolutely accurate, he said.
In the reasons category, the team took fourth place and Thesing placed sixth individually.
He and Donnelly are both juniors, a rarity on a U of M team at this contest, but they qualified because of their advanced skills. Getting a spot on the university's team is a competitive process. The difference between who makes the team and who doesn't can come down to a tenth of a point.
Even though they're juniors, it was Donnelly and Thesing's first and last time judging in the contest. It requires participants compete only once.
Achen, a senior studying animal science with an emphasis in dairy production, and Donnelly, who hopes to become an agricultural educator, said some classes in the contest were challenging to judge.
They had to rely on a new scorecard from the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association to balance the animals' traits. It combines dairy character and body capacity to create a category called dairy strength.
Dairy strength accounts for 25 percent of the total score. Rear feet and legs receive more weight in the new scoring system, stature receives less and each category -- frame, udder, dairy strength and rear feet and legs -- have traits listed by priority with point values for each trait. The scorecard also includes breed characteristics for Red and Whites.
Hansen said dairy judging helps teammates learn public speaking, teamwork and build lifelong friendships.
"Alumni say it's the best experience they had in college," he said.
Achen has enjoyed the team's camaraderie. She hopes to continue judging in the future.
"It would be really cool to judge at World Dairy Expo," she said.
Her family runs Cherrywood Milking Shorthorns. They brought five head to Madison, including her cow that was Supreme Champion Dairy Female at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair.
Donnelly, of Donnelly Farms, has enjoyed dairy judging because he likes being around others with enthusiasm for the dairy industry.
"It's something I'm good at, and strive to be better," he said.
World Dairy Expo was the final and fourth contest for the team. They took fourth place at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky. At the Accelerated Genetics Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest in Viroqua, Wis., they placed first for reasons and first overall. They took second place at the All American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, Pa.
They practiced rigorously for eight days in September, judging 9-12 classes each day and presenting three sets of reasons each night. They will mentor other U of M dairy judges in the spring by receiving oral reasons during a training session.
Iowa State University's team of Kendra Bolen, Elizabeth Gaul, Aaron Palmer and Kaleena Westaby placed seventh overall and tenth for reasons during the contest at World Dairy Expo. Palmer was the sixth highest individual overall and placed tenth in reasons. The team's coach was Lee Kilmer.
Virginia Tech received top honors in the contest for the second year in a row.