Illinois 4-H’ers place at National Dairy Judging Contest

The 2016 National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, held at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., was another memorable event for Illinois 4-H’ers.

The Illinois 4-H dairy judging team placed 10th high team overall in a very strong contest among 28 state teams.  Illinois team members included:  Hadley Ehlers, of Campbell Hill; Brock Irwin, of Belvidere; Bria Koester, of Dakota; and Alex Walden, of Mode, Ill.

Bria Koester placed second top individual in the Brown Swiss breed among 112 contestants.

Furthermore, in the “top 25” individuals by breed, Brock Irwin was 12^th in Holsteins and 15th in Ayrshire; Hadley Ehlers placed 20^th in the Jersey breed; Alex Walden was 25^th in Ayrshire; and Bria Koester 25^th in Holsteins.

On a “top 10” team basis by breed, Illinois placed 7^th in Ayrshires and 7^th in Holsteins.

The Illinois 4-H team was sponsored by the Illinois 4-H Foundation, River Valley Dairy of Tremont, and Illinois Milk Producers’ Association.  In addition, the team jackets were sponsored by Equity in Effingham, Ill.

The team was coached by Dave Fischer, University of Illinois Extension 4-H Dairy Program Coordinator.