Tuscola County 4-H member exhibits supreme champion cow
EAST LANSING, MI -- A Holstein cow exhibited by Taylor Bolinger, of Tuscola County, was selected as the supreme champion dairy cow and a Holstein heifer owned by Anna Moser, of Ingham County, was chosen as the supreme champion dairy heifer at the Michigan 4-H Youth Dairy Days dairy cattle show held July 20 at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing. Each winner was picked from a field of six dairy breed senior and junior champions, respectively. The dairy cattle show is one of several youth-centered activities held annually during the week-long Michigan Dairy Expo, the state’s largest dairy event. This year’s expo, the 19th annual, was held July 18-22. More than 100 youth competed in this year’s show.
Bolinger and Moser, in addition to the supreme showmanship winner, Shelby Berens, of Allegan County, represented the Michigan dairy industry at the annual Michigan Livestock Expo ‘Sale-abration’ auction held the evening of the show. Champion animals selected the previous weekend at the Michigan Livestock Expo were also sold at the ‘Sale-abration’ auction. The dairy champions, however, were represented by dairy product gift baskets.
This year’s gift baskets representing the supreme champion cow and heifer, showmanship winner, and grand champion cheese, raised $36,000. A majority of the funds generated from the sale of the dairy lots goes into a statewide dairy youth fund of the Michigan Youth Livestock Scholarship Fund. The dairy portion of the fund supports dairy youth programs through educational grants and scholarships. The youth members who exhibited the winning animals or earned the champion showmanship award receive $1,000 each.
The Supreme Champion Dairy Cow package was auctioned off for $6,000 to the partnership of The Kroger Company and United Dairy Industry of Michigan. Members of the buying syndicate who purchased the Supreme Champion Dairy Heifer for $14,000 were: Caledonia Farmers Elevator, Cobank, Dairy Farmers of America, the law firm of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C., Zeeland Farm Services, Inc., and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
Dairy animals representing six dairy breeds were exhibited in this year’s Michigan 4-H Dairy Days Youth Show. A list of senior and reserve senior champions, selected from the milking cow classes, and junior champions, selected from the heifer (female dairy animal not yet milking) classes, for each breed appears below.
Ayrshire breed
• Junior champion: Madison Wineland, Branch County (Coldwater)
• Reserve junior champion: Makenna Davies, Allegan County (Wayland)
• Senior champion: Alexis Butcher, Shiawassee County (Owosso)
• There was not a reserve senior champion cow.
Brown Swiss breed
• Junior champion: Stoney Buell, Monroe County (Temperance)
• Reserve junior champion: Kristen Burkhardt, Kent County (Lowell) (*resides in Fowlerville, Livingston County)
• Senior champion: Jake Nugent, Kent County (Lowell)
• Reserve senior champion: Chelsea Barnes, Ottawa County (Zeeland)
Holstein breed
• Junior champion: Anna Moser, Ingham County (Dansville)
• Reserve junior champion: Anna Moser, Ingham County (Dansville)
• Senior champion: Taylor Bolinger, Tuscola County (Kingston)
• Reserve senior champion: Anna Moser, Ingham County (Dansville)
Jersey breed
• Junior champion: Irene Nielsen, Ingham County (Potterville)
• Reserve junior champion: Paige Remenar, Clinton County (Elsie)
• Senior champion: Eric Moser, Ingham County (Dansville)
• Reserve senior champion: Allison Schafer, Clinton County (Westphalia)
Milking Shorthorn breed
• Junior champion: Mackenzie DeLong, Lapeer County (North Branch)
• Reserve junior champion: Carolyn DeLong, Lapeer County (North Branch)
• Senior champion: Jessica Nash, Clinton County (Elsie)
• Reserve senior champion: Mackenzie DeLong, Lapeer County (North Branch)
Red and White Holstein breed
• Junior champion: Morgan Luoma, Calhoun County (East LeRoy)
• Reserve junior champion: Anna Wehler, Kent County (Caledonia)
• Senior champion: Miriah Dershem, Clinton County (St. Johns)
• Reserve senior champion: Anna Moser, Ingham County (Dansville)
As the youth-centered portion of the Michigan Dairy Expo, the largest annual dairy event in the state, Michigan 4-H Youth Dairy Days offers young people interested in the dairy industry opportunities to compete for premiums, ribbons and scholarships in various educational activities, including dairy quiz bowls, dairy management contests, dairy cattle judging competitions and the Dairy Days youth show. This year, nearly 170 youth from around the state participated in one or more of the educational competitions, and winners may go on to represent Michigan in national competitions.
For complete lists of results from the 2016 4-H Youth Dairy Days, visit http://midairyyouth.ans.msu.edu/days-results.
Awards and other recognition during Michigan 4-H Youth Dairy Days, along with other dairy youth and judging program activities conducted throughout the year, are made possible through the generous support of numerous businesses, organizations and individuals. These include: ABS Global, AIS Equipment, the Branch County Dairy Organization, the CHS Foundation, the Clinton County 4-H Dairy Council, Dairy Farmers of America, the District 1 and District VI Holstein associations, Drs. Joe and Denise Domecq, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Hillsdale County Dairy Leaders, Ira Krupp, Lely, the Michigan Dairy Memorial Foundation, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan Farm Bureau, the Michigan Holstein Association, the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club, the Michigan Milk Producers Association, the Michigan Purebred Dairy Cattle Association, the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, the MSU Dairy Club, the MSU Dairy Cattle Judging Team, the MSU Department of Animal Science, MOO-ville Creamery, NorthStar Cooperative, the Osceola County 4-H Dairy Boosters, the Ottawa County 4-H Dairy Committee, Rodney Pennock, Purina Animal Nutrition, the Shiawassee County 4-H Dairy Association, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, and the Vitality Dairy crew.
For more information about the Michigan 4-H dairy youth program, contact Elischer at 517-432-4306. For more information about the Michigan Dairy Expo, contact Dr. Joe Domecq at 517-353-7855.
The 2017 Michigan Dairy Expo is scheduled for July 17-21 at MSU.