Brattleboro, Vt. (July 6, 2016)…The 2016 National Holstein Convention was held June 27 through July 1 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Over 400 Holstein Junior members competed in contests and participated in various other activities. Contests are designed to showcase talents and develop skills that will be useful for these young Holstein breeders’ future endeavors.
Prepared Public Speaking
Broken into three age divisions, 51 youth participated in the prepared public speaking competition. Following are the results from each division.
Junior (ages 9 through 13 years)
1st: Brianna Meyer, Wis., “Goldwyn – Sire of Champions”
2nd: Kylie Konyn, Calif., “Genomics”
3rd: Julia Heijkoop, Fla., “Educating the Public on Organic versus Conventional Farming”
Intermediate (ages 14 through 17 years)
1st: Brock Irwin, Ill., “The Real Truth About the Dairy Industry”
2nd: Cady McGehee, Fla., “Conventional versus Organic Farming”
3rd: Kristin Johns, Pa., “The ‘EIEIO’ of Farming”
Senior (ages 18 through 21 years)
1st: Stephanie McBath, N.Y., “When in Rome, on an Italian Dairy Farm”
2nd: Halee Wasson, Pa., “Dairy Sweetener”
3rd: Charlie Sasscer, Md., “The Moo that Keeps on Giving (Sustainability)”
Folding Display Contest
Fifty-seven entries were submitted in this year’s Folding Display competition. Participants create a free-standing display educating people about a dairy industry-related topic of their choice. Youth are divided into three age divisions, and each division has two categories – Scientific and Creative. Junior Holstein members are not required to attend the National Convention to enter a display and compete in this contest. Following are the results for each category.
Creative Division – Junior
1st: Whitney Dunklee, Vt., “Dairy Around the World”
2nd: Danica Rupard, Wash., “The Talents of a Cow’s Tongue”
3rd: Sarah Craun, Va., “Calf-a-Bunga”
Scientific Division – Junior
1st: Rachel Craun, Va., “What’s the Matter”
2nd: Shelby Sumner, Fl., “Robotic Milkers – Risk vs Reward”
3rd: Gary Young, Wash., “The Heritability of Red Genetics”
Creative Division – Intermediate
1st: Taylor Wolfe, Pa., “FARM”
2nd: Gregory Norris, Ma., “Expo through the Years”
3rd: Allie Goss, Pa., “I’m Done, Now What? (Opportunities for Women)”
Scientific Division – Intermediate
1st: Katelyn Sowers, Pa., “The Effects of Methane Production on the Environment”
2nd: Cole Verano, Fla., “The Power of Poo”
3rd: Michael Fioretto, Fla., “AI: Repro Anatomy”
Creative Division – Senior
1st: Daniel Kitchen, Pa., “Milk and More”
2nd: Megan Rauen, Iowa, “How to Connect with the Consumer”
3rd: Mary Ellen Sousa, N.J., “The Veterinary Feed Directive”
Scientific Division – Senior
1st: Shannon Sears, N.Y., “Hairy Heel Warts”
2nd: Marcy Bartelheimer, Wash., “Why is She So Moody (Estrous Cycle)”
3rd: Halee Wasson, Pa., “Can Lactose Hydrolysis be used to Replace Sugar in Dairy Products”
State Scrapbook
The state scrapbook contest gives each state the chance to tell the story of activities and events their Junior Holstein associations take part in each year. Nine states submitted traditional scrapbooks this year.
1st: Iowa
2nd: Illinois
3rd: Minnesota
4th: New England
5th: Pennsylvania
Digital State Scrapbook
The Digital Scrapbook division had nine entries submitted this year. This division is judged on the same criteria as a traditional scrapbook, but entries must be presented on a computer, DVD player, or other digital format.
1st: Illinois
2nd: Missouri
3rd: Washington
4th: New York
5th: Michigan
State Banner
The state banner competition allows states to creatively showcase their state pride, with nine entries submitted this year, displayed throughout the week at the Convention.
1st: Washington
2nd: New England
3rd: New York
NHWSO Awards Scholarships
The National Holstein Women’s Scholarship Organization (NHWSO) presented a total of $8,000 in scholarships to three deserving Junior Holstein members. Recipients include Charlie Hamilton, Wis., Elizabeth Endres, Wis., and Jill Seiler, Kan.
New Representatives Elected to Junior Advisory Committee (JAC)
These youth members were elected to the Junior Advisory Committee. From Area II was Cady McGeehee, Fla.; Area IV was Alexandra Gambonini, Calif.; and at At-Large was Rachel Demmer, Iowa.
Penny Wars
Iowa was the winning state in the Penny War contest, raising $1,335.88 for the Holstein Foundation.
See the Summer 2016 issue of the Holstein Pulse, and visit our web site, www.holsteinusa.com, for more coverage of the 2016 National Holstein Convention.