Cross Country: Collegiate judging contest a valuable experience at Dairy Expo

John F. Oncken  —  10/01/2008 5:22 pm

There are 2,500 dairy cattle, 1,600 commercial exhibits, 10 dairy industry seminars, eight virtual farm tours, five dairy breeds sales, 14 dairy breed shows, a three-day International Dairy Short Course and those are just some of the attractions and events being featured at the 42nd edition of World Dairy Expo.

The world's biggest dairy event continues at the Alliant Energy Center through Saturday. A $7 admission will let you see and enjoy it all.

The collegiate and post-secondary judging contests are held on Monday, the day prior to the Expo's actual opening. They don't draw a big crowd of spectators, but they may have more direct impact on people's lives than anything else that happens over Dairy Expo week.

The participants are young men and women attending colleges, universities and post-secondary schools across the country. They come to look at groups of dairy animals, rank them according to breed standards and explain why they did so to an impartial judge.

Simple?

No, not at all. In fact, it's a tense, nerve wracking, fingernail biting, heart racing, life defining experience!

One of the spectators at this year's collegiate judging contest was Dave Dickson, a UW-Madison dairy scientist who retired in 1998 after teaching and coaching the dairy judging team to national acclaim for some 30 years. He still assists current coach Ted Halbach in preparing the UW-Madison judging team and was seated in mid-court of the Coliseum watching the two events being played out before him.

Halbach watched the contest knowing full well that he could only watch from afar -- no cheering, no advice, no encouragement, no talking. In contrast to a hockey or basketball game on this venerable site, where the rafters echo with noise, this event was stone-cold quiet.

"This is my eleventh judging team, " Halbach says. "Dave Dickson still helps me--we have 22 students in the dairy judging program and there is a lot of work involved."

Work?

During August and September, the team traveled to 20 dairy farms as far away from each other as New Richmond, Lomira, Oconomowoc and Mineral Point judging dairy animals.

"We were invited to judge some classes at the Iowa County Fair," Halbach says. "It was a great experience."

"Judging is not a scholarship activity," he continues. "The student must maintain their studies and one or two credits-depending on the time they put in. It's a tremendous learning experience and can have a very positive impact their future."

It's about decision-making, problem-solving and oral communication, Halbach explains. It's not just placing cattle in order, but knowing why and having the confidence to explain it. These are things a young person can use later in life.

The judging continues on the Coliseum floor as two classes of Holsteins circle while the judges watch intently from a distance of 50 feet away. No one talks. Almost all of the young people are dressed in black or dark-color suits. They bob and weave looking at the cattle from front to back and bottom to top while making notes on clipboards.

Each class of animals is on view for 15 minutes. Then it's on to another class or breed. The judges absolutely must remember the overall details of why they placed them as they did for the questions later.

David Selner of Shawano has headed the collegiate judging contest for 30 years. "We have a five member coaches committee that sets the rules and procedures," he says. "I put together the various volunteer committees that do all the work."

Bob Hagenow, Pardeeville, has been a committee member for 25 years. He was honored by World Dairy Expo for his volunteer efforts last year. You'll see him and a committee on the Sunday prior to the opening of Dairy Expo moving from dairy barn to dairy barn selecting cattle for the judging contest.

It's not just picking any four cattle for a class, it's getting cattle that will provide a challenge to the judges. He's looking for cattle that are close in type but different enough to cause the student judges to ponder and respond.

Why are the judging contests so quiet?

"The contestants can't talk to each other," Halbach says. " It's an individual event and the judges can't give or get assistance."

What about the plethora or black suits on both men and women? The colored shavings on the floor do mess up black shoes and pants.

"There isn't any real reason for black, " Halbach says. "It's suggested that they dress professionally and that seems to be the style the collegians have adopted."

After the long day was done, the winners were: Virginia Tech, Penn State and UW-Madison ranking one through three in the collegiate competition and SUNY Cobbleskill (NY) and UW-Madison Farm & Industry Short Course taking the top two spots in post-secondary competition.

In fact, all student judges were winners in one sense. They made decisions and had to publicly justify what they did -- useful things later in life!

John F. Oncken  —  10/01/2008 5:22 pm