News Release

Monday, October 3, 2016

CONTACT: Lisa Behnke, Communications Manager, lbehnke@wdexpo.com
                   Jenna Langrehr, Communications Specialist, jlangrehr@wdexpo.com
PHONE:      608-224-6455

Minnesota Team Claims National 4-H Title                                               

MADISON, WIS. – With just a two-point margin, Minnesota inched past Wisconsin to take top honors in the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest presented by Lely on Monday, October 3. The Minnesota team of Clint Irrthum, Emily Benrud, Ben Thompson and Tess Hokanson, finished the contest as the top team overall and the second place team in reasons. Coming in a close second place finish overall and first in reasons, was the Wisconsin team of Jake Siemers, Vanessa Roberts, Jared Zutz and Brooke Roberts. Cameron Cook, of Michigan, took home the honor of high individual overall, beating out Rebekah Baumgardner, Penn, by two points.

Twenty-eight teams competed, judging five heifer and five cow classes, with reasons being given on all cow classes. Full results are as follows:

Top 10 Teams Overall:

1. Minnesota, 2,096, coached by T. & M. Scheffler
Team members: Clint Irrthum, Emily Benrud, Ben Thompson, Tess Hokanson

2. Wisconsin, 2,094, coached by A. Ulness & P. Siemers
Team members: Jake Siemers, Vanessa Roberts, Brooke Roberts, Jared Zutz

3. New York, 2,076, coached by Doug Waterman
Team members: Allison Herrick, Paige Demun, Nicholas George, Shannon Sears

4. Michigan, 2,057, coached by J. Domecq and S. Black
Team members: Allison Schafer, Cameron Cook, Madeline Meyer, Lauren Heberling

5. Ohio, 2,033, coached by Sherry Smith
Team members: Kadey Starkey, Billy Smith, William Hughes, Kate Sherman

6. Colorado, 2,031, coached by K. Maxey & D. Carpio
Team members: Brianna McBride, Bryanna Andersen, Brandon Kerbs, Wade Hofmeister

7. Maryland, 2,009, coached by R. Haines & B. Minde
Team members: Belle Dallam, Shelby Iager, Tucker Schmidt, Kyle Plummer

8. Pennsylvania, 2,003, coached by Chad Dechow
Team members: Jackie Bortner, Rebekah Baumgardner, Nicole Guise, Emily Supancik

9. Iowa, 1,965, coached by Jeff Hammerand
Team members: Alyssa Dougherty, Adam Simon, Jennifer Hammerand, Jackie Ehrlich

10. Illinois, 1,943, coached by David Fischer
Team members: Brock Irwin, Bria Koester, Alex Walden, Hadley Ehlers

Top 10 Individuals Overall:

1. Cameron Cook, 716, Michigan
2. Rebekah Baumgardner, 714, Pennsylvania
3. Brooke Roberts, 710, Wisconsin
4. Emily Benrud, 709, Minnesota
5. Paige Demun, 706, New York
6. Allison Herrick, 705, New York
7. Bryanna Andersen, 704, Colorado
8. Belle Dallam, 703, Maryland
9. Vanessa Roberts, 701, Wisconsin
10. Adam Simon, 699, Iowa

Top 10 Team Reasons:

1. Wisconsin, 685, coached by A. Ulness & P. Siemers
2. Minnesota, 676, coached by T. and M. Scheffler
3. Michigan, 671, coached by J. Domecq and S. Black
4. Pennsylvania, 666, coached by Chad Dechow
5. New York, 663, coached by Doug Waterman
6. Maryland, 654, coached by R. Haines & B. Minde
7. Ohio, 633, coached by Sherry Smith
8. Colorado, 622, coached by K. Maxey and D. Carpio
9. Iowa, 616, coached by Jeff Hammerand
10. Kansas, 614, coached by Amy Schmitz

Top 10 Individual Reasons:

1. Emily Benrud, 235, Minnesota
2. Vanessa Roberts, 235, Wisconsin
3. Cameron Cook, 234, Michigan
4. Rebekah Baumgardner, 232, Pennsylvania
5. Brooke Roberts, 231, Wisconsin
6. Paige Demun, 228, New York
7. Belle Dallam, 228, Maryland
8. Allison Herrick, 227, New York
9. Clint Irrthum, 227, Minnesota
10. Madeline Meyer, 226, Michigan

Additional contest funding is provided by Platinum Sponsor, DeKalb; and Gold Sponsors, DeLaval, Inc and Westway Feed Products.

Recognized as the meeting place for the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo attracts more than 70,000 attendees from over 90 countries to Madison, Wis. each year. The annual event will take place October 4–8, 2016, with the theme of “Celebrate 50!” to commemorate its golden anniversary. Visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@WDExpo or #Celebrate50) for more information. 

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Note to Editors:  High-resolution photo is available upon request from kschmitt@wdexpo.com