Several local 4-H dairy club members participated in the 2025 Central and Southeast Region 4-H Dairy Show, held July 26 and 27 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds in Tunbridge, Vermont.

The show was sponsored by University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H and organized by UVM Extension 4-H Educator Molly McFaun. Twenty-six 4-H’ers showed animals with another five participating only in the workshop and other activities.

4-H'er, her cow, and a judge
Show judge Renee Baker presents the Ayrshire Grand Champion rosette ribbon to Hattie Hoyt, Tunbridge, who won the championship with her winter calf at the 2025 Central and Southeast Region 4-H Dairy Show, held July 26 and 27 in Tunbridge, Vermont. (photo: Jen Thygesen)
a 4-H'er, his cow, and a judge
Tunbridge 4-H’er John McClain lines up his Holstein spring calf for show judge Renee Baker 2025 Central and Southeast Region 4-H Dairy Show in Tunbridge, Vermont, as Remington Hawkins, Barre (back right), and Hattie Hoyt, Tunbridge (back left), wait their turn. (photo: Jen Thygesen)
a 4-H'er and her cow
Evangeline Bostock, a 4-H'er from Sharon, Vermont, waters Pineland H Peppermint, her Holstein spring calf, at the 2025 Central and Southeast Region 4-H Dairy Show, held July 26 and 27 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds in Tunbridge, Vermont. (photo: Jen Thygesen)

The show judge was Renee Baker from Hillside Homestead in Albany, Vermont. Taylor Hull DVM from Firefly Meadow Veterinary Services in South Royalton conducted biosecurity check-ins on all animals prior to the show.

In the fitting and showmanship competitions, participants, who competed by age, were evaluated on how well they handled and presented their animals. Sylvia Johnson, Tunbridge, was named Senior Fitting and Showing Champion. Reserve Senior Champion went to Elizabeth Waterman, Thetford Center. Winning championships in their age divisions were Sophia Fors, Bethel (Juniors, ages 11 to 13); Remington Hawkins, Barre (Juniors, ages 9 and 10); and Aubree May, Orange (Juniors, age 8).

For being named the overall Fitting and Showmanship Champion, Sylvia received the Dick Dodge Memorial Award, which honors the former UVM Extension dairy specialist, a staunch support of the 4-H dairy program.

The 4-H'ers also competed in conformation classes, which are arranged according to age and breed of animal. In these classes, the animals were evaluated for condition, physical structure and overall appearance.

Supreme Champion of All Breeds went to Maeve Leslie-Gawalt, Hartland, with her three-year-old Jersey cow.

Breed championships were as follows: 

  • AYRSHIRE: Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Hattie Hoyt, Tunbridge, with her winter calf     
  • GUERNSEY: Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Sylvia Johnson, Tunbridge, with her winter calf
  • HOLSTEIN: Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Cedar Eldridge, Montpelier, with her winter calf
  • JERSEY: Senior Champion and Grand Champion: Maeve Leslie-Gawalt, Hartland, with her three-year-old cow; Senior Reserve Champion: Maeve Leslie- Gawalt, Hartland, with her four-year-old cow; Junior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion: Wyatt Eldridge, Montpelier, with his spring calf; Reserve Junior Grand Champion: Maeve Leslie-Gawalt, Hartland, with her winter yearling; Reserve Junior Champion: John McClain, Tunbridge, with his fall yearling

The 4-H’ers also took part in a hands-on workshop on showmanship in and out of the show ring led by sisters and former 4-H'ers Lorryn and Evelyn Trujillo from Rutland. Crafting activities included making a dairy-themed lantern and bleach-dyed T-shirt.

The Herdsmanship Award for best club herd went to the Clever Clovers 4-H Club of Tunbridge. They won a club pizza party donated by the Orange County 4-H Foundation.

Exhibitors also were required to submit their dairy project record books for evaluation prior to the show and were interviewed about their project and dairy knowledge on the first day of the event. Scores for each were combined for an overall score. For this contest, the 4-H’ers were grouped by age and the location of their club, rather than their home county.

Every participant received a dairy-themed prize from the Orange County 4-H Foundation for their record book participation with a bundle of themed prizes for the top scorer in Orange/Washington Counties and Windham/Windsor Counties in each age division.

For Orange/Washington Counties, the winners were Sylvia Johnson, Tunbridge (Senior); Sophia Fors, Bethel (Junior); and Emile Guerlain, South Royalton (Beginner). Top scorers for Windham/Windsor Counties were Maeve Leslie-Gawalt, Hartland (Senior) and Landyn Bedell, White River Junction (Beginner). There were no exhibitors in the Junior Division for these two counties.

On Saturday night, while the record book interviews were being conducted, the 4-H’ers enjoyed a “Party ‘til the Cows Come Home,” which was organized by the Orange County 4-H Foundation and included games, prizes and pizza.

The Union Agricultural Society (Tunbridge Fair) generously donated its space for the two-day dairy show. Breakfast for all participants was courtesy of the Orange and Windsor County Farm Bureaus.

To learn more about the 4-H dairy program in central and southeastern Vermont, contact McFaun at (802) 656-4828 or molly.mcfaun@uvm.edu.