Tunbridge--Orange and Windsor County 4-H club members had an opportunity to show the dairy cows they've raised through 4-H projects at the Central and Southeast Region 4-H Dairy Show, July 18-19.
The annual show took place at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds in Tunbridge. A total of 27 kids showed 51 animals, competing in both fitting and showmanship and conformation classes, judged by Vermont 4-H alum Seth Carson of Newbury.
In fitting and showmanship, Keenan Thygesen of Tunbridge was named Senior Champion (ages 14-18). The Senior Reserve Champion was Whitney Dunklee, Vernon.
Keenan also won the Dick Dodge Memorial Award for being named the overall Fitting and Showmanship Champion. He received a clipper set and an engraved frame. The award is given in honor of a former UVM Extension dairyman who inspired and educated young people and adults about dairy science.
The Junior Champion (ages 11-13) was Sylvia Johnson, Tunbridge. Junior Reserve Champion was Wyatt Chambers, also of Tunbridge. The Rookie Division (11-18 and first 4-H dairy show) saw Hayden Peeler, Hartland, capture the Champion award while Elise Sanders, West Topsham, took Reserve Champion.
In the Novice Division (ages 8-10 and first 4-H dairy show) Eloisa Coelho, Bridgewater, was named the Champion while Reserve Champion went to Amos Riesterer, Bethel. The Beginner Champion award (ages 9-11) was won by Thomas Williams, Randolph Center, with Sophie Fors, Bethel, taking Reserve Champion.
The following 4-H'ers won breed championships:
AYRSHIRE: Senior Champion and Grand Champion: Leah Rogers, Randolph Center, with her two-year-old cow; Junior Champion: Whitney Dunklee, Vernon, with her fall calf; Junior Reserve Champion: Arden Reisterer, Bethel, with his winter calf
BROWN SWISS: Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Whitney Dunklee, Vernon, with her fall calf
GUERNSEY: Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Sylvia Johnson, Tunbridge, with her spring yearling; Junior Reserve Champion: Keenan Thygesen, Tunbridge, with his winter calf
HOLSTEIN: Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Dylan Slack, Bethel, with his fall calf; Junior Reserve Champion: Dylan Slack, Bethel, with his fall yearling
JERSEY: Senior Champion: Maeve Leslie-Gawalt, Hartland, with her two-year-old cow; Senior Reserve Champion: Amanda Ferris, Braintree, with her three-year-old cow.Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Keenan Thygesen, Tunbridge, with his fall calf; Junior Reserve Champion: Kate Wehmeyer, Lyme, New Hampshire, with her summer yearling.
MILKING SHORTHORN: Junior Champion and Grand Champion: Wyatt Chambers, Tunbridge, with his fall yearling. Junior Reserve Champion: Wyatt Chambers, Tunbridge, with his summer yearling.
Keenan Thygesen, Tunbridge, was named Supreme Champion of all Breeds with his Jersey fall calf, Edan KT Margheritas at Midnight. He also received the Vermont Jersey Breeders Association 4-H Grand Champion Jersey 2022 Award for winning the championship for that breed.
The Clever Clovers 4-H Club of Tunbridge earned the Herdsmanship Award, winning a club pizza party donated by the Orange County 4-H Foundation. The judges consider a number of criteria when selecting the winner, including how well club members care for their animals, work together to make decisions and handle barn chores and interact with the public. They also look at safety, cleanliness and decorations of the club's stalls in the barn.
Show participants 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. Scores for each were combined and the individual with the highest score in each age group received a gift basket with 4-H and record keeping supplies. Winners were Keenan Thygesen, Tunbridge (Senior), Elise Sanders, West Topsham (Junior) and Tyler Meacham, North Hartland (Beginner).
The two-day event included a pancake breakfast, courtesy of the Orange and Windsor County Farm Bureaus, and a hands-on workshop with Kelsie Meehan, University of Vermont (UVM) Extension dairy outreach specialist, on how to conduct a basic health check on a dairy animal. The 4-H'ers also participated in icebreaker games led by Allison Smith, UVM Extension 4-H, and made ice cream by hand in a plastic bag.
The show was hosted by UVM Extension 4-H and the Orange County 4-H Foundation. Sponsors were Alden P. Dana Memorial Donations, the Orange County and Windsor County 4-H Foundations, Orange County and Windsor County Farm Bureaus and Union Agricultural Society. Veterinarians from the Riverbend Veterinary Clinic in Plainfield, New Hampshire, conducted health check-ins for the animals.
To learn about the 4-H dairy program in central and southeast Vermont, contact Molly McFaun at (802) 476-2003, ext. 205.