LOCAL 4-H’ER ERICA GOODHUE PLACED THIRD IN BIG E DAIRY EVENTS
Burlington- Several Vermont 4-H’ers competed on state teams in the quiz bowl, clipping, and dairy judging contests at Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 15 and 16.
The Vermont dairy quiz bowl team captured first place in the “Big E” competition on September 15, edging ahead of teams from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Team members were Torrey Hanna of Addison; Amy Vaughan, of Newbury; Elizabeth Waterman of Thetford Center; and Morgan White of Whiting. They were coached by Stacy Bowen of North Clarendon and Judy Vaughan of Newbury.
Brailey Livingston of New Haven; Lorynn Trujillo of North Clarendon; and Isabella Wilbur of Orwell represented Vermont in the clipping contest, also held on September 15. The team placed third. For this timed competition, each three-member team clipped and groomed an animal. Team placements were based on a number of criteria, including preparation, technique, teamwork, overall finished appearance of the animal, and how well the team explained their process and steps to fit their animal in the given time frame.
Two Vermont teams took part in the 4-H dairy judging competition on September 16, competing against teams from four other New England states. Team rankings were determined by combining individual scores of all members of each team, based on scores from judging a dozen breed classes and providing oral reasons for two of those classes.
Members of the Vermont A Team were Erica Goodhue of Fairfield; Gabriel Michaud of East Hardwick; and Natalie Michaud of Greensboro Bend. The team came in second overall of seven teams, ranking first in judging Holsteins; second in Ayrshires, Guernseys, Jerseys, and oral reasons; fourth in Brown Swiss, and seventh in Milking Shorthorns.
Erica Goodhue placed third for the overall individual high scorer. She came in first overall in judging Holsteins, fourth in Ayrshires, fifth in Jerseys, sixth in Brown Swiss and oral reasons, and fifteenth in Milking Shorthorns.
Gabriel Michaud was the second-highest individual scorer and placed first in judging Guernseys, second in Ayrshires, third in Holsteins and oral reasons, fourth in Jerseys, tenth in Milking Shorthorns, and twelfth in Brown Swiss.
Placing tenth overall in the judging competition was Natalie Michaud. Her class placements were third in Guernseys, eighth in Holsteins, tenth in Jerseys, sixteenth in Brown Swiss, twentieth in Ayrshires, twenty-first in Milking Shorthorns, and fifteenth in oral reasons.
Emma Deering of Middlebury; Samuel Luis of Whiting; and Morgan Michaud of East Hardwick; comprised the Vermont B Team, which ranked fourth both for overall score and oral reasons. For breeds, they came in second for judging Brown Swiss, third for Jerseys, fourth for Guernseys and Milking Shorthorns, sixth for Holsteins, and seventh for Ayrshires.
For individual scores, Emma Deering had the sixteenth highest overall score and was thirteenth in oral reasons. She placed fourth in Brown Swiss, fifth in Milking Shorthorns, eleventh in Jerseys, fourteenth in Holsteins, seventeenth in Guernseys, and twenty-third in Ayrshires.
Samuel Luis came in twenty-first for an overall score. For Guernseys, he placed seventh; Brown Swiss, eleventh; Ayrshires, eighteenth; Milking Shorthorns, twentieth; Jerseys, twenty-first; and Holsteins, twenty-fourth. He was eighteenth in oral reasons.
The fifth-highest overall scorer at the event was Morgan Michaud. He came in first for judging Jerseys, second in Brown Swiss, fifth in Ayrshires and oral reasons, eleventh in Holsteins and Milking Shorthorns, and twentieth in Guernseys.
In addition, all 4-H dairy exhibitors in the judging, quiz bowl, and clipping contests, as well as the 4-H dairy show, were required to take a written general knowledge test, responding to questions on breeds, anatomy, herd health, dairy nutrition, forages, and dairy product marketing, among other dairy topics. Amy Vaughan of Newbury had the highest overall score in the senior division for contestants, ages 14-18.
Vermont also won a number of special awards, including the Herdsmanship Award, and was recognized for best state herd for Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Jersey, and Holstein.
To learn more about the Vermont 4-H dairy program, contact Wendy Sorrell, University of Vermont Extension 4-H livestock educator, at [email protected] or (802) 656-7641.
