-from Bonnie Ayars, Coach
The Ohio State University Dairy Judging teams have been on the road and evaluating cows. In mid September, we traveled to New York and Connecticut seeing some phenomenal cattle at purebred farms known throughout the United States. We had the opportunity to see the famous Swiss at Elite Farm, Dutch Hollow Jerseys from a former Jersey association president, and the unbelievable beauty of the Arethusa farm owned by a famous shoe company. Ovaltop Holsteins was also one of our stops and we were hosted by an exceptional family in a unique knotty pine barn. Also all our stops were coordinated with the Cal Poly and Oregon State teams who asked if they could tag along on our itinerary. Of course, there was some rivalry, but it was positive to interact with each other. Two Ohio State teams competed at the Eastern States Exposition. The "Scarlet" team was 5th in reasons and was composed of Marc Bolen, Keith Gibson, Samantha Grizzell and Lara Staples. The "Gray" team was 4th overall and the high team in Milking Shorthorns. Traveling onward to the Pennsylvania All American Show, only the "Scarlet" team competed and finished 9th out of 18 teams and was recognized as 5th high in the Ayrshire breed. For two of the team members, this was their first major contest. We will be on the road again the first week in October to World Dairy Expo and then the North American contest in November.