BURLINGTON — Vermont 4-H’ers captured several championships and top place awards at the Eastern States Exposition 4-H dairy show in West Springfield, Mass., Sept. 12-15, beating competitors from the five other New England states.
The 35 youths selected to participate in the regional dairy show competed in both fitting and showmanship, in which they are judged on their poise and presentation and handling of their animal in the show ring, and in conformation classes, where the animal is evaluated on body condition and appearance. In addition, awards were presented by breed for state herds with Vermont winning first place for Brown Swiss and Jersey.
Due to the large number of competitors, several fitting and showmanship classes were held in the junior (ages 12-14) and senior (age 15 and older) divisions. The top two finishers in each class in each division competed for championship awards. Shelby Biasini of Morrisville was named Senior Fitting and Show Champion for the second year in a row. Maggie Kirby of East Montpelier won Junior Fitting and Show Champion.
Local Vermont 4-H club members placed as follows in their respective classes:
JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP
Class A: 11. Michael Jewett, Vergennes.
Class C: 4. Bethany Orvis, Middlebury.
Class E: 10. Isabella Williams, Brandon.
Class F: 3. Megan Hill, New Haven.
SENIOR SHOWMANSHIP
Class B: 5. Dacey Anechiarico, Whiting; 8. Nathan Fefee, Bristol.
Class C: 7. Alexis Ouellette, Weybridge.
Class E: 9. Kelli Jerome, Leicester.
Class F: 1. Britney Hill, Bristol.
Class G: 5. Saddie Roy, New Haven.
Vermont 4-H’ers also competed in conformation classes, earning several breed championships. The results were as follows:
Ayrshire
Reserve Junior Champion, Dacey Anechiarico, Whiting.
Spring Calf: 1. Dacey Anechiarico, Whiting.
Summer Yearling Heifer: 1. Kelli Jerome, Leicester.
Brown Swiss
Spring Yearling Heifer: 1. Nathan Fefee, Bristol.
Fall Yearling Heifer: 6. Isabella Williams, Brandon.
HOLSTEIN
Junior Champion, Saddie Roy, New Haven .
Winter Calf: 1. Britney Hill, Bristol; 6. Alexis Ouellette, Weybridge.
Summer Yearling Heifer: 8. Michael Jewett, Vergennes.
Spring Yearling Heifer: 1. Saddie Roy, New Haven.
Fall Yearling Heifer: 4. Bethany Orvis, Middlebury.
JERSEY
Senior Champion and Grand Champion, Megan Hill, New Haven.
Senior Two-Year-Old Heifer: 1. Megan Hill, New Haven.
To learn more about the Vermont 4-H dairy program, contact Wendy Sorrell, UVM Extension 4-H livestock educator, at (802) 656-5418 or [email protected].