Final Banquet Highlights

Today was an exciting day at the National Holstein Convention, capped off by the announcement of some prestigious award winners. Follow along with the excitement with our videos below! Watch in the coming days for more photos, videos, and highlights from the Convention!

Distinguished Young Holstein Breeders - Jonathan & Alicia Lamb, Oakfield, New York

Distinguished Leadership Award Recipient - Dr. Robert E. Walton, De Forest, Wisconsin

Elite Breeders - Regancrest Farm, Waukon, Iowa

Also named earlier today were the 2012 Distinguished Junior Member Finalists:

• Jacob Achen, Minnesota
• Sarah Bechtel, Pennsylvania
• Matt Henkes, Iowa
• Tera Koebel, Michigan
• Nathan Ulmer, Pennsylvania
• Corbin Wood, Pennsylvania

The Holstein Masterpieces are Unveiled!

We were thrilled to unveil the new Ideal Holstein Cow and Bull paintings this morning at the Holstein Association USA Annual Meeting! Artist Bonnie Mohr revealed that she had dubbed the paintings "Romeo and Juliet," and provided some phenomenal insight on her journey to the audience. The paintings will be on display for the remainder of the Annual Meeting...

More pictures and video will be posted later, but for now, enjoy this video slideshow of the development of the paintings, and a snapshot of the finished product. Check back soon!

Host Day Highlights!

Thursday was “Host Day” at National Convention, a tradition which allows Convention attendees the opportunity to experience some of what the “Show Me State” has to offer. Three tour options each brought something different to the table for people to enjoy.

Following are some pictures from the “Century Farms Tour,” which took attendees to three great Missouri Holstein breeders’ operations: Robthom Holsteins, just outside of Springfield, Groves-View Dairy, in Billings, and College of the Ozarks, in Point Lookout. 

Evan Gunter and Darrel Wright, both of North Carolina, admire some of the cattle at Robthom.

Some Holsteins grazing on pasture near Robthom Holsteins.

Tour attendees some of the great cattle that Groves-View Dairy had on display. They were proud to
announce after their most recent classification their BAA officially sits at 108%.

The animals at Groves-View were admired by young and old alike!

College of the Ozarks not only has a beautiful campus, but a great dairy farm where students work to cover their
tuition. The cattle were well-presented and several students were on hand to greet guests and provide tours.

Cattle at College of the Ozarks had a sprinkler system to stay cool in the warm temperatures. 

The freestall barn at College of the Ozarks was very well-kept, with clean cattle sired by many modern bulls.

College of the Ozarks has a very interesting program that allows students to work on-campus and graduate debt-free.

Other tours took participants to the PFI Western Wear Store and Bass Pro Shops for some shopping, and to the Silver Dollar City amusement park.

Friday marks an exciting day at the Convention, including the start of the Association’s 127^th Annual Business meeting, with the unveiling of the new Ideal HolsteinCow and Bull paintings just before noon! Juniors will have a full day of DairyBowl competitions. Stay tuned for more news and results, live from Springfield!

Live from Springfield - Dairy Jeopardy Results, Family Night, and More!

The 2012 National Holstein Convention is off to a blazing start in Springfield, Missouri! Despite the high temperatures, everyone is managing to stay cool and enjoying the excellent hospitality our Missouri hosts are providing.

Senior Dairy Jeopardy competitors get
ready for their first round of play!

The National Holstein Dairy Jeopardy contest started the Junior competitions at Convention and other contest were held throughout the day. In three age divisions, more than 75 young people buzzed in for their shot at bringing home the top award. Here are the results:

Junior Division

1^st Place: Sarah Thomas, North Carolina

2^nd Place: Nathan Aruthur, Iowa

3^rd Place: Maddie Beaudry, New Hampshire

Junior Division champions: Sarah Thomas,
Nathan Aruthur and Maddie Beaudry

 Intermediate Division

1^st Place: Megan Rauen, Iowa

2^nd Place: Andy Sell, Wisconsin

3^rd Place: Bailee Whitehead, Missouri

Intermediate Division winners: Megan Rauen,
Andy Sell and Bailee Whitehead

 Senior Division

1^st Place: Ethan Himmelberger, Pennsylvania

2^nd Place: Jessica Hammerand, Iowa

3^rd Place: Taylor Pires, California

Senior Division victors: Ethan Himmelberger,
Jessica Hammerand and Taylor Pires

Junior Dairy Jeopardy contestants having a good time!

At the Distinguished Junior Member (DJM) Luncheon, 12 DJM semi-finalists were honored. Once a round of interviews are finished, six finalists will be announced at the Junior Awards Luncheon on Saturday afternoon.

Jacob Achen, Minnesota

Kirsten Beaudry, New Hampshire

Sara Bechtel, Pennsylvania

Amelia Cooper, Wisconsin

Sean Galley, New York

Matt Henkes, Iowa

Tera Koebel, Michigan

Stephanie Nagel, Wisconsin

Kyle Natzke, Wisconsin

Mandi Ramsburg, Maryland

Nathan Ulmer, Pennsylvania

Corbin Wood, Pennsylvania

2012 Distinguished Junior Member Semifinalists

The eight Young Distinguished Junior Member (YDJM) were also honored at the DJM luncheon:

Annie Achen, Indiana

Cole Davis, North Carolina

Emily Irwin, Illinois

Katherine Larson, Wisconsin

Laura Lesher, Pennsylvania

Tony Lopes, California

Kathryn Osbrone, Pennsylvania

Jordan Siemers, Wisconsin

2012 Young Distinguished Junior Member Finalists

Juniors also competed throughout the day with the Prepared Public Speaking Contest and Dairy Knowledge Exam, the results for these two contests will be announced at the Awards Luncheon on Saturday.

To round out the evening, folks headed over to the nearby Hammons Field to enjoy several fun activities in and around the baseball stadium, for family night. Convention attendees tested their skills and endurance with a homerun derby, mechanical bull riding, batting cages, and a few people were even spotted recording their own music videos.

Check back tomorrow for more highlights from Convention Host Day activities!

 

Welcome to the 2012 National Holstein Convention Blog!

Welcome! Check back starting on Wednesday, June 27, for complete updates and coverage from the 2012 National Holstein Convention in Springfield, Mo. Each day we will be posting updates with pictures, videos, listings of award/contest winners, meeting highlights, and more!