BARABOO — The Wood County Junior Holstein Association hosted the annual Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention in Stevens Point from Jan. 2-4, 2026. More than 450 Holstein members, chaperones, and volunteers attended to help make the event a success.

Throughout the convention, junior members participated in numerous contests including speaking, arts and crafts, photography, Dairy Jeopardy and Dairy Bowl. The largest competition of the weekend was Dairy Bowl, in which 31 junior, 23 senior, and 12 rookie teams competed.

More than 40 volunteers helped coordinate Dairy Bowl matches, Dairy Jeopardy contests, and the speaking contest.

Shawano County juniors swept the Dairy Bowl contest this year in both junior and senior divisions. Coming in second was the Brown County 1 team. In the senior division, the winning team was Shawano County. The Brown County 1 took second.

The Shawano County teams will represent Wisconsin at the National Holstein Convention in Orlando, Fla. in June.

Rounding out the top five for the junior division were Fond du Lac County, District 5 and Brown County 2. Placing third through fifth in the senior division were Fond du Lac County, Brown County 2, and Sheboygan County. 

This year dairy bowl teams were seeded for the tournament based on a knowledge exam. All juniors at the convention had the chance to compete in the Dairy Jeopardy competition. The top competitor in each of the three age brackets has the opportunity to compete at the national level. In the speaking contest, Wisconsin can send up to three delegates in each division to compete at the National Convention. To compete, youth must prepare a speech on a topic related to the dairy industry at a length assigned to their specific age division.  

On Saturday evening, the annual banquet was held to honor outstanding juniors in the association. Tristen Ostrom of Brown County and Maddy Hensel of Wood County claimed the most prestigious honors, being named Outstanding Holstein Boy and Girl, respectively. These individuals have excelled in their Holstein projects and have been an asset to the association and dairy industry as a whole. Also receiving honors were 11 other Distinguished Junior Members (DJM), 14 Young Distinguished Junior Member winners (YDJM), and 14 Twelve & Under Recognition winners, all of which excelled in their Wisconsin Holstein activities in 2025.

Twelve & Under Member Recognition was awarded to 14 individuals, including Siera McCullough of Green County.

The WHY Leadership Merit Award recognizes youth who excel in leadership at a local level. They are nominated by an advisor or fellow junior member using an application on their behalf. This year’s honoree was Aspen Hagen of Clark County.

The WHY (Wisconsin Holstein Youth) Friend Award honors those who have gone above and beyond to help juniors. This year’s WHY Friend in the one to five years of leadership was awarded to Rachel LaCount, Brown County. 

Wisconsin Holstein awarded more than $19,000 in scholarships this year, and an auction was held to raise funds for future awards. Donated items auctioned included:

Funds from these items are put into the WHA scholarship fund, and $2,500 was added this year. High school seniors and two and four-year college students who are members of WHA are all eligible for these scholarships.

Throughout the convention, youth were recognized for other outstanding achievements.

Junior Progressive Breeder awards are given to juniors for homebred cows that meet certain criteria for type and production. Among those receiving Junior Progressive Breeder Awards include Brooke Mueller of Green County and Gracin and Chesney Speich of Rock County.

Long Range Production recognizes owners of cows that have produced over 100,000 pounds in their lifetime. The over 100,000 pounds, 150,000 pounds and 200,000 pounds categories included Gracin and Chesney Speich, Rock County.

The convention concluded Sunday morning with an awards breakfast and the annual business meeting where four new Junior Activities Committee (JAC) members were elected.

One of the most coveted awards among juniors, based on participation throughout the year and enthusiasm at the convention, is the Premier County award, which was won by Iowa County. The Bell-R-Ring contest was won by District 5 Junior Holstein.

 Jackie Walker of Wisconsin Dells was this year’s winner of the grand prize in the calf raffle donated by the Jeremiah and Sherry Hagen Family of Clark County. 

For more information, visit the WHA website at www.wisholsteins.com or call the office at 1-800-223-4269.