MONROE - With 40 teams competing, the Cheese Days Milking Contest attracted the largest number of participants to date on Saturday.
"Pinch and pull" is the advice dairy farmers give to first-time milkers - and some contestants pinched and pulled better than others.
Winning teams included a group from Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy called "Abe Maids-A-Milking" and "The Big Squeeze" from Badger State Ethanol.
The all-volunteer event, co-chaired by Randy and Pam Wyss and Jeremy and Kelsi Mayer, took place in front of the post office on 11th Street. Fifteen cows - donated for the afternoon by seven area farms - lined up on sawdust in the street to get milked by the contest's 160 participants in front of a cheering crowd.
Volunteer farmers included the Dale Foster family of Juda, Matt and Dorothy Baxter of Orfordville, Carrie Ritschard and Jeremy Davis of Monroe, Brian and Sue Crull of Juda and Troy and Lindsey Nevil of New Glarus.
Milk weights were donated by Bonnie and Jim Moser of the Green County Dairy Herd Improvement Association. Other donations came from Fuzzy's Audio and Video (PA system) and the Green County Fair Association (bleachers for spectators).
Teams were divided by categories. The top three milking teams in each category are as follows.
Cheese Days Sponsors - PGP International, first place (Steve Dasko, Paul Bunnell, Joel Hale, Angela Johnson); Maple Leaf Cheese, second place (Marianna Marques de Almedia, Fred Mindermann, Kathy Uher, Megan Wilson); Kutter Harley Davidson, third place (Scott Golackson, Scott Aebly, Steve Lee, John Deakman).
Experienced "Professional" Milkers - County Girls, first place (Lori Peterson, Beth Flannery, Andrea Priebe, Jackie Boss); Kuhn North America's Kuhn Shipper Strippers, second place (Bruce Cline, Dave Cook, Larry Whalen, Dennis Doescher); Juda FFA Alumni, third place (Dave Mansfield, Daryl Miller, Keith Rothenbuehler, Marvin Becker, Ralph Johnson).
Schools - Abe Lincoln's Abe Maids-A-Milking, first place (Nikki Lutzke, Sara Latimer, Linda Moser, Ann Tothett); Parkside Elementary, second place (Liz Dagel, Todd Paradis, Tammie DeRemmer, Laura Jacobson); Monroe Middle School's The Milkinators, third place (Lynne Wheeler, Josh Boll, Ellie Radke, Robin Rundle).
Community/Business - Badger State Ethanol's The Big Squeeze, first place (David Mansfield, Billy Paige, Zach Vauch, Doug Fredric); Kent Bank, second place (Jim Roidt, Jim Hansen, Bill Bethke, Harold Blumer); Tribe of Juda from the Land of Milk and Honey, third place (Becky, Molly, Mike and Josh Marass).
Royals and Dignitaries - Cheese Days Royalty, first place (John and Becky Wegmueller, Eli Zimmerman, Maddison Markham); Green County Dignitaries, second place (Bill Ross, Art Carter, Howard Marklein, Tom Vale); Green County Dairy Queens, third place (Samantha Roth, Whitney Brown, Clare Geitzel, Alyssa Cramer).
In the individual milking competition, John Polluck placed first, Suzanne Rohloff second, Jake Moser third and Brad Butler fourth.
"Pinch and pull" is the advice dairy farmers give to first-time milkers - and some contestants pinched and pulled better than others.
Winning teams included a group from Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy called "Abe Maids-A-Milking" and "The Big Squeeze" from Badger State Ethanol.
The all-volunteer event, co-chaired by Randy and Pam Wyss and Jeremy and Kelsi Mayer, took place in front of the post office on 11th Street. Fifteen cows - donated for the afternoon by seven area farms - lined up on sawdust in the street to get milked by the contest's 160 participants in front of a cheering crowd.
Volunteer farmers included the Dale Foster family of Juda, Matt and Dorothy Baxter of Orfordville, Carrie Ritschard and Jeremy Davis of Monroe, Brian and Sue Crull of Juda and Troy and Lindsey Nevil of New Glarus.
Milk weights were donated by Bonnie and Jim Moser of the Green County Dairy Herd Improvement Association. Other donations came from Fuzzy's Audio and Video (PA system) and the Green County Fair Association (bleachers for spectators).
Teams were divided by categories. The top three milking teams in each category are as follows.
Cheese Days Sponsors - PGP International, first place (Steve Dasko, Paul Bunnell, Joel Hale, Angela Johnson); Maple Leaf Cheese, second place (Marianna Marques de Almedia, Fred Mindermann, Kathy Uher, Megan Wilson); Kutter Harley Davidson, third place (Scott Golackson, Scott Aebly, Steve Lee, John Deakman).
Experienced "Professional" Milkers - County Girls, first place (Lori Peterson, Beth Flannery, Andrea Priebe, Jackie Boss); Kuhn North America's Kuhn Shipper Strippers, second place (Bruce Cline, Dave Cook, Larry Whalen, Dennis Doescher); Juda FFA Alumni, third place (Dave Mansfield, Daryl Miller, Keith Rothenbuehler, Marvin Becker, Ralph Johnson).
Schools - Abe Lincoln's Abe Maids-A-Milking, first place (Nikki Lutzke, Sara Latimer, Linda Moser, Ann Tothett); Parkside Elementary, second place (Liz Dagel, Todd Paradis, Tammie DeRemmer, Laura Jacobson); Monroe Middle School's The Milkinators, third place (Lynne Wheeler, Josh Boll, Ellie Radke, Robin Rundle).
Community/Business - Badger State Ethanol's The Big Squeeze, first place (David Mansfield, Billy Paige, Zach Vauch, Doug Fredric); Kent Bank, second place (Jim Roidt, Jim Hansen, Bill Bethke, Harold Blumer); Tribe of Juda from the Land of Milk and Honey, third place (Becky, Molly, Mike and Josh Marass).
Royals and Dignitaries - Cheese Days Royalty, first place (John and Becky Wegmueller, Eli Zimmerman, Maddison Markham); Green County Dignitaries, second place (Bill Ross, Art Carter, Howard Marklein, Tom Vale); Green County Dairy Queens, third place (Samantha Roth, Whitney Brown, Clare Geitzel, Alyssa Cramer).
In the individual milking competition, John Polluck placed first, Suzanne Rohloff second, Jake Moser third and Brad Butler fourth.