MONROE - The best of the dairy showmen were highlighted Sunday at the Green County Dairy Youth Recognition Auction, which splits the proceeds of each bid and allocates half to the auction scholarship fund and the other half to the participant.
In order to take part, exhibitors had to win specific categories at the 2017 Green County Fair. The champion cattle were then walked into the tent to be displayed for dairy and cheese auction bidders alike.
Brett Groebner of the Browntown Busy Beavers 4-H club experienced his first dairy auction this year. His cow, the Supreme Senior Champion Registered Female, brought in $800. Decatur Dairy made the winning bid.
The 12-year-old said he has spent the last three to four years showing animals and thought his first dairy auction went well but admits he had been hoping for "a little bit more."
He plans to keep working at it. In addition to dairy cows, Groebner also shows beef cattle and pigs and plans to put the auction proceeds to use.
"I'm going to give it to my mom, and we're going to get more cows and calves and stuff," Groebner said.
Monroe High School junior Kalee Schaefer, who is also a part of the Browntown 4-H group, was glad to see her Supreme Senior Champion Grade Female take in $1,100 from Colony Brands Inc.
"It went really well," she said. "The last two years have been my best years."
A winning bid for the Supreme Junior Champion Registered Female shown by Emma Hendrickson of the Dayton Dairylanders 4-H club was made by Edelweiss Creamery for $1,800. Miah Brokopp of the Monticello FFA showed the Supreme Junior Champion Grade Female, which brought in a bid of $1,150 from Washington Implement.
Juda FFA member 17-year-old Rachel McCullough was the Supreme Showmanship Champion, which announcers referred to as "the best of the best." The bid on her cow, the highest of the auction, was $2,500 from Rock N Hill Grain Farms.
McCullough said she was happy with the bid and has clear plans for her half of the bid proceeds.
"I'm going to hopefully, once I get done with high school, attend a UW-Madison short course and then hopefully start my own herd," McCullough said, which she added would likely be in the Juda area.
Andrew Nimtz of New Glarus 4-H brought in $2,200 from Klondike Cheese for his cow with the lowest somatic cell count, which indicates a likelihood for better milk and therefore better cheese products.
The Supreme Sportsmanship Champion, shown by Travis Oliver of Albany FFA, received a bid of $1,200 from Nelson Julius Barbershop.
University of Wisconsin-Extension Agriculture Agent Mark Mayer said the program has helped to give out nearly $35,000 in scholarships, including a total of $3,250 this year. Recipients of the 2017 scholarships were announced before the auction began. Lauren Blumer of Albany FFA, Mitchell Dammen of Argyle FFA, Brienne Graber of Monticello FFA, Ashley Judd of New Glarus FFA and Oliver introduced themselves to the crowd.
Full results were released Tuesday by the UW-Extension Agriculture Department. Organizers expressed gratitude to each of the eight sponsors, including Albany Lanes, Brugger Dairy LLC, Chalet Cheese Co-op, Foreign Type Cheesemakers, the Green County Milk Quality Committee, Monroe Veterinary Service, Roger Brugger-Renk Seed and the Southwest Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association.
Hendrickson also won Beginning Showmanship Champion, which garnered her a $1,800 bid from Mahlkuch Electric. Spotts Grain Farms had a winning bid of $1,500 for the Intermediate Showmanship Winner, shown by exhibitor Sarah Blumer. Haley Reeson announced before the auction began that it would be her last year as an exhibitor and left with a trophy as Senior Showmanship Winner as well as a $1,700 bid from New Glarus Welding. The auction had a grand total of $15,750, down $3,050 from 2016.
In order to take part, exhibitors had to win specific categories at the 2017 Green County Fair. The champion cattle were then walked into the tent to be displayed for dairy and cheese auction bidders alike.
Brett Groebner of the Browntown Busy Beavers 4-H club experienced his first dairy auction this year. His cow, the Supreme Senior Champion Registered Female, brought in $800. Decatur Dairy made the winning bid.
The 12-year-old said he has spent the last three to four years showing animals and thought his first dairy auction went well but admits he had been hoping for "a little bit more."
He plans to keep working at it. In addition to dairy cows, Groebner also shows beef cattle and pigs and plans to put the auction proceeds to use.
"I'm going to give it to my mom, and we're going to get more cows and calves and stuff," Groebner said.
Monroe High School junior Kalee Schaefer, who is also a part of the Browntown 4-H group, was glad to see her Supreme Senior Champion Grade Female take in $1,100 from Colony Brands Inc.
"It went really well," she said. "The last two years have been my best years."
A winning bid for the Supreme Junior Champion Registered Female shown by Emma Hendrickson of the Dayton Dairylanders 4-H club was made by Edelweiss Creamery for $1,800. Miah Brokopp of the Monticello FFA showed the Supreme Junior Champion Grade Female, which brought in a bid of $1,150 from Washington Implement.
Juda FFA member 17-year-old Rachel McCullough was the Supreme Showmanship Champion, which announcers referred to as "the best of the best." The bid on her cow, the highest of the auction, was $2,500 from Rock N Hill Grain Farms.
McCullough said she was happy with the bid and has clear plans for her half of the bid proceeds.
"I'm going to hopefully, once I get done with high school, attend a UW-Madison short course and then hopefully start my own herd," McCullough said, which she added would likely be in the Juda area.
Andrew Nimtz of New Glarus 4-H brought in $2,200 from Klondike Cheese for his cow with the lowest somatic cell count, which indicates a likelihood for better milk and therefore better cheese products.
The Supreme Sportsmanship Champion, shown by Travis Oliver of Albany FFA, received a bid of $1,200 from Nelson Julius Barbershop.
University of Wisconsin-Extension Agriculture Agent Mark Mayer said the program has helped to give out nearly $35,000 in scholarships, including a total of $3,250 this year. Recipients of the 2017 scholarships were announced before the auction began. Lauren Blumer of Albany FFA, Mitchell Dammen of Argyle FFA, Brienne Graber of Monticello FFA, Ashley Judd of New Glarus FFA and Oliver introduced themselves to the crowd.
Full results were released Tuesday by the UW-Extension Agriculture Department. Organizers expressed gratitude to each of the eight sponsors, including Albany Lanes, Brugger Dairy LLC, Chalet Cheese Co-op, Foreign Type Cheesemakers, the Green County Milk Quality Committee, Monroe Veterinary Service, Roger Brugger-Renk Seed and the Southwest Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association.
Hendrickson also won Beginning Showmanship Champion, which garnered her a $1,800 bid from Mahlkuch Electric. Spotts Grain Farms had a winning bid of $1,500 for the Intermediate Showmanship Winner, shown by exhibitor Sarah Blumer. Haley Reeson announced before the auction began that it would be her last year as an exhibitor and left with a trophy as Senior Showmanship Winner as well as a $1,700 bid from New Glarus Welding. The auction had a grand total of $15,750, down $3,050 from 2016.