Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal 
Ohio youth and collegiate dairy cattle judges earned several top finishes during national and international judging contests held in conjunction with the 2026 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.
Ohio was represented in the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, and International Post-Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, with teams from Ohio placing among the top seven overall in each competition.
In the 104th National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, the Ohio team of Taylor Klopfenstein, Sydney Beiting, Charlie Weiss, and Maggie Rodenbucher placed seventh overall with 1,924 points. The team, coached by Sherry Smith, also placed sixth in oral reasons with 634 points.
Beiting earned an individual top-10 finish in reasons, placing seventh with 221 points.
California won the National 4-H contest with 2,046 points, followed by Wisconsin and New York.
The Ohio State University also earned a top-three finish in the 105th National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest.
The Ohio State team of Olivia Finke, Zach Johnson, Lauryn Young, and Libby Sutton placed third overall with 2,449 points. The team was coached by Bonnie Ayars and Sarah Thomas.
Ohio State also placed sixth in reasons with 802 points.
Young led the Ohio State team individually, placing fifth overall with 828 points.
The University of Minnesota won the intercollegiate contest with 2,496 points, while Iowa State University finished second with 2,455 points.
Students from The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute also brought home several honors from the 36th International Post-Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest.
The Ohio State ATI team of Allysa Hamilton, Micah Ackley, and Eric Mowrey placed fourth overall with 2,065 points. The team, coached by Sherri Nuttle, also finished third in reasons with 565 points.
Mowrey was the second-high individual overall in the contest with 761 points. He also placed third individually in reasons with 218 points.
Ohio State ATI rounded out its contest success with a fifth-place finish in the pedigree contest, scoring 166 points.
Modesto Junior College won the post-secondary contest with 2,265 points and also earned the top team honors in reasons.
The judging contests bring together 4-H members and college students from across the United States to evaluate dairy cattle and defend their placings through oral reasons. The contests were held in conjunction with World Dairy Expo, which runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 in Madison.
