The 2013 All-American Dairy Show will welcome 12 judges to place classes in 14 youth and open shows, Sept. 7-12, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. The judges are:
Kelli Cull of Lomira, Wis., returns to the All-American for the second year and will place the Jersey Show on Sept. 11-12. She and husband Tom are partners with father-in-law John Cull of Budjon Farms. They milk 75 Holsteins and Jerseys, raise 300 head of young stock and farm 500 acres. Known for their breeding program, the Culls have claimed many All-American and All-Canadian nominations that carry the Budjon and Budjon-JK (also known as Elegance Futures) prefixes. Named Premier Breeder at World Dairy Expo six times, they also bred and exhibited the 2005 Grand Champion Holstein and exhibited a two-time national Jersey champion there. Cull judged the Premier National Junior Holstein Show in 2012 and worked in the genetics industry for seven years after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls before returning to the farm full-time.
Michael Heath of Westminster, Md., will place the All-American Eastern National Holstein Show on Sept. 11-12. He grew up on Spring Valley Jersey Farm, one of the six farms to have exhibited at all 50 All-American Dairy Shows, owned by parents Billy and Betty Heath. Heavily influenced by his parents, grandfather and uncles, Heath became a professional fitter for 14 years after college and is now is a dairy cattle marketer. He has owned cattle from some of the top families in the Jersey breed, most notably co-owning the Atlee family. A judge for 25 years, Heath placed cattle at the local, state and international levels, including the International Holstein and Central National Jersey shows at World Dairy Expo, International Junior Holstein Show, Canadian National Jersey Show, Royal Ulster Show in Ireland, Mexican National Holstein Show, Quebec International Fall Holstein Show, Western Spring National Holstein Show and Western Fall National Holstein Show.
Steve Hendress of West Layfette, Ind., will judge the Premier National Junior Brown Swiss Show on Monday, Sept. 9. He serves at Purdue University as the dairy judging coach, dairy research farm coordinator, animal science instructor and dairy club advisor. Prior to that post, Hendress was a sire consultant for NOBA and the owner-operator of Hoosier Knoll Brown Swiss Farm, where he bred and exhibited the 1994 World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion Hoosier Knoll Jade Monay. He has judged all five national Brown Swiss shows, including the All-American, as well as the Jersey Junior and Ayrshire shows at the North American International Livestock Expo in Louisville, and the Milking Shorthorn shows in Louisville and at the All-American. He has placed cattle at 17 state fairs and in Argentina, Columbia, Ecuador and Korea.
Chris Hill of Thurmont, Md., is set to judge the All-American Ayrshire Show on Sept. 10-11. With roots in his family’s Wauwatosa Ayrshire Farm, he now owns and operates MD-Hillbrook Sales Service with wife Jennifer. A professional fitter and auctioneer for 25 years, Hill has traveled to more than 40 states, and Canada, Germany, Mexico and Belgium to prepare cattle, and has managed and assisted with various breed sales, including the March Madness Sale series. He has shown, owned and sold several All-American and All-Canadian nominations in many breeds. A seasoned judge, he has evaluated cattle at county, district, state and national shows, including Holsteins, Jerseys and Red & Whites at World Dairy Expo, and internationally in Argentina, Brazil and Canada. He also officiated the Hoard’s Dairyman Holstein cow class and served on the All-American judges’ panel for all seven breeds. Hill received the prestigious Klussendorf-McKenzie Award at World Dairy Expo.
Jacob Hushon of Fort Atkinson, Wis., returns to the All-American to place the Red & Whites in the Premier National Junior Show on Sept. 9. A Penn State graduate, he is the marketing manager for New Generation Genetics and co-owner of Brothers Three Brown Swiss with brothers Joshua and Joseph. Together they bred, owned and developed nine All-Americans, seven Reserve All-Americans, two honorable mentions, and earned 31 nominations, in addition to selling Top Acres Coll Party, in partnership with Top Acres, the highest selling Brown Swiss at public auction. Hushon was named the 2009 Young Brown Swiss Breeder. He has judged in eight states, including the Brown Swiss, Guernsey and Milking Shorthorn shows at the Premier National Junior Show, and Brown Swiss state shows in Minnesota, Maryland, New York, and the junior show at the North American International Livestock Expo. He placed cattle internationally in Columbia and Honduras.
Chris Lahmers of Marysville, Ohio, returns to the All-American to judge the All-American National Guernsey Show on Sept. 11. He and his family own Brown Velvet Brown Swiss and Lah-Dale Holstein show herds, have bred five All-American Brown Swiss, and exhibited the 2005 Brown Swiss Intermediate Champion at World Dairy Expo. For 14 years, he worked as the dairy programs specialist for COBA/Select Sires. Lahmers judged the Premier National Guernsey Show and Ayrshire and Brown Swiss shows at the All-American, Holstein and Guernsey shows at the North American International Livestock Expo, the New York Red & White Spring Show, and Pennsylvania Spring Holstein Show.
Jeremy McDonald of Middletown, Va., will judge the All-American Milking Shorthorn Show on Sept. 10-11. The McDonalds milk 70 Holsteins and Brown Swiss under the Shen-Val prefix and raise registered Angus cattle. They also have orchards, vegetable gardens and a farm market to direct-market their produce and beef. McDonald has judged multiple local and regional shows, in addition to five national shows in the United States. He also served as the associate Brown Swiss judge at World Dairy Expo and placed cattle at the IGBS Show in Switzerland.
Mark Rueth of Oxford, Wis., will place the Premier National Junior Holstein Show on Sept. 9. He and business partner Nicky Reape own and operate Rosedale Genetics Ltd. where they milk 80 head and raise 140 heifers, maintaining a BAA of 110.2 percent. Rueth had a hand in owning and developing four Supreme or Reserve Supreme Champions at World Dairy Expo, including Westlynn Tom Dee, Stookey-Elm Park Blackrose (from which 50 percent of their milking herd descends), Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red and Kinyon Linjet Ideal. Rueth and Reape’s merchandising program has resulted in embryos sold in 10 countries. He judged the 2012 All-American Eastern National Holstein Show, Pennsylvania Fall Championship Show and the International Holstein Show at World Dairy Expo, in addition to numerous shows around the globe, including in Australia, Brazil, France, Mexico and Switzerland.
Carrie Chickering-Sears of South Deerfield, Mass., will place the Premier National Junior Guernsey Show on Monday, Sept. 9. With husband David and daughter Ashley, she operates Indian Acres Farm and bred Indian Acres MM Pistachio Pie, the 2007 Supreme Champion at the All-American Dairy Show, Premier National Junior Show and World Dairy Expo. Sears is the Director of Community Education in Animal Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. In addition to placing all breeds at the state and regional level, she served as the associate and lead judge of the Guernsey show at World Dairy Expo, was a Guernsey official for the Hoard’s Dairyman judging contest, and served on the All-American selection panel for Ayrshires, Guernseys, Holsteins, Milking Shorthorns and Red & Whites. In 2012, Sears also served as the junior division judge for the All-American Showmanship Contest.
Steve Shaw of Williamsburg, Pa., makes his All-American Dairy Show judging debut with the Red & White Show on Sept. 11. A regional sales leader and nutritionist for Cargill Animal Nutrition, Shaw and his family own Linden-Loch Holsteins and bred or owned three All-American and nine Junior All-American nominated Holsteins and Red & Whites. An official for more than 30 years, Shaw has evaluated cattle in numerous local and regional shows and state shows in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He served as the associate judge in the 2012 national Red & White Show at World Dairy Expo.
Eric Topp of Botkins, Ohio, will serve triple duty by placing the Ayrshires and Milking Shorthorns in the Premier National Junior Show on Sept. 9 and the All-American Brown Swiss Show Sept. 10-11. His family farm, Topp-View Farms, produced champions at the Ohio State Fair and Spring Dairy Exposition, World Dairy Expo, and the North American International Livestock Expo. Topp has judged at the Premier National Junior Show, the Southeastern National Show in Louisville, and Southern National Show in Georgia. Other state shows include Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. He is a dairy nutritionist for Maria Stein Grain, and he and wife Mary have two daughters, Madelyn and Mackenzie.
Paul Trapp of Taylor, Wis., will place the Premier National Junior Jersey Show on Sept. 9. A 20-year veteran of ABS Global, he serves as a sire analyst whose favorite acquisitions include Dundee, Destry, Garrett, Gerard, Levi, Gillespy and Gavin. Trapp, wife Sarah and sons Kole and Beau own an elite group of registered Brown Swiss, Jersey and Holstein cattle, receiving All-American nominations in all three breeds. He is a partner in Pit-Crew Genetics, which has earned 14 Brown Swiss All-American nominations. He judged shows in 15 different states. At World Dairy Expo, Trapp served as the 2010 associate Guernsey judge, 2011 lead Milking Shorthorn judge and will place the 2013 Ayrshire Show. Internationally, Trapp has placed cattle in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. He served five years on the World Dairy Expo Dairy Cattle Show Committee, was on several All-American panels and judged national shows in all seven breeds.
This year’s golden jubilee All-American Dairy Show features 22 shows in six days in addition to the nation’s only all-dairy antiques show. Last year’s show featured nearly 2,500 animals from more than 900 exhibitors from across the nation.