For the 4th year in a row, the University of Minnesota placed 1st overall in the collegiate dairy cattle judging contest held on November 4 at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE), Louisville, KY. The margin of victory was 30 points over 2nd place Virginia Tech with 3 Minnesota team members among the top 6 individuals. Eighteen 4-year universities competed in the contest. Teams from the University of Minnesota have placed 1st overall in the Louisville collegiate contest 7 of the past 9 years.
In addition to placing 1st overall, the University of Minnesota team was 1st in oral reasons by an 8-point margin, was 1st in the Jersey breed, and placed among the top 5 teams in all 5 breeds. Team members were Rachel Coyne, Spring Valley, WI; Kayla Leiding, Fountain, MN; Lauren Hendel, Caledonia, MN; and Tanner Morrison, Peterson, MN.
Individually, Coyne was 2nd overall, 1st in Ayrshire, and 2nd in Jersey, Leiding was 4th overall, Hendel was 6th overall and 1st in Jersey, and Morrison was 4th in Jersey and 5th in Holsteins. Coaches were Dr. Les Hansen, Alicia Thurk Hiebert, Eric Houdek, and Gabriella Sorg.
Team ranking:
1. Minnesota
2. Virginia Tech
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan State
5. Cal Poly
6. UW-Platteville
7. Cornell
8. Iowa State
9. UW-Madison
10. Purdue
11. Tarleton State
12. Kansas State
13. UW-River Falls
14. Penn State
15. South Dakota State
16. Kentucky
17. North Dakota State
18. West Virginia
To see Cowsmo’s full coverage and results from the 2018 North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, KY click HERE.