Dairyland Youth Celebration Recognizes Multiple Award Winners

By Crystal McNett Assistant Editor
Thursday, August 14, 2008 9:02 AM CDT

Brian Coyne

In addition to raising funds to support Wisconsin’s dairy youth, the Governor’s Dairyland Youth Celebration recognized several of the state’s outstanding young people in the dairy industry.

Great Northern Cup

Sponsored by the Great Northern Land and Cattle Company, Rick and Paula Bovre, the Great Northern Cup recognizes a Holstein exhibitor at the Junior State Fair that excels in good sportsmanship, fellowship, leadership, cooperation with officials and exhibitors, showmanship ability, fitting and training of animal, courtesy to the public and the judge and overall animal care.

This year’s recipient of the Great Northern Cup was Brian Coyne of Spring Valley in Pierce County. Coyne will be a sophomore at UW-Madison this fall majoring in dairy science with a business emphasis. He has spent 16 years showing cattle and this is his last year showing at Junior State Fair.

When the first Great Northern Cup was awarded last year, Coyne made it his goal to win the award. He has strived to help other youth learn and to be a better delegator in order to achieve that goal. “It was really important to me to win this year,” Coyne said.

Coyne merchandises his own show cattle that are housed on his family’s 11-acre farm. The family sold its milking herd in 2000.

Coyne’s favorite part of showing is fitting the animals. He began fitting at a young age and continues to learn and improve his skills. He has done all of the toplines for is county group the past several years, and this year did 26 animal’s toplines for junior exhibitors from five different counties. He offered a very inexpensive way for youth who may not be able to do a professional topline to get one on their animal. Coyne also noted that he made sure to explain his technique to each exhibitor so that they could learn from him and some day be able to do their own toplines.

Coyne is currently a herdsman intern at Wil-Star farm in Poy Sippi, where he works with Lynn Harbaugh and Willis Gunst. During the school year he works in the bull barns at ABS Global in DeForest. He is hoping to obtain a career in the A.I. industry.

George Barlass Award

The George Barlass Herdsman Award is sponsored by Gil-Bar Farm and is awarded to a colored breed exhibitor at Junior State Fair who displays outstanding sportsmanship, knowledge of the dairy industry and showmanship ability.

Darci O’Brien of Eastman in Crawford County was the recipient of the George Barlass Herdsman Award this year. She will be a sophomore at UW-Madison this fall majoring in dairy science with a business emphasis. “It was a huge surprise,” she said. “I never expected to win anything like that; it’s a huge honor.”

O’Brien has been showing since she was five years old and loves Junior State Fair because everyone works together in preparation for and at the show. She shows both Brown Swiss and Holsteins and exhibited a Brown Swiss spring yearling this year.

Although her family sold its milking cows in 2002, O’Brien maintains her own herd of project animals at her home.

O’Brien is currently the vice president of the Wisconsin Junior Brown Swiss Association and is very involved in agricultural organizations in her home county and on the UW-Madison campus. She especially enjoyed sharing her knowledge at a showing and fitting clinic this spring to help younger exhibitors learn “all the little things to do in the spring to get your heifers ready for the show.”

Looking to her future, O’Brien is interested in a career with nutrition.

Other awards

Other junior dairy exhibitors recognized during the Governor’s Dairyland Youth Celebration included:

James W. Crowley Award finalists included:

- Danielle Brown, Dodgeville n Scholarship Recipient

- Hans Johnson, Star Prairie n Scholarship Recipient

- Frank Behling, Fox Lake

- Laura Brown, Dodgeville

- Angela Brusky, Pulaski

- Tommy Butts, Browntown

- Cody Carpenter, Darlington

- Hillary Hartley, Soldiers Grove

- Jennifer Kindschuh, Brownsville

- Sheri Kirchner, Clintonville

- Julie Meinnert, Sheboygan Falls

- Ann O’Leary, Evansville

- Marlee Sickinger, Manitowoc

- Kayla Solum, Rice Lake

- Theresa Wyss, Monroe

Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board Scholarship recipients were recognized at both the Governor’s Dairyland Youth Celebration and the Blue Ribbon Cheese and Butter Auction. They included:

- Laura Elliott, Marshall

- Jodi Kauth, Loyal

- Robert O’Leary, Evansville

- Eric Rooker, Waldo

- Clayton Wohlk, Almena

Wisconsin 4-H Foundation Dairy Scholarship recipients who were recognized were:

- Richard Franta, Spring Valley

- Robert O’Leary, Evansville

- Kayla Solum, Rice Lake

State 4-H dairy judging contest winners recognized at the event were:

- Dane County n Laura Elliott, Ben Sarbacker, Kelly Sime, Abbey Wethal n World Dairy Expo Team

- St. Croix County n Jill Cowles, Jake Kuschke, Kendra Mitchell, Tom Zwald n Harrisburg Team

- Danielle Brown, Iowa County; Justin Langer, Columbia County; Kelly Lee, Jefferson County; Michelle Owens, Polk County n Louisville Team

- Danielle Brown, Iowa County n Top senior individual

- Valerie Kramer, Fond du Lac County n Top junior individual

- Fond du Lac County n Top junior team

The Governor’s Dairyland Youth Celebration was presented by the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board. Event sponsors included: Andis Company, Badgerland Financial, Foremost Farms USA, UW-Madison Department of Dairy Science, 4-H Dairy Endowment Fund and the state breed associations.

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