For Immediate Release

Contact: Andrea Emond

Tel: 519-653-6180

DAIRY YOUTH EXCEL AT CANADA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS 4-H DAIRY SHOW

Cambridge, ON November 11, 2016 – It took months of hard work, dedication and commitment, but on November 7, hundreds of 4-H members and their calves arrived in Toronto to compete in the 37th annual TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic. A total of 358 4-H members from Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia represented their respective counties and provinces during the three-day event held from November 7 – 9 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Teams arrived on Sunday and Monday to set up their displays and get their calves settled in. Veteran 4-H members displayed a high level of leadership by assisting the younger first-time members throughout the competition.

4-H members competed individually in both showmanship and conformation competitions, as well as in teams for Best Exhibit, Best Group of Three Calves and Premier County.

For the first time ever, this year’s show took place in the Ring of Excellence, a venue which surprised a lot of people and made for an intimate show ring and well-received show. Showmanship Judge John Werry of Loa-De-Mede Farms in Oshawa, ON, and his associate, Stephanie Murphy of Ronbeth Holsteins in Hastings, ON, put 4-H members through the paces allowing them to display their showmanship skills during the heats and finals on November 8. Though it was a full day for both the judges and competitors, moving the showmanship portion of the competition from two days to one ensured competitors – and their calves – were well-rested and ready to compete.

The show kicked off with Matt Lange from South Simcoe singing O Canada. Derek Koppe, Senior Vice President of National Agriculture Services at TD Canada Trust, brought greetings and paid tribute to his late colleague Craig Bremner. Craig was a wonderful man who was a passionate supporter of the Classic and 4-H in general. He will be dearly missed.

Junior Showmanship was the first group in the ring and after five heats, Judge Werry began his work in the finals. He selected Lily Bullock of Peterborough County as his first place Junior showperson and Caden Finley of Durham West and Naomi Tourigny of Quebec Centre as second and third respectively. After five heats of Intermediate Showmanship, Cally Finley of Durham West took first place Intermediate showperson with Trent Jones of Oxford in second and Abbi Atkins of Wellington in third. Senior Showmanship had six heats and Judge Werry gave each and every competitor a thorough look before making his final selections. Ariane France of Prescott was first, Alana McKinven of Quebec South West was second and Travis Canning of Wellington was third.

As Judge Werry lined up his top showmanship winners from each group, he thanked his Associate Judge as well as his family for their support. He also gave each finalist the opportunity to say a few words and thank anyone they wished, an unprecedented move that was lauded by parents and spectators alike. To cap off a great first day, Judge Werry chose Ariane France as his Grand Champion Showperson. He selected Alana McKinven as Reserve and Cally Finley as Honourable Mention.

On Wednesday November 9, the conformation classes began. Conformation Judge Pat Conroy of Angola, Indiana, began placing the many heats and classes of top 4-H Holsteins, Jerseys and other coloured breeds from across the country. He chose his first-place Intermediate calf, Quality Solomon Lust, shown by Julie French of Peel, as Grand Champion Calf. Reserve went to the Jersey Summer Yearling Lookout Tequila Gotcha, shown by Monica Parnell of Quebec South East. Honourable Mention was the homebred Junior Yearling, Riverdown Atwood Jiggalea, shown by Justin Velthuis of Carleton.

The Best Exhibit is one of the most sought-after titles at the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic. Monday and Tuesday, the exhibits were judged for cleanliness, interaction with members of the public, signage and the overall display. Middlesex County was declared the winner with Carleton and Prescott following closely behind in second and third place respectively. Carleton County had an exceptional day and also won the Group of Three. Durham West won the “Bill Edelstein Bowl” for Premier County. As a county, they collected the most points in showmanship, conformation and best exhibit. The lucky winner of the showbox (handcrafted and painted by the O’Donnell family of Waterloo) was Abbi Atkins of Wellington.

This year’s “Breeder of Distinction” was Eastside Holsteins of Charlottetown, PEI. Bloyce Thompson was on hand to bring greetings during the show and generously donated five embryos from Eastside S Offering for a draw. Callum Karn of Oxford was the winner of this fabulous prize.

Two award presentations took place during the show on Wednesday. The Parish family presented the Justin Parish Memorial Bursary in honour of their late son. Justin’s dream was to one day make it to the Royal and his dream lives on through this award that is presented to a first-time competitor at the Classic each year. This year’s winner was Alexa Prinzen of Prince Edward County. The Stewart family and 4-H Ontario was on hand later in the day to present the Bertram and Hazel Stewart 4-H Dairy Youth Education Award and Bursary. This award and conditional bursary of $1,000 is awarded annually to an eligible 4-H Ontario Dairy Club member to support post-secondary education. This year’s deserving recipient was Cody Armstrong of Peterborough County. Having completed her first year of post-secondary education, past recipient Vicki Brisson was on hand to receive her bursary.

The Classic would not be possible without the commitment to youth from sponsors TD Canada Trust, Semex Alliance and Holstein Canada in the form of generous donations. The organizing committee and all of the 4-H members attending are truly grateful for their support. Many 4-H members would not be able to make it the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic without the support of many local sponsors at home, parents, leaders and other volunteers. They deserve a huge thank you as well.

For more information, contact the Ontario Holstein Branch at (519) 653-6180 or . Full results are available here.