Allamakee County 4-H Dairy Judging Team competes at 2017 Iowa State Fair
Left to right - Front row: Alaina Gebel, Cayla Nolting Claire Opperman, Kiersten Gibbs. Back row: Coach Aaron Palmer, Emma Palmer, Madalyn Palmer, Michael Hagen. Not pictured: Coach Dan Sivesind. Submitted photo.
A handful of area youth represented Allamakee County 4-H in the Dairy Judging Contest at the 2017 Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in late August. Allamakee County 4-H had members competing at two different levels, including both the Senior division and Junior division.
Senior members included Michael Hagen, son of Erik and Lisa Hagen of Waterville, and Cayla Nolting, daughter of Chad and Cheryl Nolting of Waukon. Junior participants were Alaina Gebel, daughter of Nate and Tami Gebel of Lansing, Kiersten Gibbs, daughter of Chris and Kerri Gibbs of Waterville, Claire Opperman, daughter of George and Amy Opperman of Waukon, and Madalyn and Emma Palmer, daughters of Eric and Stephanie Palmer of Waukon. The Dairy Judging teams were coached by Aaron Palmer and Dan Sivesind of Waukon.
The Senior Team placed fourth overall and finished fourth in the Guernsey Division, as well as placing third in Team Reasons, Ayrshire and Jersey Divisions, fifth in Milking Shorthorn, and sixth in Brown Swiss and Holstein Divisions. Individually, Hagen finished ninth in Brown Swiss, and Nolting finished eighth in Reasons, ninth individually and earned a sixth-place finish in Holsteins and eighth place for Ayrshire. The Senior competition involved 27 individuals and eight teams from across the state of Iowa.
Junior Team One consisted of Kiersten Gibbs, Claire Opperman, and Madalyn and Emma Palmer. They placed fourth overall and finished fourth in Team Reasons. The team also placed second in Guernsey, third in Ayrshire, fifth in Brown Swiss and Holstein, and sixth in Jersey and Milking Shorthorn Divisions. Team One individual highlights included Gibbs earning an eighth placing in Brown Swiss, Opperman finishing tenth in Ayrshire and Guernsey, and Emma Palmer earning an overall fourth placing in Reasons, second in Guernsey, sixth in Ayrshire and ninth in Holstein and Jersey cattle. Overall, Madalyn Palmer finished fifth individually and sixth in Reasons. She also received third in Guernsey, sixth in Holstein, seventh in Ayrshire, and tenth in Jersey and Milking Shorthorn Divisions.
Team Two consisted of youth from Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties, and Alaina Gebel was Allamakee County’s participant on that team. The team placed second overall, second in Milking Shorthorn, third in Brown Swiss, Guernsey and Jersey, fourth in Holstein Divisions and a fifth place in Reasons.
Individually, Gebel placed tenth individually, fourth in Brown Swiss and ninth in Guernsey Divisions. The Junior contest involved 29 individuals and nine teams from across the state of Iowa.
For more information on how to become involved with 4-H, contact Morgan Bjerke, County Youth Coordinator at Allamakee County Extension and Outreach, at 563-568-6345.
