LITTLE VALLEY — Members from the Cattaraugus County 4-H program received top individual honors in both the Junior and Senior divisions at the New York State Fair’s 4-H Dairy Judging Contest.

Cattaraugus County 4-H Youth Development Educator Courtney Charlesworth said they are proud of the 12 youth who traveled to the state fair on Aug. 21 to participate in this contest.

“We are the only county in New York state that was able to send a team in each of the three divisions without having to combine with other counties to make full teams,” she explained. “That is an accomplishment in itself, but we were also able to place in the top 5 teams of each division.”

The Dairy Judging Contest allows youth members to try their hand at evaluating dairy cattle, then comparing their placings to the “official placing” designated for the class. Each class is scored out of 50 points, and the youth lose points based on how far off they are from the official placing. Scores are tallied both as individuals and teams made up of three to four youth. Youth evaluated six classes of Holstein cows and heifers during the first day of evaluation.

“Our kids begin practicing in the spring when we host practices at multiple farms throughout the county, and then they qualify for the state fair based on their placings at our contest hosted at the Cattaraugus County Fair. Their commitment is impressive,” Charlesworth added.

Senior members finishing in the top 25 are asked back to compete during the second week of the New York State Fair to qualify for spots on the New York State 4-H Judging team, which travels throughout the United States to national shows throughout the fall.

All three Cattaraugus County Senior members finished in the top 25, returning to compete on Aug. 28. Olivia Shawley finished 3rd and will be traveling to the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisc., with the state 4-H Team; Addyson Shawley finished 12th and will be traveling to the North American International Livestock Expo in Louisville, Ky., with the state 4-H Team; and Caden Herman was designated the first alternate for the state 4-H Team after finishing 13th.

The Cattaraugus County 4-H Program is seeing outstanding numbers in the Dairy Program with 55 youth exhibiting over 120 animals at the Cattaraugus County Fair this summer. Due to the large number of kids and animals, the program is fortunate enough to host the District Dairy Judging Contest, inviting youth from 4-H programs throughout Western New York to participate. If interested in learning more about the Cattaraugus County 4-H Program, contact the 4-H office by calling (716) 699-2377 or emailing cattaraugus4h@cornell.edu.

RESULTS

• Beginner Team: 3rd Place – Adalyn Tempio, Peyton Britton, Colt Conklin, Miranda Ritter and alternate Ben Thompson.
• Beginner Individual: 6th Place – Adalyn Tempio.
• Junior Team: 5th Place – Kendal Herman, Blake Hill, Claire Thompson and Wyatt Shields.
• Junior Individual: 1st Place – Kendal Herman.
• Senior Team: 5th Place – Olivia Shawley, Addyson Shawley and Caden Herman.
• Senior Individual Week 1: 5th Place Reasons – Olivia Shawley; 1st Place Overall – Olivia Shawley; 18th Place Overall – Addyson Shawley; 25th Place Overall – Caden Herman.
• Senior Individual Week 2: 3rd Place Overall – Olivia Shawley; 12th Place Overall – Addyson Shawley; 13th Place Overall – Caden Herman.