Team sweeps multiple awards at international dairy cattle contest
SUNY Cobleskill stood out at the 35th International Post Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, earning the Overall Team, High Individual, Overall Reasons Team, and High Reasons Individual awards. The winning team included Connor MacNeil, Elsie Donlick, Mason Ziemba, and Rachel Hatch, coached by Carrie Edsall.
Modesto Junior College placed second overall, followed by SUNY Morrisville in third, Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in fourth, and Michigan State Ag Tech in fifth.
In individual competition, Connor MacNeil of SUNY Cobleskill claimed top honors with 769 points. He was followed by Megan Klossner of SUNY Morrisville, Mason Ziemba of SUNY Cobleskill, Wyatt Schlauch of Ohio State ATI, and Elsie Donlick of SUNY Cobleskill.
The Reasons category was also dominated by SUNY Cobleskill, with Mason Ziemba taking first place, Connor MacNeil second, and Elsie Donlick fourth. Overall, the team won the Reasons title with 662 points.
In additional contests, SUNY Cobleskill placed first in Practical, Linear, Grade, and Registered classes, while Kansas State University led the Corrective Mating category.
The event was supported by key sponsors including Channel Seed, STgenetics, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, Select Sires, and Holstein Association USA.
This year’s contest highlighted the skills of future agricultural leaders while showcasing the importance of dairy education and livestock evaluation in building industry knowledge and leadership.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jessicahyde