Farms.com Home  › News

ISU Dairy Judging Team Triumphs in Texas Competition

Congratulations to the Iowa State University Dairy Judging Team that competed in January 2025 at the Southwest Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held at the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth, TX. Team members consisted of Louis Halmett, Aurora, IA; Raegan Kime, Waucoma, IA, and Irene Nielsen, Potterville, MI. The trip started out with a top-notch practice stop in Billings, MO; at Groves-View Dairy, where team members were able to evaluate Brown Swiss and Holsteins, and the team also practiced at Sandy Creek Farm (Brown Swiss) in Bridgeport, TX. On contest day, in Brown Swiss, Raegan was 3rd, Irene was 4th, and the team was 4th. In the Holstein breed, Raegan was 4th, Irene was 6th and the team was 1st. Moving on to Jerseys, Raegan was 1st, Louis was 5th and the team was 1st. In Reasons, Raegan was 2nd, Irene was 4th, and the team was 1st. At the end of the day, Louis was 8th high individual overall, Irene was 5th and Raegan won the entire contest being named High Individual Overall with the team finishing 1st out of 10 teams. It was a sensational finish to the judging season and we are extremely proud of the commitment, dedication, and effort all dairy judging team participants put into the judging season starting back in the fall of 2024, which allowed them all to be very successful – way to go Cyclones!

Source : iastate.edu

Trending Video

Assessing Welfare Resources During Late Finish - Dr. Anna Johnson & Emma Coursey

Video: Assessing Welfare Resources During Late Finish - Dr. Anna Johnson & Emma Coursey


In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Anna Johnson from Iowa State University and Emma Coursey from the University of Illinois discuss research evaluating welfare resources during the late finishing stage on commercial swine farms. They explain how feeder management, water use, space allocation, and pig health influence welfare outcomes and practical on-farm management. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Small resource issues can become larger welfare problems when multiple stressors interact across finishing barns."

Meet the guests: Dr. Anna Johnson / anna-johnson-05028a14 is the Morrill Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare at Iowa State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from Texas Tech University and completed her master's degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on practical solutions that improve farm animal welfare, including sow productive lifetime, animal-human interaction, environmental enrichment, and Precision Livestock Farming.

Emma Coursey / emma-coursey-183810241 is pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine after earning a bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University. Her academic interests include swine health, production, and animal welfare, with research experience evaluating welfare resources in commercial finishing pigs.