MEET THE WORLD DAIRY EXPO OFFICIAL JUDGES

Over 2,500 head of the world’s finest dairy cattle will parade across the colored shavings in Madison, Wisconsin, during the week of September 29 – October 3. The following gentlemen, appointed for their expertise, will crown the champions at World Dairy Expo 2009.

International Ayrshire Show – Steve McDonald, Princeton, Illinois
Central National Brown Swiss Show – Dave Sprengeler, Plato, Minnesota
Associate Brown Swiss Judge – Angelo Pozzatti, Pescantina, Italy
National Guernsey Show - Madison – Fowler Branstetter, Edmonton, Kentucky
International Holstein Show – Mark Rueth, Oxford, Wisconsin
Associate Holstein Judge – Paul Petriffer, Funes, Italy
International Junior Holstein Show – Brian Garrison, Tiffin, Ohio
Central National Jersey Show – Michael Heath, Westminster, Maryland
Associate Jersey Judge – Kelly Barbee, Concord, North Carolina
International Milking Shorthorn Show – Rick Allyn, Canaan, Connecticut
Grand International Red & White Show – Chris Hill, Thurmont, Maryland
Associate Red & White Judge – Justin Burdette, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

International Ayrshire Show – Steve McDonald

Steve McDonald is a dairy cattle consultant, and owns and operates Mackayr Farm in Princeton, Illinois. Successful in the showring, Mackayr Farms has exhibited a Junior, Intermediate, Reserve or Honorable Mention Champion each of the last five years at World Dairy Expo.

McDonald is a national director of the US Ayrshire Association and is a member of World Dairy Expo’s Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee. He’s judged shows in several US states, and has also judged shows in South Africa, Canada and Australia. His most recent assignment was the 2009 National Show in Columbia. He finds himself following in his father Paul’s footsteps. Paul McDonald served as official judge of the Central National Ayrshire Show in 1987.

McDonald and his wife, Deb, have two children, Michelle and Matt, and four grandchildren.

Central National Brown Swiss Show – Dave Sprengeler

Dave Sprengeler is a third-generation Brown Swiss dairy farmer. His judging history began when he was a member of the University of Minnesota’s judging team, which won the National Intercollegiate Dairy Judging contest at World Dairy Expo in 1979. Since then, he has judged numerous county fairs, state fairs, and foreign shows, including France, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil and Peru. He has served as Vice President of the National Brown Swiss Association’s Board of Directors, in addition serving on numerous other dairy industry boards.

Dave has had many successes in the showring, including being named the Minnesota State Fair Premier Breeder and/or Exhibitor for the past 15 years. Additionally, Arthurst Farm has had either Grand or Reserve Grand Champion at the Minnesota State Fair 12 times. Dave has bred many All-Americans, and has bred and shown two winners of the World Dairy Expo Futurity class. Dave has numerous bulls placed in the AI industry, and has exported cattle and embryos to 17 foreign countries.

Dave and his wife Becky own and operate Arthurst Farm in Plato, MN, where they milk 100 Brown Swiss cows. Dave’s grandfather Arthur started Arthurst Farm in 1924, and Dave purchased the farm from his father Mel in 1988. The farm is a family-run operation. Son Kyle is a junior in high school, and daughters Ashley and Kristin are pursuing Dairy Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Associate Brown Swiss Judge – Angelo Pozzatti

Dr. Angelo Pozzatti is a veterinarian who specializes in bull selection. During the last four years, he has worked in Switzerland as an area sales manager for Swissgenetics AI Stud, with responsibility for their Brown Swiss Program. Since the first of the year, he’s also served as the technical and commercial director of Zorlesco, an AI Stud in Italy. Prior to joining Swissgenetics, he worked for the Brown Swiss Association of Italy, managing the breed’s classification and judging programs.

Pozzatti has officiated more than 250 shows in more than 10 countries. He’s placed Brown Swiss cows at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in 2005, at the International Dairy Week in Australia in 2008 and at European shows in Verona, Cremona, Paris, Imst, Epinal and Lausanne.

Pozzatti and his wife, Silvia, who is an Advertising Specialist for the Italian Brown Swiss Association, have two daughters, Elisa (5) and Martina (2). They reside in Pescantina, Italy.

National Guernsey Show - Madison – Fowler Branstetter

Fowler Branstetter holds a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from Western Kentucky University and a Master’s Degree in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Kentucky. He is a Dairy Enterprise Account Manager for Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition Company and owns and operates, with his wife Katie, Style Crest Dairy Farm in Edmonton, Kentucky. They maintain a herd of Registered Guernseys, averaging 18,074M, and a Registered Holstein herd with a RHA of 27,306M, 917F and 828P.

Branstetter and his family have bred and developed over 90 All-American nominations with 61 of them winning national recognition, including many Unanimous All-American selections. The Branstetters have exhibited the Grand Champion Guernsey cow at World Dairy Expo twice and the Reserve Grand twice. They have also shown the Junior Champion twice, with the most recent being the 2006 Spring Yearling that went on to become a two-time unanimous All-American.

Branstetter currently serves as President of the Kentucky PDCA and President of the Kentucky National Shows and Sales Organization. He’s judged state shows in 27 different states, served on the All-American Selection Committees for Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Holstein and Guernsey, and has been an official for the Hoard’s Dairyman Contest and National Intercollegiate Judging Contests. National and international judging assignments have included the Royal Winter Fair, the Royal in Melbourne, Australia, the All-American Dairy Show, Eastern States Expo, North American International Livestock Expo and World Dairy Expo.

International Holstein Show – Mark Rueth

Mark Rueth and partner, Nicky Reape, own and operate Rosedale Genetics, Ltd. near Oxford, Wisconsin. They purchased the 45 acre farm in 2005 and rent an additional 140 acres. They currently milk 82 head and raise an additional 140 head of heifers, maintaining a BAA of 110.2% and a RHA of 20,500M, 4.2%F, 3.2% P. International interest in Rosedale Genetics has resulted in embryo sales to ten different countries and a successful merchandising program for females and bulls.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Rueth began his career as a professional fitter, working with prominent herds in Wisconsin and the Pacific Northwest. He prepared cattle for sales and shows in 17 US states, six Canadian provinces and in Australia, South America and Europe. Wise purchases during this time led to successful partnerships and the development of his own registered herd.

Rueth has achieved great success in the showring, exhibiting champions across three breeds, and being named Supreme Champion at World Dairy Expo three times and exhibiting Reserve Supreme Champion twice.

He’s judged numerous shows across the US and Canada, and has judged national shows around the world, including International Dairy Week in Australia, the Brazil National Show, the Eastern France Spring Show, the Swiss Junior Bulle Winter Show and the Leon Mexico Spring Show.

Rueth currently serves on World Dariy Expo’s Dairy Cattle Show Committee and has twice been recognized for his skills with dairy cattle, earning the Klussendorf-MacKenzie Award in 1995 and the Klussendorf Award in 2008.

Associate Holstein Judge – Paul Petriffer

Paul Petriffer grew up in the northern part of Italy on his family’s Brown Swiss farm. For the past 20 years he has worked internationally as a professional fitter, preparing many North American champions and supreme champions for show. He’s attended World Dairy Expo each year during that time. After completing an agricultural degree in the late 1980s, he honed his skills working for Lylehaven Farms. This led to additional work with notable US and Canadian show strings. During the early 90s, a friendship formed between Petriffer and Mark Rueth as they worked many shows and sales together. Petriffer’s fitting career has taken him to Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and throughout the US, Canada and Europe.

This year, Petriffer and his partner, Susanne Schick, have taken over management of her family’s 300 acre dairy operation in Eastern Germany. They currently milk 150 Holsteins averaging 20,000 M, 4.2%F, 3.6% P. The herd has generated numerous show winners. Petriffer has owned both outright and in partnership a dozen All-American and All-Canadian nominees.

International Junior Holstein Show – Brian Garrison

Brian Garrison has worked in the AI industry for the past 23 years, and is currently a Sire Analyst for Select Sires, Inc.

He’s judged many shows in the US and internationally, including National Shows in each of the seven dairy breeds. He’s judged seven times at World Dairy Expo. He judged the Holstein Show in 1997 and was the Associate Holstein Judge in 1994; he placed the Brown Swiss Show in 1996 and 2000; the Jersey Show in 1998, the Milking Shorthorn Show in 2000 and the Red & White Show in 1999. He’s also been invited to judge shows in Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, England, Switzerland, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Brazil.

Garrison owns Garbro Swiss, a small, select Brown Swiss herd, in partnership with his brother Brad. They’ve bred and developed several All-American nominees and bulls that have entered AI. Garrison resides in Tiffin, Ohio, with his wife, Ann, and their children Erin (20), Kyle (18) and Katie (12).

Central National Jersey Show – Michael Heath

With a keen eye for exceptional type, Michael Heath has worked with cattle of all breeds, merchandising and owning many All-Americans and nominations. Among the animals that he’s owned in partnership are the 1993 National Grand Champion Jersey, 2005 World Dairy Expo Reserve Intermediate Champion Holstein and the 2006 & 2007 World Dairy Expo Junior Champion Holstein. He’s exhibited and sold numerous Jersey and Holstein winners at World Dairy Expo, the All-American, the National Jersey Show and Royal Winter Fair. Heath was raised on a small farm in Carroll County Maryland, where he and his sister raised registered dairy cattle.

A graduate of Hawkeye Jr. College in Iowa, he manages sales, and is also the owner/operator of Heath Sires, where they promote and distribute semen from an elite group of Jersey and Holstein sires. Heath has judged Jerseys and Holsteins at ten State Fairs, ten Holstein state and spring shows and four Jersey spring shows. Major shows judged include: the 2007 International Junior Holstein Show, the Royal Winter Fair Jersey Show, the All-American Jersey Show, Western National Jersey Show, and Canadian spring and fall shows in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.

Associate Jersey Judge – Kelly Barbee

Kelly Barbee, his wife Cherilyn and children, Emily (11) and Ryan (9), reside in Concord, North Carolina. They own and operate Du-Baires Genetics, an elite herd of 21 Registered Holsteins with a BAA of 113.8 and ten Registered Jerseys, situated on 40 acres. With an appreciation for good type and sound pedigrees, they have bought, sold and owned numerous Jersey and Holstein All-Americans.

Barbee has judged many shows at the county, district and state levels and most recently served as the official judge of the Kansas State Spring Show, placing both the Holstein and Jersey classes.

International Milking Shorthorn Show – Rick Allyn

Rick Allyn, wife Shannon and daughter Justine, own and operate Allyndale Holsteins, a small, but elite group of deep-pedigreed, high-profile, show cattle. Located in Canaan, Connecticut, Allyndale Holsteins is home to more than 30 All-American nominees and numerous All-Canadian nominees. They exhibited back-to-back Junior Champions in 2006 and 2007 at World Dairy Expo, one of which they were co-breeders. Allyndale Holsteins has also graced the cover of the Holstein World with four People’s Choice Award Winners.

Allyn merchandises embryos and live cattle world wide and serves as the Holstein representative for the Northeast Fall National show at Eastern States Exposition. He’s judged many county, state and regional shows, and has served as the official at the Atlantic Holstein Championship Show in Nova Scotia, the Wisconsin Championship Show, the Northeast National Milking Shorthorn Show and the Kentucky State Holstein Show.

Grand International Red & White Show – Chris Hill

Chris Hill resides in Thurmont, Maryland, with his wife, Jennifer. Together, they own and operate MD-Hillbrook Sales Service. Hill has been a professional fitter and auctioneer for 20 years. As a fitter, his travels have taken him to over 40 states as well as Canada, Germany, Mexico and Belgium. As an auctioneer, he has managed and assisted with various breed sales throughout the United States and Canada. He has also shown, owned and sold several All-American and All-Canadian nominations of various breeds. In 2008 he was part owner of seven nominations.

Hill has judged many county, district, state and national shows in the United States, Canada, Argentina and Brazil. He officiated the Hoard’s Dairyman Holstein cow class in 1999 and has served on the All-American Judges Panel for the Holstein, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn, Brown Swiss and Red & White contests. Hill has served as the official judge for both the Holstein and Jersey breeds at World Dairy Expo and he was the 2002 recipient of the coveted Klussendorf-MacKenzie Award, presented at World Dairy Expo.

Associate Red & White Judge – Justin Burdette

Justin Burdette is a partner in Windy-Knoll-View Farms, where they manage 600 acres of cropland and a 100 cow dairy herd, comprised of Registered Holsteins, Red & Whites and Jerseys. Their Holsteins have earned more than 60 All-American nominations and they’ve also had numerous Red & Whites and Jerseys nominated and named All-American.

Burdette has judged all seven dairy breeds at numerous county, regional and state shows. He resides in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania with his wife, Claire and daughter, Reese.