Harrisburg, Pa- Nine individuals got
the nod to place the 14 open and junior shows during the All-American Dairy
Show, set for September 17-21, with the Premier National Junior Show set for
September 17-19, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in
Harrisburg.
Michael Creek of Hagerstown, Md., is set to judge the
Premier National Junior Ayrshire Show and the All-American Guernsey Show.
Michael grew up on his family’s farm, Palmyra Farm Ayrshires and Holsteins and
remains active on the farm with wife Elizabeth and daughter Charlotte. He has
judged state, regional, national and international shows including the 2021
World Dairy Expo Ayrshire Show and serves as an official for the
intercollegiate judging contest at Expo. Palmyra Farm has been named Premier
Breeder of the International Ayrshire show at Expo nine times and have taken
home many champion banners. Michael is Director of Operations with Trans Ova
Genetics in Boonsboro, Md., as well as the owner of Palmyra Farm Cheese which
sells cheese made from the family farm’s milk direct to consumers with a heavy
focus on wholesale distribution.
Michael Duckett of Rudolph, Wis., will sort the Premier National Junior
Jersey Show and the All-American Dairy Red & White Show. Michael, wife
Julie and two children Logan and Chloe, operate Duckett Holsteins that has
developed many high scoring cows with a BAA of 114.3. The farm has exhibited
two Supreme Champions at World Dairy Expo and has been Premier Exhibitor and
Breeder at Expo and has earned more than 80 All American awards. The Ducketts
also own Genetic Futures which Michael manages and specializes in reproduction,
IVF embryo transfer and recipient services. Past shows he has judged are
highlighted by the New York Spring Holstein Show, North East Fall Holstein
Show, Wisconsin Red & White and Jersey Spring shows, and the California
Holstein and Jersey Spring Shows.
Matt Hawbaker of Clear Spring, Md., will place the
Premier National Junior Red & White Show and the All-American Ayrshire
Show. Matt and wife Sarah have two daughters, Kenley and Hadley. He was a
professional dairy fitter for 10 years before opening a boarding service,
Interstate Heifer Care, in 2013. Matt has prepared and exhibited numerous
All-American and Reserve All-Americans since beginning his career, and has
hosted and co-managed the Opportunity Knocks and First Impression at the
Interstate sales. He also distributes semen for Jetstream Genetics and AG3.
Matt has judged shows at the local, state, and national levels, including the
Associate Judge of the International Ayrshire Show at the World Dairy Expo in
2019.
Robert Kite of Staffordshire, England, will serve as
judge for the Premier National Junior Guernsey Show and the All-American
Milking Shorthorn Show. Growing up on the family farm led Robert to farm in
partnership with my father, and today with wife Kate and daughters, Lilly and
Rose, they milk a herd of 190 pedigree dairy cattle (80% are Milking Shorthorn,
the rest made up with Guernsey, Ayrshire and Jerseys) and have 200 youngstock.
After studying dairy herd management in 2005, he began building the pedigree
herd with Cotonhall prefix. In 2010, the opportunity to travel to Australia on
a youth placement to visit breeders of Illawarra cattle gave Robert the
opportunity to work with many top herds in the Illawarra breed. In the United
Kingdom, the Kites have won National Dairy Shorthorn Champion 2017, 2021; UK
Dairy Day 2018; UK Dairy Expo 2020; four times All Britain Champion Calf; and
five times National Champion winners. Robert serves as Chairman of Shorthorn Sires
UK, the marketing arm for the UK Dairy Shorthorn Society, working with the
society's committee for sire selection.
Chris Lahmers of Marysville, Ohio, returns to
Harrisburg to place the Premier National Junior Brown Swiss Show and Eastern
National Holstein Show. He and wife Elizabeth have three daughters - Elaina,
Ava and Audrey. Chris is the marketing director for COBA/Select Sires where he
leads the sales and service teams for their northern territory as well as
Mexico. He grew up on a Registered Holstein and Brown Swiss farm, and his
family currently exhibits under the Lah-Dale and Brown Velvet prefixes. They
have bred five All-American Brown Swiss and exhibited Intermediate Champion
Brown Swiss at World Dairy Expo in 2005. Lahmers has judged several state and
national shows including World Dairy Expo four times, the All-American Dairy
show in Harrisburg five times, and the North American International Livestock
Expo in Louisville eight times. He has also had the opportunity to judge
internationally in Costa Rica, Japan and Australia.
Tyler Reynolds of Corfu, N.Y., will judge the Premier
National Junior Holstein Show and the All-American Jersey Show. Tyler works on
his family’s dairy farm, Reyncrest Farm, with wife Kelly and daughter Cannyn
where they now milk 1,300 Registered Holsteins and crop 2,400 acres. In
addition to the commercial dairy, Tyler and siblings Andy and Mackenzie have 40
head of show cattle that they exhibit at local, state and national shows. They
have bred 17 All-American nominations and have had many Junior All-American
nominations as well. In 2019, Reyncrest Farm was named Premier Exhibitor at the
Northeast Spring National and the Premier Breeder at the Northeast Fall
National Holstein Shows as well as being the Premier Breeder of the HAUSA
All-National Contest. In addition, they were the Premier Breeder and Exhibitor
of the Heifer Show at World Dairy Expo and the Premier Breeder of the Heifer
Show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Josh Sanders of Littlestown, Pennsylvania, will
analyze the Premier National Junior Milking Shorthorn Show. Josh began working
with cattle at an early age at his uncle’s Locust-Ayr Farm in Maryland where they
have shown Holsteins and Jerseys at the state and national levels. Upon
graduation from Delaware Valley College, he worked as a herdsman at Derrwyn
Holsteins, breeders of many great Red & White cattle including Miss
Special. Josh now works as an Area Representative for ST Genetics with 17 years
of experience in the AI industry. He has prepared and shown cattle for many
herds throughout the region for shows at the local and national levels, and he
has judged several shows throughout the North East including the Delaware State
Fair and Premier National Junior Guernsey Show. Josh continues to breed
Holsteins and Jerseys under his San-Haven with wife Leeann and daughter
Emmalee.
Jenny Thomas of North Lewisburg, Ohio, will serve as
Associate Judge for the Eastern National Holstein Show. Along with husband
Nathan and children Colton, Kendall and Camryn, and Nathan’s family, they
operate Triple T Holsteins and Jerseys where they milk 30 head with an
additional 100 head of heifers and dry cows. Jenny is a Select Sires
Communication Specialist, and a livestock photographer with Cybil Fisher
Photography on a part-time basis. Triple-T has been honored to breed, own or
develop more than 140 All-American and/or All Canadian nominations over the
past 16 years. Jenny has judged several shows with highlights being the 2021
New England Summer Holstein Show, 2020 Wisconsin State Red & White Show,
2020 WI State Jersey Show, 2020 Utah State Junior Holstein and Jersey junior
shows, the Maryland Spring Show, New York State Fair Jersey Show, Big E Junior
Show, Kentucky State Fair Jersey Show, Western Classic Junior Show, and served
as Associate Judge for the All-American Jersey Junior Show in Louisville in
2016.
Richard Thompson of Darlington,Wis., will place the All-American Brown
Swiss Show. Before establishing Random Luck Farm with daughter Allison and son
Matthew, he worked as a dairy fitter and held herdsman positions with Sunshine
Genetics, Pinehurst Farms and Hagen Holsteins. Random Luck Farm has won 50
Premier Breeder banners with Brown Swiss and Jersey, including twice at World
Dairy Expo. In 2019, Thompson was the breeder of the Unanimous All-American
Senior Best Three Brown Swiss and 2021 Reserve All-American Senior Best Three
Jerseys. He has judged numerous local dairy shows, in addition to the North
West National Brown Swiss show, Quebec Summer Brown Swiss show, and the
Illinois State show.
For more information, contact the All-American Dairy Show at 717.787.2905, or
by email at aads@pa.gov, or visit the website
at allamericandairyshow.com.