Young Farmers Take Wyoming Dairy Show

Charlene M. Shupp
Espenshade
Special Sections Editor

MESHOPPEN, Pa. — Two young farmers and newcomers to the Kiwanis Wyoming County Fair Dairy Show beat out a field of 220 cows to capture this year’s supreme dairy banners.

Chris Schuler of Meshoppen earned the Bent Cook Memorial Youth Supreme blanket with his junior 3-year-old Jersey WF Signature Lorelei. In a unique twist, the open show’s Robert O Parr Memorial Open Supreme Champion Clock was given to youth exhibitor Deidra Bollinger of Manheim with her five-year-old Holstein, Darr-Lynn Rless Angelbaby.

Judge Ken Young of Bradford County said in his reasons for the youth supreme champion that it was a close placing between the Jersey and the Holstein. While he gave the youth banner to Schuler, he said that while she was not the biggest cow in the Holstein show, there were not really any holes in her.

In the open show, Bollinger came out on top by a vote of three judges.

Schuler was not in the open supreme drive, which opened the door for Bollinger’s open show win.

Schuler is a 2008 graduate of Elk Lake High School and has been farming on his own for just about a year. He is in partnership with Steve Gray. While his family was not sure about his aspirations to dairy, considering today’s market climate, Schuler said this has been his dream to dairy and can’t see himself pursing any other career.

Schuler and Gray met while working as herdsman for another Susquehanna County dairy farmer. Together they manage a 35-cow herd milking on average 78 pounds per day.

When asked about winning the youth supreme blanket, Schuler noted that he has had a successful year with this cow and is looking forward to showing her at the All-American Dairy Show.

For Deidra Bollinger, the three-hour trip from Lancaster County paid out significant dividends as she walked out with the open supreme champion award. Bollinger from Manheim opted to show at the Wyoming County Fair at the encouragement of another family who showed in both Lancaster and Wyoming Counties. This Milk Duds 4-H and Elizabethtown FFA member admitted she was surprised at the win.

Like Schuler, she is passionate about agriculture and the dairy industry. While she is not sure if full-time dairying is in her future, she is positive that she will always have a connection with the industry with a agriculture-related field.

Right now, she is interested in becoming a large animal veterinarian.

Bollinger’s success continued as she earned the Donald Arthur Memorial Best Owned and Bred Holstein award. She also topped the senior division the youth dairy showmanship contest.

The other breed champions of the open show are as follows. Guernsey, Ripley Farms Archie Jackie, owned by Kyle Bonavita; Milking Shorthorn, Jon-Ann Famous Rosemary-ET, owned by Alex Bonavita; Jersey, SWV Maximus Ultra, owned by Steven W. Van Kuren; Ayrshire, Heather-Brooke Pedro Joane, owned by Richard Sharer; Brown Swiss, My-T-Fine Amaranto Jordan, owned by Page Lin Cook; and Red and White, Rystal Redcross Connie-Red, owned by Ronald and Sara Oliver.

The other youth breed champions are as follows. Guernsey, Autumns Sweet Gorgeous, owned by Autumn Henning; Milking Shorthorn, Jon-Ann Famous Rosemary-ET, owned by Alex Bonavita; Heather-Brooke Pedro Joane, owned by Richard Sharer; Brown Swiss, My-T-Fine Amaranto Jordan, owned by Page Lin Cook; Red and White, Green Dreams Inferno Jessie Red, owned by Michael Greenwood; and Holstein Darr-Lynn Rless Angelbaby, owned by Deidra Bollinger.