Teen fares well at All-American Dairy Show
Dylan Brantner of Evans City is hoping his success at the 55th annual All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg last week carries over to an even bigger stage next week.
The 17-year-old Dylan finished in second place in the senior showmanship contest and first place in the senior fitting contest at the All-American Dairy Show, which ran from Sept. 15-20 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.
“I did really good,” Dylan said. “I was excited.”
His second place showing came in the 21st annual Youth Showmanship Competition at the Premier National Junior Show.
In the Senior Showmanship Competition, participants ages 16-21 are evaluated on their ability to best showcase their animals to a judge.
“The goal is to show the cow the best you can and make her look the best you can,” Dylan said. “You've got to hold their head up, set their feet in the right spot so they look good. Just a lot of little things.”
After a 45-minute break following the showmanship contest, each of the top 10 finishers, including Dylan, put their fitting skills to the test by clipping and grooming a Holstein heifer in one hour.
Fitting involves grooming the hair on the cow's back to make the back look straight and trimming hair on the cow's belly.
“You clip the whole body, do the top line and leave hair on the belly and trim it up so it's nice and clean,” Dylan said.
The Youth Showmanship Contest featured 382 contestants, including 118 in the senior division, from 10 states.
Dylan hopes to carry momentum from the All-American to the World Dairy Expo in the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., where contestants from all over the world come to compete.
“There's a lot more competition. The whole world,” Dylan said. “People come from Canada and all over. Some from overseas. It's a big deal.”
He said he and his younger brother Wesley will take a break from the family dairy farm, where they have 90 Holsteins, and trailer a cow to the expo, which runs from Oct. 2-6.
Dylan said he competed in the showmanship competition at the All-American last year, but didn't make it to the finals.
As one of the top 10 senior showman this year, Dylan received a Wrangler Jeans gift certificate, a Speed Freak hair dryer and nylon embroidered jacket. He won $50 for winning the fitting contest.
Allen Van Gorder, Little Falls, N.Y., judged the showmanship portion of the event. The fitting contest was judged by Evan Creek, Hagerstown, Md.
The dairy show attracted 1,200 national competitors in 22 individual contests exhibiting 2,200 dairy cattle.
