September 12, 2022 at 9:14 p.m.
Young cattle evaluators’ dreams accomplished
Stearns County dairy judging team advances to WDE
The Stearns County 4-H dairy judging team – (from left) Megan Ratka, Dan Frericks, Tyler Ratka and Lanna Walter – hold up their plaque and ribbons after winning the Minnesota 4-H Dairy Judging Competition at the Minnesota State Fair. The team will now travel to the World Dairy Expo in October to compete nationally. PHOTO SUBMITTED
Stearns County took first, out of 19 teams, for both overall judging and reasons, which advanced them to compete in the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. Olmsted/Dodge County placed second. The team from Rice/LeSueur County finished in third. Goodhue County took fourth place and McLeod County finished in fifth.
“Winning the state contest is something I’ve dreamed about for my entire 4-H career and it is so special to be able to accomplish this in my final year,” said Megan Ratka. “I am so honored and excited for our Stearns County team to represent Minnesota 4-H at World Dairy Expo.”
The contest consisted of six placings classes and three sets of reasons. Of the 90 individuals who competed in the contest, Megan Ratka placed 4th, Frericks placed 10th, Tyler Ratka placed 12th, and Walter placed 22nd.
The team is coached by Kevin Ratka of Cold Spring, Sadie Frericks of Melrose, and Tara Meyer of Sauk Centre.
“This is such a strong team,” Sadie Frericks said. “They were the only team in the contest to have all four judges score above 400 and all four place in the top 25.”
The Stearns County dairy judging team practiced throughout the summer. Practices were held on dairy farms across Stearns County.
“All of the practices helped in how we placed at the Minnesota State Fair – especially with reasons,” Dan Frericks said.
They also gained experience through judging contests hosted by other counties.
“I’m proud of the time and effort these kids have put in with practices and contests. They have all improved their decision making and communication skills through dairy judging,” said Kevin Ratka. “It’s great to see the team rewarded for their efforts with the opportunity to move on.”
This team was one of three Stearns County teams that competed at state – two in the senior division and one in the intermediate division.
“We had 16 4-Hers out for dairy judging this year. It was a great group and they all improved so much during the season,” Sadie Frericks said.
Now that the state contest is over, the team is getting ready for the competition at World Dairy Expo. Practices are focusing more on judging colored breeds, since all of the breeds will be represented in the national contest.
Two of the teammates – Dan Frericks and Walter – are also getting excited for their first visit to World Dairy Expo.
“I’m excited to look at pretty cows and see the booths,” Dan Frericks said. “I’m also excited to see what companies have to offer for the dairy industry in new genetics and technologies.”
While this could be the first of many trips to World Dairy Expo, it will be these teammates’ one and only opportunity to compete in the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest. 4-Hers are only allowed to compete once during their years in 4-H.
“It means a lot to have the opportunity to be on a team with such talented individuals. I’m very excited to judge at World Dairy Expo alongside these amazing people,” Walter said.
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