ELEVEN JERSEY YOUTH TAKE AWARDS IN TALKJERSEY CONTEST  

Reynoldsburg, Ohio, July 15, 2008—Eleven (11) junior members of the American Jersey Cattle Association displayed impressive depth of breed knowledge and engaging presentation styles at the third national Jersey youth public speaking contest, TalkJersey.  

The contest, offering cash awards sponsored by ABS Global Inc., De Forest, Wis., was held at Piedmont Jerseys in Lincolnton, N.C. on June 26, 2008, the second day of the 140^th Annual Meeting of the American Jersey Cattle Association.  

There were entries in three of the contest’s four age divisions. Contestants could speak about any topic related to Jersey cattle or Jersey milk, including current affairs and dairy industry trends. Presentations were scored on content and organization (25 points), language and voice (10 points), presentation (5 points), and total effectiveness (5 points). Each contestant received written evaluations from each member of the judging panel.  

A new category, the audio-visual presentation, was introduced for this year’s TalkJersey contest. Videos or narrated PowerPoints produced and presented by the contestant on Jersey-specific topics were eligible.  

Rankings in each division were as follows.  

Division I (7-10 years)  

        No entries  

Division II (11-13 years)  

        1.       Sydney Endres, Lodi, Wis., “Jersey Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner”  

        2.       Andrew Theobald, Waymart, Penna., “The Jersey Cow”  

        3.       Mitchell Endres, Lodi, Wis., “The Power of the Little Brown Cow”  

        4.       Ben Grammer, Sebring, Ohio, “Three A Day The Jersey Way!”  

        5.       Douglas Chapple, Jr., Clover, S.C., “Jersey Producers Involvement with Youth”  

Division III (14-16 years)  

        1.       Cassie Chittenden, Schodack Landing, N.Y., “Jersey Milk”  

        2.       Billy Grammer, Sebring, Ohio, “The Brightest Star in the Sky”  

Division IV (17-20 years)  

1.      Emily Waggoner, Pendleton, S.C., “The Southeastern Swing Towards Grazing Dairies: The Jersey Advantage”  

2.      Tyler Boyd, Parrottsville, Tenn., “Jerseys: What Brown Can Do For You”  

3.      Amber Ettinger, Kinards, S.C., “Milk: Squeeze Out the Goodness”  

Audio-Visual Presentation (all ages)  

1.      Colin Russell, Hilmar, Calif., “Keeping Our Cows Comfortable”  

In addition to the cash awards, each participant received award certificates and a gift from the American Jersey Cattle Association.  

Contest judges for Division II were Janice Rector of Turlock, Calif., and Cari W. Wolfe of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Participants in Divisions III and IV were evaluated by the team of Deena White of New Castle, Ind., and Patty Endres of Lodi, Wis.  

TalkJersey is an initiative of the national Jersey youth development program, which is supported by 10% of the gross of the annual National Heifer Sale and generous contributions from Jersey breeders and allied industry. The next contest will be held during the 2009 AJCA Annual Meeting, to be hosted by the New York Jersey Cattle Club in Syracuse, N.Y.  

The American Jersey Cattle Association, organized in 1868, maintains identification and performance records for dairy herd owners and provides services that support genetic improvement and greater profitability through increasing the value of and demand for Jersey cattle and genetics, and Jersey milk and milk products.  

For more information on the association’s complete line of services for dairy business owners, visit the website at www.USJersey.com or call 614/861-3636.  

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Note to editors: Photos are available for downloading at www.usjersey.com/YouthProgram/talkjersey.html. Links are given at the end of each cutlines on the site for high-resolution images (300dpi .jpg).