World Dairy Expo is pleased to announce the eight official judges selected to evaluate North America’s finest dairy cattle on the colored shavings during World Dairy Expo 2023. These individuals were nominated and voted on by 2022 Dairy Cattle Show Exhibitors and include both first-time and long-time WDE judges.
The group of official judges for the 56th World Dairy Expo is as follows:
International Ayrshire Show
Kurt Wolf, Gutenberg, Iowa, official judge
Kurt Wolf lives in Gutenberg, Iowa, with his wife Michelle and son Cooper. In addition to being an AI Tech at Cannon ABS, Wolf milks a total of 250 Holsteins, Ayrshires and Milking Shorthorns as part of Old-Bankston Ayrshires/Wolf Dairy. Over the past 12 years, Wolf and his partners have bred, owned or sold 181 All-American Nominees, 10 All-Canadian Nominees, 2 World Dairy Expo Grand Champions and 3 World Dairy Expo Junior Champions. In addition to these accolades, Wolf has exhibited the Grand Champion cow at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, North American International Livestock Exposition, All-American Dairy Show, in addition to the Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin State Fairs. Wolf has had the privilege to judge Ayrshire shows across the country and Canada, including the Quebec Spring Show, North American Livestock Exposition, and the associate judge of the 2017 International Ayrshire Show at World Dairy Expo.
Steve Searles, Pine Island, Minn., associate judge
From Pine Island, Minnesota, Steve Searles is a registered livestock hauler and owns and operates Stillmore Cattle Company. Searles has received numerous All-Americans, Reserve All-Americans and nominations in the Ayrshire breed and has owned the Junior Champion of the International Ayrshire Show at World Dairy Expo two different times. In addition to being the Premier Exhibitor of the Heifer Show at World Dairy Expo, Searles has developed influential cows in the Ayrshire breed, such as Valevue BBK Minerva – a three-time Grand Champion at World Dairy Expo and four-time All-American winner. Searles has judged multiple state, district, and county fairs throughout the Midwest and also judged the Cattle Congress show in Waterloo, Iowa. Aside from his involvement in the Showring, Searles is also a board member of the Minnesota PDCA and Livestock Breeders Association.
International Brown Swiss Show
Chris Lahmers, Marysville, Ohio, official judge
Hailing from Marysville, Ohio, Chris Lahmers is the Marketing Director of North-COBA Select Sires, in addition to managing Brown Velvet Swiss and Lah-Dale Holsteins. Lahmers’ herd consists of 20 Brown Swiss, 10 Holsteins and a couple of Ayrshires, where he raises the heifers and has the cows milked at partner farms. Lahmers has exhibited All-American nominees in both the Brown Swiss and Ayrshire breeds, in addition to developing the Junior Champion of the International Ayrshire Show at World Dairy Expo last year. This is Lahmers’ fifth time judging on the colored shavings, previously judging the Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Junior Holstein and Jersey shows. Most recently, he has judged the Eastern National Holstein Show and is also President of the Ohio Holstein Association. Lahmers and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children, Elaina, Ava and Audrey.
Richard “RT” Thompson, Darlington, Wis., associate judge
Richard “RT” Thompson, of Darlington, Wisconsin, owns and operates Random Luck Farm, a herd of 130 Brown Swiss, Jersey and Holstein cows. Thompson has bred or developed over 200 excellent cows, 100 All-American nominees, and has received over 50 Premier Breeder awards at various shows, including World Dairy Expo and Southeast and Southwest National shows. Thompson is involved in the Brown Swiss breed, representing Canton 2 as the president and serving on the board of the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association. He has judged multiple Brown Swiss shows across the country and Canada, such as the Quebec Summer Show, Northwest National Show and Eastern National Show. In addition to judging, Thompson has also hosted a PDCA judging workshop and multiple college judging teams.
International Guernsey Show
Kevin Hartmann, Mulberry Grove, Ill., official judge
Hailing from Mulberry Grove, Illinois, Kevin Hartmann is the owner and operator of Hartdale Guernseys, a 27-head herd of Registered Guernseys. Over the past 20 years, Hartmann has bred 38 different All-American or Junior All-American nominees. Most recently, Hartdale Guernseys received multiple accolades at the 2022 North American International Livestock Exposition Guernsey Show, claiming Premier Exhibitor and Reserve Grand Champion of both the open and junior shows. Hartmann has bred and developed the only cow family in the Guernsey breed to have 8 consecutive generations of excellent cows, 5 consecutive generations of All-American nominees, and 6 generations of 100,000 pounds of milk or more lifetime. He has previously judged the Guernsey Gold Showcase, in addition to multiple state fair shows in Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and Tennessee. Hartmann and his wife, Emily, have three children, Lauren, Braden and Connor.
Ted deMent, Kenney, Ill., associate judge
Ted deMent is from Kenney, Illinois, where he and his family own and operate deMents Jerseys – a 260-acre dairy where they raise heifers and milk a few select cows. Over the past 30 years, deMent has judged various breeds at over 30 state fairs in 18 different states, in addition to judging at the North American International Livestock Exposition, World Dairy Expo and the Centro Agricola de Riobamba show in Ecuador. DeMent was also an appraiser for the American Jersey Cattle Association for six years and has served on the All-American panel for Ayrshire, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn and Jersey breeds. Outside of judging, the deMents have attended the Illinois State Fair each year since 1948, and are routine exhibitors at local county fairs, World Dairy Expo and the All-American Jersey show.
International Holstein Show
Lynn Harbaugh, Marion, Wis., official judge
Lynn Harbaugh, along with wife Sara and children Jacob, Logan and Madison, own and operate Bella-View Holsteins where they focus on developing elite show heifers of all breeds, with an emphasis on Holsteins. The Harbaugh’s have bred or developed 70 All-American and Junior All-American nominees across multiple breeds and have also garnered seven Junior and Reserve Junior Champion banners at World Dairy Expo. Most notably, Harbaugh has co-owned a Red & White Grand Champion and co-bred the Red & White Reserve Grand Champion at World Dairy Expo. He has a lengthy judging background, judging on the colored shavings at World Dairy Expo eight times, was the associate judge of the All-American Jersey Show at Louisville, and judged 10 National Holstein shows. Harbaugh is also a past president of the Wisconsin Holstein Association and was the inaugural recipient of the Horizon Award from the Wisconsin Holstein Association.
Jason Danhof, Waukon, Iowa, associate judge
Jason Danhof lives in Waukon, Iowa, with his wife Sheri and children Zachary and Lexie, and is a self-employed dairy cattle merchandiser. For more than 25 years, he has traveled to over 15 countries, assisting some of the best breeders and exhibitors of dairy cattle around the world to add value to their genetics through his large embryo export market. Currently, he owns several hundred head of primarily Holstein cattle, focusing on show-type pedigrees and high genomic value individuals. Danhof has had great success in the showring, including class winners in three different breeds at World Dairy Expo and champion animals at the Wisconsin and Iowa State Holstein Shows. Danhof has been recognized for his hard work, receiving the A. C. “Whitie” Thomson Award in 2013 at World Dairy Expo. Danhof has judged various shows around the United States and served as the associate judge for the International Guernsey Show at World Dairy Expo and the National Guernsey Show at the North American International Livestock Exposition.
International Jersey Show
Mike Duckett, Rudolph, Wis., official judge
Mike Duckett, along with his wife Julie and two children Logan and Chloe, reside in Rudolph, Wisconsin, where they own and operate Duckett Holsteins. The Ducketts have seen great success in the Showring, exhibiting 3 Supreme Champions at World Dairy Expo, with Oakfield Solom Footloose-ET being the most recent cow added to this list last year. They have developed many high scoring cows and have earned more than 90 All-American awards through the years. Outside of the farm, the Ducketts own two agricultural businesses, Genetic Futures and Showbox Sires. Genetic Futures specializes in donor reproduction, IVF embryo transfer and recipient services, and Showbox Sires is a sire development program owned with Tim and Sharyn Abbott. Duckett has had the opportunity to judge shows across the country and Canada, including the New York Spring Holstein Show, Northeast Fall Holstein Show, Quebec Spring Show, Wisconsin Red & White and Jersey Spring Shows, Eastern National Red & White Show and the California Holstein and Jersey Spring Shows.
Kevin McGriskin, Melancthon, Ontario, Canada, associate judge
Kevin McGriskin, along with his wife Becky and their children, Avery, Wade and Mallory, own and operate Kentville Holsteins & Jerseys, a Master Breeder herd, in Melancthon, Ontario, Canada. They currently milk 40 Holsteins and Jerseys and have bred numerous All-American and All-Canadian nominees in both the Holstein and Jersey rings. Kevin has judged multiple shows throughout North America, including numerous county shows in Ontario, the Atlantic Dairy Showcase, Calgary Spring Show, Ontario Summer & Spring Shows, the Western Canadian Classic and the South Western Championship Jersey Show. Throughout his career, Kevin has had the opportunity to travel the world fitting cattle and is proud to have prepared the Supreme Champions at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, World Dairy Expo and International Dairy Week in Australia.
International Milking Shorthorn Show
Brandon Ferry, Hilbert, Wis., official judge
Brandon Ferry resides in Hilbert, Wisconsin with his wife, Shianne, and four children, Bryleigh, Ryker, Corbin and Ledger. There, they own and operate Fer-Crest Farms and currently milk 90 registered Holsteins and Jerseys. Ferry and his family enjoy exhibiting cattle at various shows throughout the year and have achieved several All American and Junior All American nominations in multiple breeds. Along with exhibiting their own cattle, Ferry manages large tie-in groups for several breeders and exhibitors at various shows throughout the country. Over the past few years, Ferry has had the privilege to judge shows throughout the United States and South America. Among these, he was honored to serve as the associate judge at the National Jersey Jug in Louisville, Kentucky, associate judge and lead judge of the International Junior Holstein Show at World Dairy Expo, as well as the National Jersey Show in Bogota, Columbia. Most recently, he served as the official judge for the Junior All American Jersey show in Louisville, Kentucky.
Mike Gregory, Hebron, Ill., associate judge
Hailing from Hebron, Illinois, Mike Gregory is extremely involved in the Milking Shorthorn breed. As a member of the American Milking Shorthorn Society, Gregory has served several years on the National Sale Committee. Gregory owns and manages a small show herd of Milking Shorthorns and Jerseys, focusing on showing and marketing high-type and high-style cattle. Gregory has seen lots of success in the Showring, showing multiple class winners at World Dairy Expo, the Junior and Reserve Junior Champion at the International Milking Shorthorn show at World Dairy Expo, the Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn at the North American International Livestock Exposition, and has earned 22 All-American Nominations over the past two years.
International Red & White Show
Phillip Topp, Botkins, Ohio, official judge
Phillip Topp of Botkins, Ohio owns a small herd of 40 registered cows consisting of a variety of breeds along with a fabricating maintenance business, specializing in stainless steel tig welding. Active in showrings across the country, Topp has exhibited many champions at the Ohio State Fair, North American International Livestock Exposition and World Dairy Expo, including the 1999 Grand Champion of the International Brown Swiss Show. In 2016, he was awarded the Ohio Young Breeder Award. He served as the official judge of the 2022 International Guernsey Show and the 2019 International Ayrshire Show and associate judge for the 2021 International Brown Swiss Show and the 2016 International Jersey Show at World Dairy Expo. He has also judged in 25 different U.S. states and internationally at the Peru International Brown Swiss Show. Topp and his wife, Carrie, have three children, Aubree, Aiden, and Alaina.
Tanner Schmaling, Elkhorn, Wis., associate judge
Tanner Schmaling is the owner/operator of Maple-Leigh Futures located in Delavan, Wisconsin. After graduating from UW-River Falls, Schmaling spent five years traveling North America as a professional cattle fitter before coming home to Schmaling Farm Inc., his family’s 120 cow registered Holstein and crop farm. In September of 2017, he, along with wife Madeline and parents John and Jill, expanded the operation and started Maple-Leigh Futures. The facility houses 100 cattle and is known for its premier individualized care for both high-genomic and high-type cattle; offering an array of services from IVF, conventional flushing, and advanced donor management. Schmaling, along with his team specialize in show cattle housing and have cared for and exhibited a number of Grand Champions, in addition to garnering over 50 All-American, Jr. All-American, and All-Canadian nominations over their first five years of business.
International Junior Holstein Show
Callum McKinven, Canton de Hatley, Quebec, Canada, official judge
Callum McKinven co-owns and operates Lookout Holsteins and Jerseys with his wife, Katherine, and three daughters, Tara, Brooke and Alana, in Canton de Hatley, Québec, Canada. The 35-cow milking herd at Lookout consists of a combination of Holsteins, Jerseys and Brown Swiss who have garnered numerous All-American and All-Canadian Awards. As a prominent dairyman and showman, McKinven has been recognized with both the A.C. “Whitie” Thomson Memorial Award at World Dairy Expo and the Curtis Clark Award at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. This year is McKinven’s fourteenth appearance as an Expo judge since beginning his judging career 35 years ago. During these three decades, he has judged in 31 countries around the world including at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic, the Hokkaido National Show, the South African National Show and two World Holstein Conference shows.
Matt Mitchell, Speedwell, Tenn., associate judge
Matt Mitchell is from Speedwell, Tennessee, where he and his wife Sandra, along with their five children Ben, Beau, Addy, Eli and Luke operate Rocky-Top Holsteins in partnership with his parents, Jeff and Rissa. The herd consists of 10 cows and many heifers they show and market genetics from, and they have exhibited several All-Americans and Junior All-Americans throughout the last 20 years. Mitchell has been an independent dairy consultant with Barton Keifer Dairy Consulting for the last 10 years. Prior to working as a consultant, Mitchell spent several years fitting at shows across North America. Mitchell has judged numerous shows, such as the Grand National Junior Show and the Mid-East Fall National Holstein Show in Louisville, the Northeast Spring National Holstein Junior Show in Hamburg, New York, as well as several state fairs and regional shows across the country.
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