Heart of America Expo: The Southwestern National Brown Swiss Show

Our school was out last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for Fall Break.

I packed up with some other exhibitors from my dairy team and went to Stillwater for the Southwestern National Brown Swiss Show also known as the Heart of America Expo.  It is one of six national level Brown Swiss shows in the United States.  It was my very first national level show.

One night during the banquet, they did a roll call of the states.  When they called your state, you stood up and everyone clapped and sometimes cheered.  There were people from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.

My breeder hired a fitter for me.  His name is Allyn Paulson, and he came from Wisconsin.

Wednesday we met about 10:15 to load up our five animals and go to Stillwater.  We got there; unloaded animals into the wash rack; unloaded supplies, straw, and hay; broke apart straw bales and fluffed them out to make beds for nine heifers; set up automatic waterers and hoses; washed animals; fed; set up our "camp"; and finally, we ate something, I think.

Thursday we got up and cleaned manure out the straw beds.  We also spot washed and clipped animals.  Mom and I are getting faster and more accurate.  That night there was a fun auction.

Friday we kept things clean.  Friday night there was a nice banquet.  They gave out lots of awards.  Our group received FIRST PLACE in the Herdsmanship!  We won an awesome red embroidered chair.

Saturday morning Showmanship started at 8:30.  There were 11 in Pee Wee.  In my Junior category there were 23.  In the Intermediates there were 12.  In the Seniors there were 13.  I received FIRST PLACE in my Junior Showmanship category!!!  I competed against about twice as many people in my class as in the other classes, and it was a NATIONAL SHOW!!!  OH MY GOODNESS!!!  That is so amazing!!!  It is STILL exciting!!!

 (That's me over here on the right end.)

They gave me an embroidered blanket and a pewter belt buckle.  I've never won a belt buckle before!









Or a blanket either!  It is SO soft.

Juicy is a Class 5 Spring Yearling Heifer.  There were 13 in her class.  We got 9th in Open.  Then they had the Juniors pull forward, and we received 6th.  My friend Kasey and her heifer Jeanie got 6th and 4th in the same class as me.  Juicy and Jeanie's dams are siblings.  We did pretty well considering we were mostly up against professional dairy families.