NEW ULM - Mary Rosenhammer of the Stark Happy Hustlers has been showing her dairy cow, Kerri, for a couple of years now. Kerri has been a good cow, an average cow, for the past couple of years, but as a four-year-old she is starting to come into her own.
Kerri's physical development and her increased willingness to cooperate in the show ring earned Rosenhammer the Champion Cow honors in the 4-H Dairy Competition Friday at the Brown County Fair.
Isaac Nelson was the reserve champion.
Article Photos
Staff photo by Kevin Sweeney
Mary Rosenhammer of Sleepy Eye, a member of the Stark Happy Hustlers, shows Kerri, her champion 4-year-old dairy cow, after winning the championship honors at the Brown County 4-H Dairy Show on Friday.
"(Kerri)'s got a really good udder, and good body balance. She really stepped it up this year," said Rosenhammer, 15, who will be a sophomore at St. Mary's High School in Sleepy Eye this year. "She's really growing into what she should be at this time in her life."
Kerri is one of the 150 cows milked on the farm owned by John and Mary Rosenhammer. There's plenty of work for the family to share. In addition to Mary, siblings Rebecca, Laura and John earned various honors in showmanship in the dairy competition.
Mary will be taking Kerri to the State Fair, where she hopes Kerri will be more cooperative than two years ago, when Kerri wouldn't move around in the show ring and made the judge rate her while she just stood there.
Mary also earned a Long Time Dairy Achievement Award from the 4-H, going over what she has accomplished in the past ten years. The main thing she has learned in that time?
"Responsibility. You can't lollygag around and let things go undone," she said.
4-H Dairy Results
Champion Cow, Mary Rosenhammer
Reserve Champion, Isaac Nelson
Best Uddered
Champion Mary Rosenhammer
Junior Show Person
Champion: Cyrstal Portner; Reserve: Jake Lang; Honorable Mention: Mya Johanson.
Intermediate Show Person
Champion: Rebecca Rosenhammer, Reserve: John Rosenhammer; Honorable Mention: Sabrina Portner
Senior Show Person
Champion: Boston Portner; Reserve: Laura Rosenhammer; Honorable Mention: Mary Rosenhammer.
Top Producer
Champion: Sabrina Portner: Reserve: Laura Rosenhammer
Long Time Dairy Achievement: Mary Rosenhammer.