Even though it was the smallest cow class of the day, Judge Hank Van Exel and Associate Judge Tom McCauley spent more time deliberating the top end of the extremely competitive Jersey 5-year-old class than any other. Moving back and forth looking at entries 717 and 719 and taking a hard look at 728. At the first pull, Van Exel choose 719, Frederick 2783 Adventure to lead out the class. Once in lineup, the judging duo moved back and forth and then eventually selected Ratliff Price Alicia to win the class with entry 728, KCJF Sambo Molly coming in a close third.

"Another tremendous class," noted judge Van Exel as he began his reasons. "The cow I am starting with overpowers the rest of the class," said judge Van Exel. "She has a wider rear udder and more width throughout," he said of Alicia, the cow shown by Christy Ratliff of Garnett, Kansas, that went on to beat the Grand Champion from World Dairy Expo.

Despite the outstanding class winners throughout the day, it certainly appeared as if Judge Van Exel had selected his Grand and Reserve Grand Champion. And when it came time to select the Senior Champion about an hour later that is exactly what Judge Van Exel did with Ratliff Price Alicia taking Grand and Frederick 2783 Adventure taking Reserve honors. The winning aged cow Extreme Electra who had calved six times was named Honorable Mention.

Many Jersey enthusiasts may know that Alicia was Grand Champion at the North American International Livestock Exposition in 2008 and 2009. Earlier this year, she stood seventh in a very competitive five-year-old class at World Dairy Expo as she was only four weeks fresh at the late September show.


Grand Champion, Reserve Champion and HM Champion

Earlier in the day, Judge Van Exel selected the pair of winning junior 3-year-olds, Claessic Fields Vindicat Genie, owned by Ben Sauder of Tremont, Ill., and the near perfect uddered Norse Star Tequilla Katie owned by Norse Star Jerseys, Westby, Wis., as the Intermediate and Reserve Intermediate Champion. Honorable Mention went to another Sauder cow, South Mountain Voltage Spice-ET, the winning junior 2-year-old.