KAREN BUTLER Maryland Correspondent KNOXVILLE, Md. The Maryland 4-H dairy judging team will soon travel to The Royal Highland livestock show in Edin burgh to participate in a judging contest. ■ The four-member team has dominated in dairy judging at the national level, with a winning streak that culminated in their lay ing claim to the largest victory ever by a team at Madison. The competition in Scotland will give the youth an opportunity to compete with their peers at the international level. The group got together recently at Savage-Leigh Farm, Knoxville, for a practice session; their first since the big win at Madison. The award winning Savage-Leigh cows provided an excellent oppor tunity to get in some judging prac tice before heading overseas. The members of the team were selected at the state fair in Septem ber after a grueling competition where 30 classes of dairy cattle were judged in an intense day and a half of competition. These four young people came out on top. “After that workout, the rest is fun,’’ said Lee Majeskie, coach for the team. Traveling abroad for the com petition has a special meaning for 16-year-old Maik Schnebly. His father was a member of the win ning 4-H dairy judging team that went to Europe in 1967. Mark, the son of William and Susan Schnebly of Clearspring, has been in 4-H since he was eight years old and is a member of the Washington County dairy and calf club. He lives on Crown Stone Farms, where his father and uncle John Schnebly far in a partnership, milking 80 Guernseys. Mark tends the heifers, feeds calves, and helps with the milking. Howard County’s Chris Sey mour lives on a sheep farm and has been judging livestock for eight years. Last year the 17-year old was on the State livestock judging team before switching to dairy judging. Chris plays saxo phone in the jazz and symphonic bands at his school and has been in the Maryland Allstate Band. He also runs track, and his relay team will be competing at the nationals in North Carolina this month. He is a nine-year member of the West Friendship 4-H Club. His parents are Sam and Judy Seymour. He will be attending Duke University next year and plans to major in biochemistry. Sixteen-year-old Jessica Fritz of New Windsor started judging dairy cattle through 4-H when she Darren, Chris, Mark, and Jessica look over a class of senior 2-year-olds in the Sa vage-Lelgh barn during the practice judging session. Maryland’s Best To Shine In Europe was eight years old. She demon strated her skill at Madison last year by taking home the highest score ever in oral reasons; 243 points out of a possible 250. Jessi ca, the daughter of Daniel and Sharon Fritz, also finds time to represent Carroll County as the dairy princess and to volunteer in her church nursery. She lives on a dairy farm in New Windsor, where she feeds calves. The fami ly milks approximately 65 Hol steins. Darren Remsburg is a 10-'year member of the Middletown Valley dairy club. For nine of those 10 years he has been involved in judging. Darren himself owns ap proximately 10 animals. His grandmother, Helen Remsburg, raises heifers, and Darren helps out on her farm. He is also editor in-chief of his high school news paper. Darren, the 18-year-old son of Denny and Marsha Remsburg of Jefferson, will be attending Vir ginia Tech, this fall, where he plans to study dairy science. Dr. Lee Majeskie is the driving force behind the University of Maryland’s consistent success in dairy judging at the regional and national levels. In the 14 years he has been coaching at Maryland, the judging teams have come in first place at the national level four times, second place five times, third place three times, and fourth one time. Majeskie is an extension dairy specialist with the coopera tive extension service and also a professor at the University in Col lege Park. From 1970-1975 he was director of program develop ment with the Brown Swiss Asso ciation, a position which he says gave him excellent experience in working with a lot of different people. Jeff Sender, 4-H agent from Harford County, also coaches the team. Semler is very active in youth dairy projects. He is super intendent of the 4-H dairy show at the state fair and is in charge of the junior dairyman’s contest. He coached dairy judging as a grad student at the University of Con necticut. While he was with the West Virginia Extension Service in Berkeley County, he coached the first place dairy judging team at the county level. Majeskie and Semler stress that they are not training cattle judges; rather, they are training students to have the kind of discipline and that will make them better indivi duals. ' “Even if they hadn’t won the national contest, going to Wiscon sin was a very worthwhile experi ence,” said Majeskie. He says tra veling to Europe will expose the The team poses with C Mapledeul Aerostat Hazel at Savage-Lelgh Farm. From left are*Chlp Savage at Hazel’s halter, Dr. Lee Majeskle, Darren Remsburg, Mark Schneb ly, and Chris Seymour. In front row are Jessica Fritz and Jeff Semler, coach. it* * Jessica, Darren, Mark, and Chris listen as Dr. Majeskie and Jeff Semler, coaches for the dairy Judging team, talk about the high points of a 4-year-old cow from the Savage-Leigh herd. Chip Savage is at the halter. The cow, C Mapledeul Aerostar Ha zel, is classified Ex 90 and was fresh In September. youth group to a variety of new as responsibility, experiences that will enrich their But it is the team members’ ex lives, while at the same time rein- cellence in dairy judging that will forcing fundamental values such be their ticket to Europe. Majeskie said he stresses oral reasons in his coaching. In fact, the team was the -# .Hi \ . P \^J A JM f I V * 4M Maryland Correspondent Kar en Butler lives in Yellow Springs, Frederick County. She holds a degree in art history and history from Western Maryland College, Westminster. Her past experiences include research work at the Baltimore Museum of Art and a year as education specialist for the Maryland Mu seum of African Art in Colum bia, Md., Karen is a homemaker. She and her husband Bryan have some cows, too many chickens, and assorted other animals at home. They also grow produce and fruit Karen enjoys writing, gardening, and decorating cakes. V ,X* Karen and her husband have two sons Beau, age 4, and Tommy, age 3, and a daughter. . 1 highest placing team ever at Madi son in oral reasons. “Don’t use negative words in your reasons,” he told the group during their recent practice ses (Turn to Pago A 35) Erin Eleanore, who is 18 months old. They are looking forward to the arrival of baby number four late this summer. Karen Butler
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers