05/22/2026
During spring and throughout the fall I frequently post about the cows being away at a show for the week or making a trip out to destinations like Kentucky or Wisconsin for a show. I have had a few people ask why we show our cows and what a dairy show looks like?
We show our cows for a couple different reasons. One, we want to see how they stack up against other Jerseys of the same age in their classes and look at their physical conformation, like their legs, head, or udder. If a cow does really well at a show, it would make either her or her descendants more desirable if they were ever sold. Another reasons we show cattle is to promote agriculture to people like at a local fair. Many people have questions about agriculture and the dairy industry, like where there milk comes from or the different breeds of cows. When the cows are out in the public and we are taking care of them, it gives people an opportunity to meet them and ask questions.
Lastly we just love the community of people we have met and the friends we have made through showing dairy cattle. Most of the people attend the same shows year after year and have watched me grow up. Some of our best family friends were made at shows and it's like a big family reunion when we are together.
Dairy cattle shows can either be open to the public (like at fairs) or more just focused on the exhibitors. While shows happen year round most are concentrated in the late summer through late fall, with a couple early in the spring to kickstart the year. The preparation for dairy shows can best be described as packing and moving your entire house to a new location for a week and then packing it back up again, just instead of a house its a barn and a whole bunch of cows. It involves long days, very dusty environments that usually result in an illness when you get back home, and lots of crockpot meals but we love it. Every year I look forward to getting the cows out and seeing our friends we haven't seen in awhile and the cows love being pampered like princesses!
