Three of the four youth representing North Carolina at the National Dairy Competition in Louisville, Kentucky are from Haywood County. The three Haywood County 4-Her’s awarded a seat at the national competition include: Jessica Kinghorn, Michala Muse, and Noah Henson. The North Carolina Team placed third in the Ayrshire breed, fourth in the Brown Swiss breed, thirteenth in the Guernsey breed, fifteenth in the Holstein breed, and seventeenth in the Jersey breed. In the reasons placing, the North Carolina 4-H Team placed fourteenth and overall the team placed 11th in the nation. Noah Henson received the seventh highest overall score in the nation.
The 2009 North Carolina State Dairy Competition determined the top 30 youth eligible in North Carolina to compete for four spots to advance to the National Dairy judging Competition. The North Carolina Dairy Judging Competition includes a series of six competitions throughout the spring and summer. From these six competitions four spots are awarded to youth from across the state to advance to the national competition.
“I think they learned a great deal about the scope of competition and themselves, made a lot of new friends, and gained an awareness of dairy agribusiness,” said assistant coach Tony McGaha. Haywood County competitors were also trained by Iredell Extension Director, Ken Vaughn, and WNC All Stars 4-H Club leader Stephanie Parkins. To make the trip possible, the team was sponsored by the North Carolina Dairy Youth Foundation, Haywood County Farm Bureau, and Haywood County Sheriff, Bob Suttles.
