Whether the California State Holstein Show and the Western Spring National Jersey Show are held in Turlock or Tulare, who rotate to host the event every two years, large crowds are always a certainty. This year’s show at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds this past weekend was no different, with hundreds filling the barns for all three days.
A state show in an agricultural powerhouse like the Central Valley brought out folks from all over North America, including Oregon, New York and even Canada.
“People always come to the shows, but it’s a really solid turnout this year,” observed Mitchell Coleman of Hilmar, a regular at state and national Holstein shows.
One of the people roaming the fairgrounds was 17-year-old Isaac Fultz of North Collins, New York – a 35-minute drive from Buffalo. Since he was just three years old, he has been raising and showing cattle alongside his family. He has been travelling the country attending shows for the past five years, mostly on his own.
“I just fell in love with the dairy industry and wanted to grow with it, so I thought to make it into a business,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to travel, meet new people, learn new things about the industry and just be a part of these shows.”
It was Fultz’s first time in Turlock, spending most of his days at the fairgrounds caring for cows and helping participants prepare their animals for showtime.
Also prepping the cattle for competitions was George Mason of Ontario, Canada, who similarly travels across the continent for shows.
While there were people from far and wide, it was the locals who walked away at the end of the weekend as the biggest winners, with most winners being from Hilmar and Turlock. Friday’s Western Spring National Jersey Show was judged by Lynn Lee, while the State Holstein Show was judged by Tyler Reynolds of Reyncrest Farm in New York.
Out of the dozens of winners, perhaps the biggest winner of the weekend was Frank and Diane Borba of Modesto and Frank and Carol Borba of Escalon, better known as Borba & Borba. Their Cleland RB Admiringly-Red-ET was named Grand Champion of both the California State Holstein and California State Red & White shows.
A full list of winners from each category over the course of the three day event can be found at the Cowsmopolitan website at www.cowsmo.com/events/california-state-holstein-show-2023. A full photo gallery from each competition can also be found on the webpage.
