State Fair

Market Beef and Breeding Heifers:

• Brandon Callis, Minco, Oklahoma.

Showmanship:

• Claire Hoblyn, York, Nebraska.
  • Claire Hoblyn resides in York, Nebraska, with her husband, Jesse. Outside of her professional career, Claire and Jesse also run a 50-head show cattle operation, where they enjoy raising and exhibiting cattle while staying connected to the livestock industry. Claire has had the privilege of judging numerous national, state, and local showmanship contests. She is passionate about helping young exhibitors develop the skills, work ethic, responsibility, and sportsmanship that come from showing livestock.
• Adrianne Trennepohlm, Middleton, Indiana.
  • Adrianne lives in Middletown, Indiana, where she grew up on her family’s operation that focused on raising elite Simmental and SimAngus cattle. She is heavily involved in marketing her family’s business to customers. She attended Purdue University, where she dual-majored in sales and marketing and animal science. Currently, Adrianne works for ABS Global as the Global Content Specialist where she creates marketing tools for the beef, dairy, and beef-on-dairy teams across the globe. She has had the privilege of judging local, state, and national showmanship contests since her time as an exhibitor. Adrianne is excited to judge alongside her sister, Claire, at the South Dakota State Fair.

Breeding and Market Swine:

• Jim McCoy, Bloomingburg, Ohio.

Showmanship:

• Martha Moenning, Lincoln, Nebraska.
  • Martha Moenning grew up on her family’s diversified crop and livestock operation in southeastern Minnesota. She exhibited livestock through 4-H, FFA, and the American Junior Simmental Association (AJSA). Moenning was a contributing member to highly successful livestock judging teams at Butler Community College and South Dakota State University. She has devoted her career to livestock programs and youth development, which can be seen through her current role as the Member and Junior Activities Coordinator for the American Gelbvieh Association. She is excited to work with South Dakota's talented young people.

Market Wethers, Wether Dams, Showmanship:

• Jara Settles, Leavenworth, Kansas.
  • Jara Settles grew up on a purebred cattle operation in Hoskins, Nebraska. She judged at Butler Community College and Kansas State University on highly successful teams and graduated with an animal science degree. She then attended Washburn University School of Law. Currently, she lives in Leavenworth, Kansas, and serves the Livestock Marketing Association as General Counsel and Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs. She and her husband, Barrett Carlisle, own and operate Diamond C Livestock, a club lamb operation.

Breeding Sheep, Crossbred/Commercial Ewes and Showmanship:

• Justin Benz, Wamego, Kansas.
  • Justin Benz lives in Wamego, Kansas. He works for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Meat and Poultry Inspection Program where he serves as the Northeast Region Supervisor. Additionally, Justin is a partner in his family’s Rambouillet operation.
• Dave Pearson, Hettinger, North Dakota.
  • Dave Pearson has been the shepherd at North Dakota State University Research and Extension Center in Hettinger, North Dakota, for 45 years. He and his family raise registered Suffolk and Rambouillet sheep. They enjoy exhibiting at state fairs and national shows.

Market Wethers and Wether Dam Showmanship: 

• Brooke Hendrickx, Bridgewater, South Dakota.
  • Brooke Hendrickx grew up on a diversified livestock operation in Northern Minnesota, where they raised sheep, hogs, and small grains. She grew up showing wool breed sheep and duroc hogs. She continued her education at South Dakota State University, where she studied agricultural leadership. Brooke currently resides outside of Bridgewater, South Dakota, and works for First Dakota National Bank. Her spare time is spent volunteering with many livestock shows across the upper Midwest, including the Summit Livestock Show, South Dakota Summer Spotlight, and the Aksarben Stock Show. Brooke has judged many county fairs and jackpots in the tristate region, including the South Dakota Summer Spotlight and the South Dakota State Fair. She is excited to be back working with the incredible youth of South Dakota.

Breeding Sheep and Crossbred/Commercial Ewes Showmanship: 

• Ron Wolff, Oakes, North Dakota.
  • Ron Wolff, from Oakes, North Dakota, has been involved with the sheep industry for over 50 years. He and his family have raised registered Suffolk sheep most of his life. They started out as a 4-H project and now are a passionate hobby. Ron has exhibited and shown sheep his whole life locally, regionally and on the national level. Also getting to judge and coach judging throughout his life, Ron enjoys mentoring and encouraging young adults in the sheep business.

Registered Breeding Does and Showmanship:

• Clint Demmitt, Bridgeport, Texas.

Commercial, Wether Dams, Market Wethers and Showmanship:

• Spencer Scotten, El Reno, Oklahoma.
  • Spencer Scotten grew up in Nevada, Missouri, on his family’s cow/calf operation where they raised show cattle. He judged collegiately and is currently the livestock judging team coach at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Oklahoma. He continues to raise show cattle and goats with his wife and family.

• Alan Graves, Sanborn, Iowa.
  • Alan Graves is from Sanborn, Iowa. He grew up on a 50-cow registered Holstein and Jersey farm and was very active in 4-H and FFA. After high school, Alan attended Iowa State University and received his bachelor's degree in dairy science. Alan has served as the associate judge for the National Brown Swiss heifer show and judged many shows over the years, including county fairs, regional shows, the Iowa State Fair Brown Swiss and Milking Shorthorn open shows, Iowa State Fair Junior Jersey and Guernsey shows, Minnesota State Fair Brown Swiss open show and the South Dakota State Fair open show twice.

Show and Showmanship:

• Jan Zuidema, Blomkest, Minnesota.
  • Jan Zuidema is from Blomkest, Minnesota. He and his wife grew up on dairy farms and milked their own registered Holstein herd until 2017. He now works for an animal vaccine company, Vaxxinova U.S. He got started in dairy goats for their children’s 4-H projects; they now have an America Dairy Goat Association registered Lamancha dairy goat herd that shows at sanctioned shows. Jan has been judging 4-H shows for the last 9 years and enjoys talking to youth and teaching them about dairy goats.

Show and Showmanship: 

• Stewart Howell, Newcastle, Nebraska; and Zachary Westhoff, LeMars, Iowa.

Beginner Showmanship: 

• Joei Gjernes, Brookings, South Dakota.
  • Joie Gjernes grew up on a ranch near Cresbard, South Dakota, where he raised Salers cattle and crops. He was active in 4-H in the 1980s and ‘90s, where he was involved in almost all aspects that 4-H had to offer, especially showing cattle and judging livestock. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 2002 with a major in animal science and minors in mass communications and agricultural business. Joie currently lives in Brookings with his wife, Brooke, and their two children. Poultry became their passion when their children started 4-H, and they strove to learn everything they could about poultry showing and showmanship styles. He has been active in helping run the South Dakota State Fair 4-H Poultry Show and recently became a member of the advisory committee. Joie finds it very rewarding to answer questions that new members may have when starting in the poultry project. Besides poultry, Joie is also a rifle and archery coach for the Brookings County Shooting Sports program.

Show and Showmanship:

• Haley Maday, Welcome, Minnesota.
  • Haley Maday is originally from Welcome, Minnesota, and recently made the move to Brookings, South Dakota, where she serves as the Academic Advisor for the School of Education at South Dakota State University. She has been raising rabbits since she was 9 years old and currently exhibit Satins, Mini Satins, and Lilacs at shows across the country. She recently earned Best of Breed and Best in Show at the National All Satin Show. Haley is also grateful to have begun her journey as an American Rabbit Breeders Association judge in November, with national and convention judging assignments already on her schedule. She is looking forward to judging some quality rabbits, meeting exhibitors, and having a blast with all the 4-H youth.
• Blaine Maier, Russell, Kansas.
  • Blaine Maier has been a rabbit judge at the national level for nearly 20 years and has been honored to judge at the national convention for Cinnamons, Angoras, and Mini Lops twice. He has also been privileged to judge several spring breed nationals. At the age of 65, Blaine is doing what he loves to do – he’s in his 44th year of teaching, while also raising Angus cattle and judging rabbit shows around the country.

Beginner Showmanship: 

• Mike Grann, Wallace, South Dakota.

• 4-H Protest and Grievance Policy
• 4-H Coach and Chaperone Application
• South Dakota 4-H Missed Deadline Agreement

• Consumer Decision Making (CDM)
• Family Consumer Sciences Skill-A-Thon
• Fashion Revue
• Communications Project
• STEM Challenge
• Special Foods Contest
• Horticulture Skill-A-Thon

View 2025 Photos

View photos in the 2024 State Fair album.

View photos in the 2023 State Fair album.

View photos in the 2022 State Fair album.

View photos in the 2021 State Fair album.

View photos in the 2020 4-H State Fair album.

View photos in the 2019 4-H State Fair album.

View photos in the 2018 4-H State Fair album.