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KATHLEEN DUNCAN

Sarah Belder standing with her cow, Phoebe, at her home in Whately. Belder won 10th place in the Youth Showmanship category in the World Dairy Expo in October.

WHATELY - On Oct. 1, while most of her peers were sitting in class back at home, 16-year-old Sarah Belder of Whately was making the rounds in the colossal show ring at the World Dairy Exposition in Madison, Wis. After traveling halfway across the country and competing in three grueling rounds in the Youth Showmanship category, Belder was named the 10th best youth dairy showman in the world.

Belder, a sophomore at Frontier Regional School, has had lots of time to practice for the showmanship contest: She has been showing cows for a decade. Her family's second-generation dairy farm on Chestnut Plain Road milks about 80 Brown Swiss and Holstein cows. Her parents, Brian and Christine Belder, own the farm with her uncle, Ronald Belder.

Sarah Belder said she was glad just to be able to show at the World Dairy Expo, where the top cows and exhibitors compete from Sept 29 through Oct. 3. Most of the young people who competed against Belder were from the United States, and most of the cows exhibited were from this country or Canada, although their owners are often from foreign countries, she said. Three other young people from Franklin county also competed in the event, including Ashley Sears of Deerfield.

Attended by people from 94 countries, the exposition included an enormous trade show, exhibits of the latest dairy industry innovations, cattle auctions and numerous programs for farmers, professionals and industry enthusiasts. Youth competitions included dairy judging, dairy quiz bowl, which tested competitors on their knowledge of all things bovine, and showmanship.

"I was so surprised that I placed 10th," Belder said this week. "While I was waiting to go in the show ring I was so nervous because I realized I was really going to be showing at World Dairy Expo, but once I started showing I began to relax."

Practice makes perfect

Belder attributed her win to experience. "It takes a lot of time and practice to realize how the mechanics of showmanship go, and this past year, I guess I figured it out," she said.

Showmanship contests are unique at livestock shows because the person showing the animal is judged instead of the animal's confirmation. Competitors are expected to control the cow, make her look as good as possible, follow directions in the ring and keep an attentive eye on both the judge and their cow.

This is no easy task, especially when the animal is not your own. At World Dairy Expo, since most youth do not have cows competing in the show, they borrow cows to show in the contest.

Belder attributed her success in the show ring to the confidence and poise she gained from hours of practice.

"Over the summer I figured out what I needed to do," Belder said. "I practiced a lot more, and listened to what the judges said to work on. It helped that I believed I could do it, instead of second-guessing myself." Belder added that she tried to smile while in the show ring, but she was far too nervous.

Belder apparently did not have too much trouble showing the 7-month-old Brown Swiss calf that she used in the class, as she made it through two qualifying rounds and into the top 10.

"I'm really excited to say I got 10th, but when I say that all I can think about is how nervous I was," Belder said. "The show ring is huge and there are tons of people watching."

¿I love the cows'

Before competing in Madison, Belder had only shown at fairs in western Massachusetts. After doing well at contests at local fairs this summer, Belder, a member of 4-H, made it to the finals of the showmanship contest for her age group at the 4-H Dairy Show at the Big E in West Springfield.

Not surprisingly, Belder said she enjoyed taking a week off from school to go to Madison. Besides attending the World Dairy Expo, she went to the National 4-H Dairy Conference as one of four Massachusetts delegates, which was held in conjunction with Expo from Sept. 27 through 30.

The 55th annual conference featured four days of farm tours, speakers and workshops where delegates learned about feeding, milk production, genetics, marketing and other aspects of the dairy industry.

"It was a great experience, I had so much fun and learned a lot of new information," Belder said of the trip. "We met people from all over the U.S. and Canada."

Belder said that it was a bit of a shock to be back with the nonfarmers at Frontier Regional School after being immersed in the dairy culture at the exposition. She is unique among her friends, as most do not have a farming background.

"Most of them have nothing to do with animals," Belder said of her friends. "It's funny when they come to see me show at the fairs. A cow will move or flick her tail when they try to pet her, and they will all run away."

Belder said that although she is unsure of where her future will take her, she knows that dairy farming will have a place there. "I've lived on the farm my whole life, and I love the cows," Belder said. "I couldn't imagine my life without them."

Rebecca Everett can be reached at reverett@gazettenet.com.