2025 Royal Highland Show Tour

2024 Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Management

Ford Domeyer
Tyler Hoeger
Caden Kremer
Bianka Ronnebaum

The 2024 Dairy Cattle Evaluation and management team will be traveling to Europe summer of 2025. Watch for their adventures this upcoming summer.

Photo Drive

Day 1 - Wednesday, June 18th - Flying out of Chicago into Edinburgh, Scotland Airport

We started our morning with a drive to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Traffic was decent, except for the rain, which made visibility less than ideal. Navigated parking a car there, which was a first for everyone in our group, and boy, did we learn a lot! Our gate changed several times from when we left Delaware County to when we got to the airport due to delayed landings earlier in the day. Our flight took off about 20 minutes late because of an extreme line-up of planes awaiting takeoff. We were able to track our progress across the ocean using the screens on the backs of the seats in front of us. The students were really curious early in the flight about where we were flying over when the scenery changed.

Day 2 - Thursday, June 19th - Edinburgh - Stirling

Our flight landed at about 8:30 AM in Edinburgh. This was 2:30 AM at home. Upon landing we were able to check out the Edinburgh Airport while waiting for other Dairy Evaluation teams to arrive! Ford and Ty spoke to some UK police officers and asked for a photo with them. The officers told us that Americans are the only people that come through the airport that say "hi" to them and are always so nice! We then headed to the National Museum of Rural Life and got to see how agriculture has changed in Scotland over the years (and saw some cute Highland calves).

After the museum, we headed off to Falkirk to visit the Falkirk Wheel and learned about the engineering behind this channel system (and had really good ice cream).

After Falkirk, we visited the Kelpies, where we learned the statues are actually named Duke and Baron. Ford affectionately calls them "Duke" and "Not Duke." From the Kelpies, we made our way to the Stirling Hotel, where we will be staying for the next few nights! Up next--> Royal Highland Show!

Day 3 - Friday, June 20th - Stirling - Edinburgh - Royal Highland Show

After some much-needed rest, we took on The Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh! A few highlights for each member were seeing the different breeds of livestock and the varied conformation of the breeds here. We got to spend the whole day at the fair! It was 82 degrees and 100% sun the whole day, which is record heat for Scotland! There are very few buildings with air conditioning, though we are not jealous of the heat home is experiencing today! Our group tried various foods ranging from smash burgers, churros, gelato, and many samples from the Aldi booth.

At the end of the day, we met with representatives from the Young Farmers group in Scotland. They gave us a quick breakdown of judging in Scotland and what to look for. They also explained that instead of using "1-2-3-4" for classes, they use "A-B-X-Y." We are told that no one knows why this is the way, but it just is.

Sometimes, it's the little things in life that are memorable. Our group was loving the "joystick" in the porta-potties. It's used to wash down the toilet paper.

Tonight we are off to bed for a quick sleep before getting up early to head back to the fairgrounds to judge!

Day 4 - Saturday, June 21st - Royal Highland Show - Judging Day!

Today, we started our morning early and headed to the fairgrounds to compete in the judging contest. We will tentatively find out the results Monday night at our reception with the Young Farmers of Scotland. The kids were grateful for the white lab coats they had to wear as Bianka saw her breath this morning. Today was the first day we saw lots of weather in one day: cold, rain and sunshine.

Parade of Champions

During this display, the exhibitors parade their livestock through the main show ring to be viewed by the general public.

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Ford and Caden serenaded the bus the whole way back from Edinburgh to Stirling tonight! Our bus consists of FFA and 4-H members from Minnesota, Texas & Illinois. After selecting the correct songs, they were able to get others to join in with them!

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Before we left the Royal Highland we were able to catch a few runs at the show jumping contest. The MC was phenominal at getting the crowd up and involved during the breaks!

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Day 5 June 22nd - Stirling - St. Andrews - and Back!

Today we loaded the bus early and headed East to St. Andrews! The bus ride was about an hour and a half from our hotel, and about 50 miles. We quickly learned that there is not a single straight road in Scotland, and the bus is very efficient at rocking us all to sleep!

While in St. Andrews, we walked the beach, the same beach that Chariots of Fire was filmed!

We were also able to check out the 18th hole of the Old Course with the famous Swilcan Bridge.

We then set foot to explore the town! Alas, as hard as Bianka and Ty looked, they did not find a single cow to be judged in St. Andrews!

We did in fact find ice cream, again, for the 4th day in a row! We figured since we are on "holiday" we should treat ourselves!

We visited the famous & prestigious St. Andrews University! This is where Prince William met Princess Katherine.

The kids were feeling extra photogenic today. Please enjoy this sampling and sneak peak senior photos

The kids wanted to showcase their talents of heel clicking and handstands while on the beach. As we were taking these photos, a group of local ladies were conversing with the kids and just baffled we traveled this far to judge cows. She claimed we were "loaded".

In the evening, we took a stroll to the Sterling Castle, and to take in the views of the city! We are very appreciative for the businesses and non-profits, like Wyatt's Warriors, that helped aid the kids trips.

Day 6 June 23rd - Stirling - Edinburg City Tour

Today, we ventured back into Edinburgh for our guided tour. We met up with our guide at Waterloo Place and climbed a massive hill to catch some views! Ty got to battle it out with our guide while she was explaining the reason why they drive on the left side of the road in the UK. Fun Fact: It dates back to medieval times when soldiers were typically right-handed and needed that side nearest their enemy.

We were then given the afternoon to explore the city! We walked the Royal Mile and toured the National Museum of Scotland. While here we were able to view Dolly the Sheep! She was the first cloned animal from a somatic cell.

Caden is not a fan of all of the food, but our tour guide mentioned McDonald's three times (we were certain he would wake up), but it did not startle him!

Tomorrow we leave our hotel in Stirling and have a full day of visiting Glasgow and two farm tours!

Day 7 June 24th - Stirling - Glasgow - Ayrshire

Today we checked out of our beloved Stirling Highland Hotel and hit the road for Glasgow. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and is known for shopping and fashion. The bus stopped in Glasgow and we were able to check out the town for a couple of hours! We found the horse statue in front of an art museum. Someone asked the coach driver about the cones, he informed us that in Glasgow, they believe that every smart man wears a hat. The cones are a symbol of the city's sense of humor. He informed us that if someone took the cones off they would be back up there just as fast!

From Glasgow, we headed to Ayrshire to see the countryside! First, we visited Patterton Holstein in Browhnill. This farm is owned by Alexander Park. Alex milks 280 cows and owns 900, has 420 acres of grassland. His family moved their entire operation nearly 20 years ago. He informed us that it roughly costs 10,000 (pounds) for an acre of land. He has 5 employees and milks twice per day. He also informed us that they have to report all new calves within 28 days of them being born to the government.

From there, we headed to Ve-Tech, which was a robot farm. The farm has four Lely robots for 200 Holstein cows. Gary talked about their feed and housing, specifically that they barely use their fans as Scotland provides enough wind to keep the cows cool.

Day 8 June 25th - Ayr - Cairnryan - Portlaoise, Rep. of Ireland

We started the morning with a visit to the Lawrie family! They farm 600 acres where they farm grass, wheat, and a bit of corn for silage. They milk 400 cows, which they will be transitioning to robots at the end of October. Robots cost roughly 500,000 (pounds) for a single robot. We found this farm at the Royal Highland Farm. Local connection- they are breeding to KCCK Amaretto Red!

We hopped on the Stenaline "Ferry" to cross over to Northern Ireland! The kids (and adults) were mesmerized as the sheer size of her! Nothing like the Cassville ferry that we are all accustomed to! We had fun checking out the skydeck, watching movies and playing in the wind!

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Day 9 June 26th - Portlaoise - Cork

We started the morning with our first Irish farm visit! This farm has four different farm locations, each with its own dairy operation. The farm stated that the quality of his infrastructure is not first priority; their priority is gaining land assets to pass onto the next generation. He also gave the students a life lesson after a recent tragedy in their community about slowing down and enjoying life.

His weekend help is all part-timers, as he gives his full-time employees the weekend off as Sunday in Ireland is a day of sports and family. During calving season (12 weeks beginning in February) they calve in 1600 calves, but do not check calves at night! They mentioned that them being tired at night caused more issues during the day than any losses that could occur by not checking overnight.

After that, we made our way to the Kilkenny Mart. They hold livestock auctions 3 times a week. We were able to hear from the owner himself on the history of the facility and were able to walk the cat walk over all of the livestock. Then we explored the town and even visited a castle!

From there, we headed to Cork- our new home until Sunday night!

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Day 10 June 27th - Cork - Ring of Kerry

Today, we completed the Ring of Kerry, which is similar to a State or National park in the US. It was a long day of riding the bus and watching the rain run down the windows. We made one stop at "Ladies View", this is known as the place where Queen Victoria's ladies in waiting stopped to check out the view and fell in love with it.

We stopped for lunch in Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a tourist destination in Ireland. This was observed by a souvenir shop being located on every corner! Ty did learn that the Irish are a wee bit shorter than he is as he had to duck to get through a couple of the doorways!

Day 11 June 28th - Cork - Charleville Agricultural Show

Today, we headed to Charleville to take part in their agricultural exhibition. The kids were able to judge four classes while they were also being judged as a part of the show. We had to place the top 6, regardless of how many were in the class itself.

The kids tied for 2nd place. There was a 6-point spread between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams! Ironically, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams were all from the Midwest! (Wisconsin - 1st, Iowa- 2nd, Minnesota - 3rd)

Day 12 June 29th - Cork - Limerick

June 29th was our last day in Ireland. We visited the O'Leary farm where he talked about his 250-cow dairy herd that is split amongst 2 farms. Tim, the owner, showed us his new calving barn that incorporates robotic milk replacer mixing and feeding to help lower his labor costs. He was very knowledgeable about the history of his farm, dating back to his great-grandparents time. Tim O'Leary was very educated in breeding and European Union policies pertaining to identifying cattle for the government

It was also the last day with our Midwest family (Wisconsin, Iowa & Minnesota). The kids wanted to take one last photo together! They truly made some great connections and friendships with these kids throughout the last 10 days. It's been so fun to watch and we hope they can stay in touch!

We made a stop at the Blarney Castle to view (and kiss) the Blarney Stone. It is said that the Blarney Stone gives the "gift of eloquence" or the "gift of the gab" to those who kiss the stone. It was quite a windy way up the narrow stairs to the top!

We ended the night with the entire US tour group (dairy and livestock) at Durty Nellies for dinner and live music. The manager was super fun and encouraged the kids to get up and moving with one another. Someone from the group informed her that Ford likes to sing, so the whole restaurant was able to join in with him and the live music performers! It was a great way to wrap up our trip before some departed for home and the rest head for London.

At the Charleville judging contest, the adults took part in their own contest for fun. On our final night, our tour guides presented awards to the top 3 teams. Although we didn't make the top 3, we came in 4th place. We were presented with an L paper. In Europe, the L is a learner's permit. The Iowa gal's got a good laugh and were proud to represent the learner's paper!

Day 13 June 30th - Shannon, Ireland - USA

Today, we started our morning extra early with a coach ride to the Shannon Airport.

Caden, Ford, and Bianka (and moms) headed home to the great USA while Miss Lau, Kristi, Ty & Jill headed to London for a 1-day excursion tomorrow seeing the great sights! They will depart for back home on July 2nd.

Scottish/Irish Dictionary

Hen Party- Bachelorrette Party

Wee - Little, potty, peeing

Litter - garbage

Rubbish- Garbage

Toilet- Bathroom/Restroom sign

Que - Line

Holiday - Vacation

Take Away- Takeout

Give way - Yield

Apoligise- Same meaning, odd spelling

Cheers! - Thank you, hello, space filler