At the 2025 Rock Island County Fair, it wasn’t just about ribbons and rankings—it was about lessons in leadership, responsibility, and the future of agriculture. That’s the message Judge Jeff Holtz of Maquoketa, Iowa, brought to the ring as he evaluated junior exhibitors in an open dairy showmanship contest.
Holtz, who has spent decades judging livestock and showing dairy cattle himself, knows what it takes to succeed in the ring. “You want an individual who keeps one eye on the judge, one eye on their animal, and shows courtesy to the people around them,” he said. “It’s all about how they handle and set up their animals under pressure.”
Among the competitors were some familiar faces from the Fair Queen pageant, who may not have walked away with the top showmanship title but certainly left an impression. “If there was an award for best smile, one of our princesses would’ve had that locked down,” Holtz joked.
Despite a national decline in dairy herd numbers, Holtz said he’s encouraged by the enthusiasm he’s seeing from today’s youth. “The dairy industry is demanding—it’s seven days a week, 365 days a year,” he said. “But these kids stepping into the ring today? They’re the ones who are going to carry this industry forward.”
As Holtz heads toward his 49th consecutive Iowa State Fair and marks 50 years of showing dairy cattle, he’s not slowing down. “I’ve seen a lot of changes in this industry,” he said. “But what hasn’t changed is the importance of parents supporting their kids and giving them these kinds of opportunities. That’s what it’s all about.”