my job

By Laura French • jobslink@startribune.com

At the Minnesota State Fair, Barry Visser is responsible for is Open Class Dairy. "The 4-H and FFA shows are specific to Minnesota," he said. "Open Class brings people from Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa, and Canada. Kids are sure involved, but it's usually family farms. If I have a family farm, I will bring eight to 10 animals in."

To enter the Open Class competition, dairy cattle have to be registered as one of seven breeds. Holsteins are the largest group, followed by Jersey and Brown Swiss, Visser said. There are smaller numbers of Guernseys, Ayrshires, Milking Shorthorns and Red and White Holsteins. "It's all female," Visser said. "There used to be a bull show, but that was discontinued for safety reasons. We have calves, heifers and cows. We usually start with the youngest and work our way to the oldest cows. The last class is the Advanced, for cows five years and older."

Visser said superintendents work in teams of two for the 4-H, FFA and Open shows. "One of our jobs is to verify that the animal is who they registered and the information is all accurate. When we verify, they have to include all of her registration information, a tattoo, a photograph."

Visser said the Open Dairy competition might attract 800 to 900 cows in a year. "Each one competes — we have three rings in the Coliseum going on. My role is to coordinate one of those rings on Tuesday, one on Wednesday. They compete within their breed and then on Thursday there is the competition for Supreme Champion. We turn it into a little bit of a formal ceremony. We introduce the seven breed champions, put a spotlight on them. It's almost like a beauty pageant for cows."

What's the best part of your job?

I like to say it's a lot of work but it's a lot of fun, too. The most enjoyable thing is the satisfaction of knowing we helped orchestrate and host a well-organized show. A big part is celebration with exhibitors. We work hard but we also get to sit around and visit.

What's the biggest challenge?

My job for last several years is stalling coordinator. That is always a challenge — some people want to be in this section, some people want to be next to this person. I do the best I can to balance that. Monday is check-in, and it's hectic.

Why do people enter the Open Dairy competition?

One of the reasons that people who have registered cattle want to show them is that if they do well, it increases the market value. They could market that animal or her offspring for larger dollar values than a regular commercial cow. People that purchase those animals are trying to purchase the quality genetics. The Holstein show is the Midwest National Show. There are only four national Holstein shows in the country. There's more value in a champion cow at the Minnesota State Fair than [at] the North Dakota State Fair. They get a trophy and some pretty nice cash prizes.

Do the cows enjoy the show?

Dairy farmers do a great job of taking care of their cows. Those cows are even more comfortable than what they are at home — they get deep bedding, fans and misters, they are washed twice a day. They get pampered pretty good. □