This past summer local high school junior, Ellie Curtis, traveled with three other girls to Scotland, Ireland and London for a cow-judging competition. The group left June 21 and returned from the judging on July 5. The trip was filled with education and new experiences.

Last fall Ellie and the three other members of her group went to Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, for a cow-judging competition. In a cow judging competition, competitors are asked to judge the cows and then compare their scores (as well as explaining why they chose a certain standing) to the professional judges’ scores. The most accurate girl, or group in some instances, then place. While at Nationals, they won the entire competition and were told their next stops were Scotland, Ireland, and London as they moved to the world-stage for judging.

While overseas the girls judged cows in both Scotland and Ireland. The remainder of their trip was filled with sightseeing, tourism and learning about how dairy farms are run in other countries. As they toured the farms, Curtis noted, “A lot of things are different [between American farming and farming over seas]. A lot of pasture grazing there. Here we chop corn and store it as opposed to pasture grazing all year.”

When Curtis first arrived in Ireland, she could not help but marvel at the beauty of the hills and scenery. She noted how it was her favorite of the three places she visited on her trip.

While in Ireland, the four girls were able to judge together, and there they also took home a first place. When Curtis first saw Scotland she was engrossed in the old buildings and castles that stretched across the land. For judging in Scotland the girls were split into pairs. Curtis was with her teammate Maddie, and the two got an incredible fourth place. Curtis was amazed by the history of London, the girls’ last stop, and was proud to say she saw places to which the royal family had been.

All in all Curtis said, “It was a good experience, I’m glad I got to experience it!”

From judging to sight-seeing, Curtis and the girls were constantly learning and experiencing new things that made for a memorable adventure.