TAYLORSVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky is well known for college basketball championships, but a very different kind of team is well on its way to a dynasty.

The dairy judging team from Spencer County High School (SCHS) in Taylorsville has earned a strong reputation at both state and national levels in dairy judging. And they finished atop the national field once again, capturing the Dairy Cattle Evaluation Career Development Event for the 11th time. The event was in October in Louisville, Ky.

Members of the team included Even Waller (seventh high individual), Greyson Humes (sixth high individual), Scarletann Williams (fourth high individual), Hunter King (second high individual) and Seth Monroe.

“We’ve won the national contest 11 times, but have won at the state level probably the last 20 years, except for one year.” said Bland Baird, a retired agriculture teachers and longtime coach of the team. Baird has been mentoring students for 20 years.

“By winning the state competition, you are qualified to participate in the nationals,” Baird added.

Victories at the national level open doors to international opportunities, including the prestigious Royal Highland Show in Edinburg, Scotland. The team has already claimed the top spot there on two occasions.

“This year will be the 10th year that we have participated in Scotland,” Baird said.

The school team left for Scotland on June 18, competed for two days, then began a two-week tour of Scotland.

Surprisingly, none of the current team members of the dairy judging team were raised on dairy farms. The students gained knowledge they needed from Baird’s guidance and hands-on experiences in the field.

“When I was in middle school I had an ag teacher, Rachel Cyber, who was on one of Mr. Baird’s former teams,” said Williams, the chapter’s outgoing secretary. “When I got into high school, I knew I wanted to be a part of it just of it just because of the influence she had on my life. I developed the feeling of family since working with this team.”

Waller, the chapter’s outgoing sentinel, said, “Spencer County is synonymous with dairy judging and FFA. “I’ve heard about this competitive team my entire life. I’ve had to cram a lot of information over the past several months, starting out knowing absolutely nothing about a dairy cow to knowing enough to be on the national stage. I don’t think we could have done it without the leadership of people like our coach.”

Seth Monroe, the chapter’s recently chosen president, had a slight advantage over his teammates since his mother and grandparents operated a large dairy in Jefferson County. However, he admitted he did not grow up around dairy cows.

“I guess dairy judging is in my blood since my mother had won a national 4-H dairy competition,” Monroe said.

Monroe called this team a real “family” and an experience he will remember the rest of his life. He also said the experience taught him how to work well together.

Outgoing president King said he’s been involved in competitions he entire life, but credits coach Baird for pushing him past his limits.

“I grew up on a cattle farm, but judging dairy cows is completely different,” King said. “But I knew how successful the dairy judging teams have been, and if I wanted to be a part of a nationally known team, it would be on this team.”

And King added, it didn’t come easy. “It took a lot of hard work and we put in that extra work. Mr. Baird gave us that extra drive to succeed.”

Humes, the chapter’s outgoing treasurer, was encouraged to get involved in agriculture education and the dairy team by his father, a former agriculture teacher.

“I was fortunate to be involved as an alternate for FFA the past two years and got to go with the All-American Team to competition in Pennsylvania,” Humes said. “So, I knew that being on this dairy judging team there was a good chance of winning a national competition. It has felt amazing to be able to accomplish something that not a lot of people in our chapters say that they’ve accomplished before.”

Preparation for competitions began last January, with the team meeting four times a week. Throughout the season, they competed in numerous events to sharpen their abilities. Baird, who began his teaching career in 1978, noted that this will be his final trip as the team’s coach.

Spencer County FFA also placed seventh in the nation in the Nursery Career Development Event. Team members included Haley Goodlett, Tegan Buckman, Madilyn Hood and Sierra Martin. Goodlett ranked ninth place in individual competition in the event.