Meet the 2018 National Show Judges
Five of the ADGA National Show Judges are elected by ballot each year by current ADGA members. The sixth judge is selected by the ADGA National Show Committee. The six judges for the 2018 ADGA National Show are:
- Mark V. Baden
- Robert A. Bartholomew, Jr.
- Kristina Bozzo-Baldenegro
- Daniel L. Laney
- Jennifer Lohman-Peterson
- Joan Dean Rowe, DVM
2018 Judges Bios
Mark V. Baden
In 1982, Mark became a member of ADGA with his first dairy goat, a 50% Experimental (Alpine/Nubian) kid, one of his 4-H projects. Through the use of ADGA programs, he upgraded his herd into a nationally competitive breeding program under the Olentangy herd name. Thirty-six years later, every doe in his current herd traces their lineage back to that first 4-H doeling.
He earned his first ADGA judges license in 1992 and since then, Mark has judged numerous shows across the United States, Mexico and Canada. He achieved his judging tenure in 2009 as an ADGA advanced judge. In 2012 Mark was elected to the ADGA Board of Directors representing District VII. He is currently a member of the Judges Training and Genetic Advancement committees and has been an ADGA Linear Appraiser for the last five years. The Olentangy herd is enrolled in ADGA Plus; participating annually in linear appraisal, DHIR, and DNA typing. His herd exhibits at many shows and fairs throughout the west each show season.
Mark is a 1993 alumnus of The Ohio State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Aviation and Criminology & Criminal Justice. He also earned his commercial pilot certificates and flew for the Ohio State Flight Team while an undergraduate at OSU. Since 1999, Mark has been employed as an air traffic controller at the Seattle EnRoute Air Traffic Control Facility just outside Seattle, Washington where he is currently a Traffic Management Coordinator for the Federal Aviation Administration.
It’s a great honor to have been voted by the ADGA membership for a fourth time to judge at the ADGA National Show. It is especially exciting for myself to return to Ohio where my dairy goat career began and I have fond memories showing here at the State Fair Expo. I know how much sacrifice, work and effort is required of exhibitors to make the trip and share with them this great passion for dairy goats.
Columbus is a great Mid-western city with many attractions to consider in your down-time from the show. It also has many ties to the agriculture community, especially The Ohio State University. OSU has a vast agriculture curriculum offering and an outstanding veterinary program. I would encourage all participating youth to consider touring as it is located only one mile away. I’m looking forward to a wonderful week with you all. O – H!
Robert A. Bartholomew, Jr.
I began with my first dairy goat in 1972 with an unregistered LaMancha/Toggenburg cross. I purchased her from a friend of mine for $10 while driving with her to deliver a group of kids to the Catskill Game Farm for use in their animal nursery. Since that time dairy goats have been a part of my life. I joined ADGA a few years later and am now an ADGA Life Member.
Over the years I have owned most breeds, but primarily bred Nubians and Toggenburgs under the B-Bar herd name. My interest in livestock later expanded to include Ayrshire Dairy Cattle, Exhibition Poultry, Tunis & Dorper Sheep and eventually Pinzgauer Beef Cattle.
I started judging in 4-H first with the county Livestock Judging Team and then the Dairy Judging Team. I was a member of the collegiate Dairy Judging Team at both SUNY Cobleskill, and then Virginia Tech. Shortly after graduation from Tech in 1987 I attended the ADGA Annual Meeting in San Angelo, TX where I earned my first Judges License (2 yr), and I earned tenure as an advanced judge in 2001.
Judging has allowed me the opportunity to travel not only throughout the US, but New Zealand and Brazil as well. My interest also included a license with the USBGA. I currently serve on several ADGA committees including Judges Training, Advanced Judges, Spotlight Sale and Type. About 7 years ago I started the training process to become a Linear Appraiser and am currently employed as a senior appraiser.
I earned an AAS in Animal Husbandry from SUNY Cobleskill, a BS in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech and then my MS in Special Education from SUNY New Paltz. I then went on to teach Biology/Special Education/Agriculture in New York and Florida for over 17 years. I am currently the farm manager at Gulden Farm LLC, a large Hudson Valley farm in upstate New York where we raise Pinzgauer beef cattle and Boer goats.
I am truly excited and humbled to have been selected by the membership to judge my first National Show. I will begin as the consulting judge on Oberhaslis, and then as the primary judge of both the Alpine and Sable shows.
Kristina Bozzo-Baldenegro
Hi! I’m Kristina (aka Kristi) I have been involved in the dairy goat industry since 1978. It was then that I acquired my love for dairy goats and my first doe, Aura-Mae’s Cressida’s Yvette. Then came along Las Alas Julieta de Tres, both does were grand-daughters of Play Fair Coacoochee, at the time a Swiss Alpine. It’s exciting for me to be the main judge on Oberhasli’s this year. Since those first two does, I have been joined by my sister, Alison, and our children to continue breeding Sweet Dreams Alpines with approximately 514 animals registered to date. Of that we’ve bred 9 SGCH, 12 SG, 24 GCH, and 15 CH animals with limited showing while maintaining a herd size of less than 20 on average.
I have a wonderful family made up of my husband, Fidel, and sons Anthony (13) and Vincent (11.) We live in the small town of Sutter Creek in Amador County, California. I was raised in Sacramento County where our herd began as my 4-H dairy goat project in 1978. I graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Agriculture Education (Agri-Business emphasis) in 1996. For the past 40 years I have been a member of ADGA, becoming a Life Member in 2006. I received my first ADGA Judge’s license in 1987, making this my 31st year as an ADGA Judge and my third time to judge at the ADGA National Show.
I am currently serving as an ADGA director for District 8 and have served on the ADGA board for five terms. I am active on a variety of ADGA committees and have served in a variety of roles for the Association: Co-Chair of the Spotlight Sale Committee, Co-Chair Publicity/Promotional/Educational Committee, member on Finance, National Show, National Show Colorama Sale, Linear Appraisal, Judges, Annual Meeting and Youth/4-H/FFA Projects. I was also on the Executive Committee for two years.
I came up through the ranks of 4-H and was an active member during my youth. I continue to support the youth in our association and now have two of my own participating in the ADGA Youth events both locally and statewide. The youth in ADGA have played a key role during my involvement in the association. I have eagerly contributed my time, learned skills and knowledge in a number of activities and events including youth shows, showmanship workshops, fitting contests, ADGA Scholarships, and conferences.
Enough about me, I am looking forward to judging this year. The National Show is always an exciting time and the does are spectacular. I wish you all safe travels and look forward to seeing the beautiful animals from all regions of the United States!
Daniel L. Laney
This will be the eighth time I have judged the ADGA National Show and I am very honored to be selected by my peers once again. I judged my first National Show in 1993 in Harrisburg, PA which I still remember well and returned to Harrisburg to judge in 2016. Now 25 years later I am just as excited to be a part of the 2018 Nationals in Columbus, OH.
I was born in Warren, Ohio and attended a small high school in rural Northeast Ohio called Vienna, so this is like “coming home” for me. I did not show goats when I lived in Vienna but I did show horses occasionally near Delaware, Ohio located just north of Columbus. And of course, going to the Ohio State Fair was one of my best childhood memories.
Even after so many fortunate opportunities of being in this National Show arena in the past both as an exhibitor and a judge, I have never gotten over the incredible adrenaline rush that is the result of being surrounded by some of the best quality dairy animals in the country. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity in 2018! I know my highly qualified colleagues that I’ll be working with in the show arena this year share these same feelings.
As an ADGA Life Member I have been involved with dairy goats in one way or another for over 49 years. I have served as an ADGA Director from California, Past President, Secretary/Treasurer in Spindale, served on numerous committees and have been a licensed judge for over 35 years.
I acquired my first goat in 1969 to provide milk for my oldest son who was lactose intolerant. That was the beginning of a lifetime love affair with our wonderful dairy goats! From that Alpine/Nubian grade named “Tiger Lilly” I moved onto purebred Nubians, Alpines and LaManchas. My herd name was Slinker Ridge and I was fortunate enough to have raised a National Jr. Champion Nubian, Slinker Ridge Mo Bandi. A young LaMancha doe I purchased from one of my 4-Hers going to college, Mt. Shasta Avia, eventually went on to earn two National Championships. A real thrill for both me and her former owner, Tammy, who had just graduated the year Avia won in LA.
I have been an educator for almost 50 years, raised three wonderful children and have eight amazing grandchildren. While I am officially retired from the classroom I still am involved in teaching. Now I spend a large part of each year in Nepal working with the rural goat farmers in the various mountain villages as well as volunteering in the area orphanages.
More recently I have teamed up with the Nepalese government to help improve the native goats of Nepal. We are working on a project to improve the milk production by crossing the local Khari goat of Nepal with our Saanens that were exported from here in the USA as part of a World Bank Project five years ago. The same work is being conducted with Khari/Boer crosses to improve the meat production. I have just completed my 21st trip to Nepal and plan on returning again in late October. With each visit my “work” expands into new villages and slowly I am beginning to see some real improvements in the herds I have worked with and that has made my life all that more fulfilled!
No question about it…I have great love and appreciation for our incredible dairy goats as they are truly amazing animals! They provide us with so much…all over the world. All the best to each and every one of our exhibitors and members who will be attending this year’s ADGA National Show held in Columbus, Ohio. Enjoy the week and may you all create your own fond memories that will last a lifetime!
Jennifer Lohman-Peterson
Jennifer has been breeding dairy goats since her youth starting out in 4-H under the herd name Elm*Glen. She lives in Endeavor, Wisconsin with her husband and son.
She is a senior licensed judge and a life member of the American Dairy Goat Association. Her judging adventures have taken her across the country as well as internationally.
Her experience includes small herd management as well as commercial production. Her enthusiasms for goats have led to a lifetime of promoting the dairy goat industry professionally and personally.
Joan Dean Rowe, DVM
Joan has been judging dairy goats since 1974. This will be her thirteenth time judging at an ADGA National Show. She has been active in ADGA committee work for many years and is currently a District VIII director and member of judges training, linear appraisal and production testing committees. She is a veterinarian on the faculty at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and is a past-president of the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners.
Joan became involved with dairy goats through 4-H and continues to have a strong interest in youth programs. She and her husband Charlie raise a small herd of Toggenburg dairy goats under the Rowe’s Toggenburgs herd name. Although they show only regionally, they bred and have owned the ADGA National GCH Toggenburg (1999) and Reserve GCH Toggenburg (2009) and were premier Toggenburg breeder/exhibitor at the three ADGA National Shows in which they have competed, most recently in 2015.
Rowe’s Toggenburgs bucks appear regularly as sires of winning does at ADGA National Shows and as Premier Toggenburg sire at multiple ADGA National Shows. They maintain a focus on longevity and productivity, with many of their does appearing on the ADGA Toggenburg Top Ten production lists. Their herd uses ADGA linear appraisal, DNA genotyping and is on continuous standard DHIR test.
Joan looks forward to the National Show in Columbus. The convenient Ohio location of this year’s National Show should attract large numbers of competitive dairy goats from a wide geographical area. Joan is honored to be chosen as a 2018 National Show judge and looks forward to working with the exhibitors and judging highly competitive classes with large number of entries. She expects an exceptionally large and competitive Nigerian Dwarf entry and looks forward to judging the show. She welcomes visitors and exhibitors to enjoy the 2018 ADGA National Show. Joan will be judging the Nigerian Dwarf breed and will be the consulting judge for the Alpine and Recorded Grade breeds.
