Winners of 2020 Dairy Foods Contest Named

Published July 31, 2020

Northwest and central Arkansas teens win top honors for their recipes

Fifteen-year-old Janna Morse of West Fork (Washington County) and 12-year-old Emma Keller of Little Rock (participating through Paron 4-H in Saline County) won first place in their respective categories in the 2020 Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest July 27, after submitting a video introduction and description of their dish to a panel of judges.

The annual contest is typically held at the state fairgrounds in Little Rock, where the contestants produce their dishes for the judges, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the contest to move to a video submission format.

Morse’s Creamy Curry Cauliflower Soup recipe won in the “Main Dish” competition, while Keller’s Warm Skillet Bread and Artichoke Dip earned the top spot in the “Party Ideas” category. Other finalists in the Main Dish category were 14-year-old Wapiti Mefford of Newton County, second place; 15-year-old Katelyn Macejewski of Montgomery County, third place; and 13-year-old Sarah Lamb of Howard County, fourth.

Runners-up in the Party Ideas competition were 14-year-old Zach Gardner of Washington County, second place, 14-year-old Anastazja Stewart of Newton county, third place; and 15-year-old Hannah Riggin of Hot Spring County, fourth place.

Though the contestants were not able to travel to Little Rock for the final competition, the judges were hopeful that each participant was able to use this as a unique opportunity to learn other skills.

“This is more than just a recipe contest; it is a growth opportunity for the contestants to practice gathering their thoughts and preparing for a presentation,” said Bruce Tencleve, director of the Dairy Foods Contest.

The eight finalists were selected from dairy foods contests conducted by 45 county Farm Bureau organizations. Though the contest was completed in July due to COVID-19, June is National Dairy Month and it is the 63^rd year for Arkansas Farm Bureau to promote the state dairy industry through this contest.

The winning video submissions can be viewed below.

Main Dish Winner Janna Morse