Partly cloudy. High 89F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..
A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Partly cloudy. High 89F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..
A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Hanna Bedwell captured the best in show rabbit for the fourth consecutive year. She also earned the top award at the goat show this year as well.
Hanna Bedwell captured the best in show rabbit for the fourth consecutive year. She also earned the top award at the goat show this year as well.
Hanna Bedwell is on quite the winning streak.
She claimed the best-of-show award at the rabbit and cavy show at the Warren County Fair on Saturday, repeating a win from last year.
That came on the heels of earning top honors at the goat show on Thursday for best breeding meat goat and champion meat goat.
Bedwell hails from New Virginia and shows as part of the Virginia Boosters 4-H Club and Interstate-35 High School FFA. Her parents are Don and Tahra Bedwell.
Her entry at the rabbit show was a “pretty tame and friendly” Mini Rex named Strawberry. She kept with a fruit theme for naming all her animals at this year’s fair, she explained.
Rabbits are especially “fun to have,” said Bedwell. “They’re really soft.” In fact, Strawberry’s coat is so plush that the judge at the show even mused about her setup at home. Perhaps the bunny lives in a cooled room like a thick-coated show steer?
“He said he thought she lived in a cooler because her hair so nice,” she recounted. “It’s just extra nice.”
Bedwell explained that a judge at a rabbit show has certain criteria in mind when considering entries.
“Each breed has their own standard. The judge is looking for the rabbit that meets their standard the best,” she said.
In Strawberry’s case, according to the American Rabbit Breeders Association, she needed to be “plush coated” and weigh no more than 4.5 pounds. A “relatively new breed,” the Mini Rex was developed in Texas in 1984, became a nationally recognized breed in 1988 and can sport a variety of colors.
As for Strawberry, she wows with an ultra-thick black and white mottled coat. As little as she is, she continued the hefty life lesson that Bedwell has learned from all her animals.
“You learn responsibility and hard work,” she said. “You have to take care of them every day.”
A recent high school graduate, Bedwell may be closing the chapter on her grand finishes at the fair, but she’s hardly done with agriculture. She’s heading to Iowa State University this fall to study agriculture, life sciences and education.
Californian, best of breed — Merci Scholten
Champagne D’Argent, best of breed — Matthew Sonnenburg
Flemish Giant, best of breed — Autumn Ackerson
Best commercial rabbit — Owen Scott
Reserve commercial rabbit — Autumn Ackerson
Fancy Dutch best of breed — Kaylee Dykstra
Fancy Holland Lop best of breed — Jason Carter Scholten
Fancy Mini Lop best of breed — Leah Barry
Mini Rex best of breed — Hanna Bedwell
Netherland Dwarf best of breed — Kate Baker
Rex best of breed — Graci Bedwell
Best fancy rabbit — Hanna Bedwell
Reserve fancy rabbit — Phoenix Ackerson
Best meat rabbit — Santiago Barrenechea
Reserve meat rabbit — Santiago Barrenechea
Best in show — Hanna Bedwell
Reserve best in show — Phoenix Ackerson
Cavy best of breed — Anita Scholten
Best of show — Katie Marshall
Reserve best of show — Jenna Thraen
Pet best in class — Kaylyn Holmes
Pet reserve best in class — Santiago Barrenechea
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