World Dairy Expo Supplement (complete PDF) - Hoards Dairyman

Around the world of dairy
Around the world of the colored shavings
THE phrase “On the colored
shavings” has become synonymous
with World Dairy Expo. Since the
mid-1980s, when colored shavings
first appeared in the show ring,
the shavings have been one of the
most recognized parts of World
Dairy Expo.
The entire process starts about 18
months before the show, around the
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time that the theme is finalized and
the artwork is designed. Possible
shavings colors and ring decorations
are also discussed.
Mark Clarke, World Dairy Expo
general manager, along with the
other members of the World Dairy
Expo staff are the ultimate decision
makers when it comes to the color of
the shavings. The choices for shavings
colors are the primary colors
from that year’s themed artwork.
“It is never a very hard decision,”
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Clarke admits. “It is mostly which
shade of the color that is the decision
to make. In 2009, with “Legendary”
and the baseball theme, it
was a no-brainer to pick green to
imitate grass. Same with blue for
the water in 2008.”
In January, Clarke sends Roger
Vlietstra, at American Wood Fibers,
the artwork indicating the desired
shavings color. Vlietstra, who has
been working with the colored shavings
for over 15 years, says World
Dairy Expo is the only customer
they dye shavings for.
After trying to match the chosen
shade, American Wood Fibers then
sends back several samples in small
plastic bags for the World Dairy
Expo staff to review.
“We have the photography experts
on the staff look at the samples for
potential problems for photographers,”
Clarke explains. “One of the
challenges of the process is trying to
imagine what it would look like covering
a huge area. For example, this
year we experimented with a multicolored
shaving sample. It made
sense in the bag, but we were afraid
that it would not look the same way
covering the whole ring.”
The final product
After a series of communications
between World Dairy Expo staff
and Vlietstra, a final color is chosen.
One month before the show, American
Wood Fibers dyes the nine tons
of shavings needed for the show and
stores them at their facility in Schofield,
Wis. Then, one week before the
first cow sets foot in the ring, the
shavings are shipped to the Alliant
Energy Center.
“We get a lot of calls about the colored
shavings from all over the world
wanting us to dye shavings for them,”
said Vlietstra.
The biggest obstacle to expanding
their colored shavings business is
shipping costs, but they are investigating
producing colored shavings
in some of their other production
facilities around the country.
“We have a four-part strategy,”
said Clarke. “First, we make sure
the color complements the display at
the end of the ring. Next, we want
the color to photograph well, since
it is one of the most photographed
areas. We also want to make sure
that we don’t clash with or lose one
of the breeds. Finally, we want it to
be eye appealing.”
The cost of the shavings is significantly
more than regular shavings,
but Clarke says it is well worth it.
“We pay about $8,000 for nine
tons of shavings, but it is a premium
product. The color of the shavings,
the artwork, the display, the
awards, what is sold in the Purple
Cow gift shop; it is all part of tying
the atmosphere together.”
CHOOSING GREEN for the shavings in 2009
was a “no-brainer” for the Dairy Expo staff.