East Knox FFA member places 10th at Eastern States Exposition Dairy Handler contest

Laureyah Neely represents Ohio at the Big E, marking East Knox’s fourth national-level dairy handling competitor

Laureyah Neely at the Eastern States Exposition Dairy Handlers career development event in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

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Published November 8, 2025 - 10:12 a.m. Modified November 19, 2025 - 9:22 a.m.

Recently, East Knox FFA member Laureyah Neely represented Ohio and competed in the Eastern States Exposition (Big E) FFA Dairy Handlers Career Development Event held at the Coliseum on the grounds of the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts where she placed 10th out of a field of competitors from the 18 states in the U.S. Eastern Region.

In this contest the members lead and set-up the cows for the Big E dairy cattle CDE and are scored much like a showmanship contest in a livestock show. They are judged on their ability to control the animal in an unfamiliar area, to set-up the cattle correctly, and to handle them smoothly and with ease.

The top nine individuals in the event received awards. Neely qualified to compete at the Eastern States Exposition after placing fourth in the state contest last April. This is the fourth FFA member from East Knox to compete in a national-level dairy handlers event.