vNOW ACCEPTING WORLD DAIRY EXPO YOUTH CONTEST ENTRIES

World Dairy Expo is home to national judging and skills competitions at the 4-H, FFA, intercollegiate and post-secondary levels. During the week, junior dairy cattle exhibitors also compete in showmanship competitions and test their knowledge with dairy quiz bowl.

The International Post-Secondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest kicks off the week-long event on Sunday, September 27th and continues into Monday. This contest is offered to one-, two-, and four-year colleges. The contest includes two portions, a traditional dairy cattle judging contest with evaluation and individual reasons, and a practical portion. The practical portion is a unique contest that encompasses essential on-farm skills with linear scoring, pedigree assessment, commercial heifer evaluation and group reasons.

The National Intercollegiate and National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contests take place on Monday, September 28th. In the intercollegiate competition, 12 classes are presented to the contestants and are comprised of both cows and heifers and a combination of all seven breeds. The National 4-H contest only places 10 classes involving just five breeds. In both contests, youth must present five sets of reasons to the officials.

On Tuesday, September 29th FFA students from around the Midwest will arrive to participate in numerous events, including dairy cattle showmanship and evaluation contests for dairy cattle, dairy products and dairy forages.

Thursday evening, October 1st, the junior, intermediate and senior showmanship competitions will take place. All three age divisions include a showmanship evaluation. Additionally, the intermediate division includes a written exam and the senior division, a fitting competition. These scores are combined with the evaluation scores to determine the final placings.

On Saturday, October 3rd, 4-H teams will compete in the 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl. In this double elimination contest, youth will test their knowledge of nutrition, calf care, reproduction, herd health and milk quality.

Entry forms are now available online at www.worlddairyexpo.com. Click on the Youth Contest tab at the top of the general information page to find individual contest information, entry forms and entry deadlines.