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Dairy Project
What is it All About?
The 4-H Dairy Project allows you to learn about breeds, selection, grooming, production, management, showmanship, marketing, and careers through a dairy animal.
Grow in Your Project
Beginner
- Identify different dairy breeds
- Learn proper feeding of dairy cows
- Prepare a project animal for show by leading and caring for it.
- Learning how to properly exhibit your dairy animal and in showmanship
- Identify how a healthy calf and cow looks and acts
Intermediate
- Learn the appropriate handling techniques and housing for a dairy animal
- Exploring different opportunities within the project
- Learning the difference between each of the breeds
- Exploring how the dairy cow’s body works
Advanced
- Balance a dairy cows ration
- Learn how to manage a cow and a new born calf
- Take a calf and follow it to a cow
- Learn how to read a pedigree
- Properly identify and learn how to treat common diseases
- Learn how to properly fill and get your animal ready for the ring
Click Here for Dairy Project Member Resources
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Click Here for Dairy Project Leader Resources
Project Leader Resources
*Resources available at your local Extension office or shop4-H.org.
Take Your Project Further!
- Tour a local dairy farm
- Visit show dairy farm
- Interview a local dairy farmer in your area
- Learn more about different dairy brands in Wisconsin
- Job shadow with a local dairy producer or veterinarian to learn more about animal management and health
- Attend a dairy show to listen to the judges oral reasons and witness different judging styles
- Participate in a dairy project workshop or be on your counties 4-H Dairy Judging or Dairy Bowl Team
- Discover different dairy products and by-products
- Exhibit or attend a local, district, state, national or international shows and conferences
Statewide Events and Opportunities
Applying the Dairy Project Skills to Life
Enhance Your Communications Skills
- Creating a poster about a dairy specific breed, disease or body system and talking the judge through your poster
- Having and helping out at your counties or neighboring counties Showing and Fitting Workshop
- Demonstrate show to properly put up a topline, or fit an animal
- Helping to putting together your counties educational display at Wisconsin State Fair
- Talking to the judge about your animal in the ring
- Giving oral reasons to the judge at Area Animal Science Days, State Judging contest or other judging contests
Get Involved in Citizenship and Service
- Complete a dairy presentation during June, June Dairy Month
- Volunteer at a dairy promotional event, either during or not June Dairy Month
- Your County’s Breakfast on the Farm
- Start a dairy bowl or dairy judging team with the help of an adult volunteer
- Before county far, lead a Showing and Fitting Workshop with different topics such as…
- How to put up a topline, How to fit your own animal, How to get your animal showring ready, How to properly fill your animal
- Work and Mentor a younger youth in the dairy project and teach them the ins and outs of the project
- Become Herdsmen for your county at state fair
- Advocate for the dairy industry
Learn about Leadership
- Lead other 4-H members in participating in local dairy producer events
- Arrange a dairy farm tour at your farm or another farm in the area
- Work with your animal and create a bond with them
- Become involved in state and local breed associations, and hold different leadership positions
Showing What You’ve Learned
- Participate in the 4-H dairy show at your county fair or the Wisconsin State Fair
- Create a dairy show kit (show box)
- Consider an exhibit, notebook, scrapbook or display on what you’ve learned in a dairy-related topic
- Nutritive value of cows milk
- Feeding rations
- Preventative vaccinations
- Photos of different dairy breeds
- Daily routine in caring for your animals
- Grooming techniques
- Developing a foundation for a dairy herd
- Best care of newborns
- Dairy by-products
- Impact of local foods on local economy
- Display of feeds or ration contents and analysis
- Joining a dairy bowl or judging team
- Taking on leadership roles within the dairy project or breed associations
- Video on fitting a dairy calf/cow
- Filling out the James W. Crowley Dairy Leadership Award
