Participating in Dairy Judging provides an excellent opportunity for youth to not only increase their knowledge of evaluating dairy cattle but also develop and hone valuable communication skills that will be useful for a lifetime. County 4-H teams compete at district dairy judging contests during regional Area Animal Science Days for the chance to attend the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest. State winners in the senior division go on to represent Wisconsin at the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, PA, World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI, and the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY.
Dairy Judging Contest Information
2023 State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest will be held on TBD.
Registration & Fees:
Registration is not required for this event. Please send Laura Pine the name of your alternate by August 1. Registration fees are $12/participant and will be collected at the event. Checks can be made payable to UW-Madison Extension.
Schedule and Contest Details
Schedule:
Youth should eat lunch before the contest begins – stop on the way or bring food along! Please also note that classes will be 15 minutes long in accordance with national contest guidelines.
10:30 AM Registration
11:00 AM Orientation
11:30 AM Contest Starts with Class 1/Class 2
12:05 PM Class 3/Class 4
12:40 PM Class 5/Class 6
1:15 PM Class 7/Class 8
1:50 PM Class 9/Class 10
2:30 PM Seniors Prep Oral Reasons
Snack
3:00 PM Seniors Start Oral Reasons
Juniors Results & Awards – Juniors are free to leave
6:00 PM Dinner provided for Seniors, Coaches, and Staff/Volunteers
6:30 PM Senior Results & Awards
Contest Details:
The timing of the state contest classes will be run similar to the national contest – each class will be 15 minutes in length. There will be absolutely no usage of devices tolerated during the contest. Any senior participant found using a cell phone before the completion of reasons will be disqualified.
There will be 10 classes with 4 TAQ/Reasons classes.
15 Minutes Per Class
- 3 Parade Clockwise (Make a Full Turn)
- 3 Head to Tail
- 3 Side by Side (Centered)
- 3 Parade Counterclockwise
- 3 Side by Side (Centered)
Each team is also required to bring along one leadsperson with them and two if possible. We would also appreciate any teams with more than one coach or parent volunteers that would be willing to serve as a ring leader.
2023 State Dairy Contest Qualifiers will be from the dairy Area Animal Science Days contests.
2022 Results
State Scholarships
Needs-based scholarships are available for youth who participate in Statewide Educational Experiences. Scholarships require an application that is submitted to the state office. For more information on these scholarships and to apply, please visit the Scholarship page on our website.
Dairy Judging Resources
Videos of the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo
Dairy Cattle Oral Reasons Guidelines
Holstein Foundation Dairy Judging Workbook
Dairy Showmanship Resources (PDCA Showmanship Scorecard)
*Please remember that the reasons and placing cards are for use in practice only, they MAY NOT be used in a contest!
National Youth Dairy Judging Contest Rules
Check out the contest books & rules for the All-American Invitational Youth Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, World Dairy Expo’s National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, and NAILE’s Invitational Youth Dairy Judging Contest.
