4-H/FFA Dairy Skillathon
EVENT DATE & LOCATION:
May 1, 2026
Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, VA
ENTRIES:
Monday, April 27th at 5:00 PM
Entry Link: https://tinyurl.com/2026-Dairy-Skillathon-Entry
**Please note that there are not separate 4-H and FFA Contests, so no Dual-Entry option for this event, and the Junior and Senior Divisions are determined based on contestant Date of Birth for all contestants.
Tentative Schedule
9: 30 AM - Contest Registration Opens
10:00 AM - Contest Begins
12 Noon - Lunch
12:45 PM - Reasons for all
Awards following the completion of reasons and tabulation.
Contest Rules and Regulations
- The Dairy Skillathon is open to any bona fide 4-H or FFA member in Virginia. Contestants must be entered by their 4-H club leader, extension agent, or agricultural education teacher prior to the entry deadline.
- Students are not eligible if they have begun college prior to June 1 of the current year.
- Teams may consist of 3 or 4 members. When 4 members are entered, the three members with the highest overall individual scores will make up the team total. The fourth member will be the alternate. Alternates will be eligible for individual awards. In addition, any 4-H or FFA member may compete as an individual contestant as long as they have been properly entered.
- Junior contestants will be those who are 9-13 years of age as of September 30, 2026. Senior contestants will be those who are 14-19 years of age as of September 30, 2026.
The Contest
- All contestants and coaches will report to the Rockingham County Fairgrounds (4808 South Valley Pike, Harrisonburg, VA 22801).
- Contestants will be supplied with any necessary forms. Contestants will not be allowed to take any books, notes, or pamphlets into the contest area.
- While the contest is in session there shall be no communication among contestants and anyone else, except as designated by the contest committee. Cell phones or other types of electronic devices may not be used by contestants while the contest is in progress. Violators will be penalized by having one or more scores disallowed.
Determination of Ratings
- The overall individual ranking shall be determined by adding contestant’s scores.
- The overall team ranking shall be determined by totaling the scores of the three team members.
- In case of a tie for individual or team awards, ranking will be determined by the individual (team) with the highest score in Class 1. If still tied, Class 2 will be used and so on until the tie is broken.
Classes
- Feeds (5 identification; 5 multiple choice questions)
- Dairy products (5 identification; 5 multiple choice questions)
- Dairy equipment (5 identification; 5 multiple choice questions)
- Anatomy and dairy breeds (5 identification; 5 multiple choice questions)
- Dairy management (10 multiple choice questions)
- Farm safety (10 multiple choice questions)
- Judging class A
- Judging class B
- Reasons on judging class B
Each class is worth 50 points. Total points possible per individual is 450.
