State 4-H/FFA Dairy Youth Field Day

The State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest will take place on Friday, August 3, 2023, as part of the State 4-H/FFA Dairy Youth Field Day. The event will be held at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in Harrisonburg.

The 2023 State 4-H & FFA Dairy Youth Field Day will serve as the State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, State FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Management Career Development Event, and State FFA Dairy Handlers

Schedule

8:45 AM    FFA teams check-in

9:00 AM    FFA contest begins with the General Knowledge Exam

9:15 AM     4-H teams and FFA dairy handlers check-in

9:45 AM    All teams begin judging classes

11:20 AM   Oral reasons preparation and delivery

12:00 PM   Lunch available

2:00 PM    Results announced (estimated)

Dual Entry Allowed

Youth will be allowed to count their scores in both the State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest and State FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Management Career Development Event provided that they are bona fide members in each organization and entered in both contests by the registration deadline.

Registration

There is no fee, but registration is required. To register, complete the Excel registration form and email it to Dave Winston (dwinston@vt.edu) by 5:00 pm on Thursday, July 28.

Lunch

A pizza lunch will be provided. Please include any dietary restrictions in the email with your registration.

Health History and Code of Conduct Forms

It is the responsibility of the lead chaperone to ensure each participant is enrolled and to have the health history form and code of conduct forms for their group members with them at all times. The chaperone should remain in close proximity of the event. (Use the forms for your organization - 4-H or FFA.)

Supplies

1.   Each participate must provide:

A.  Two sharpened No. 2 pencils
B.  Clipboard with one sheet of blank paper

2.   All other necessary materials will be provided by the event committee.

Event Rules

1.  Teams will consist of three or four members. When four members are entered, the three members with the highest individual scores will be used for the team score.

2.   Age requirements

A.  Juniors will be 9 to 13 years old as of September 30, 2022.
B.  Seniors will be 14 to 18 years old as of September 30, 2022.
C.  Youth born between January 1, 2008 and September 30, 2008 have the option of choosing to compete either as a junior or a senior

3.  Oral Reasons

A.  Junior 4-H contestants will present one set of oral reasons.
B.  Senior 4-H contestants will present two sets of oral reasons.

Event Format

I.       Judging Classes (300 points)

A.   Six classes of four dairy animals will each be placed on type. Classes will consist of heifers, young cows or mature cows.

B.   The dairy cattle handlers will wear numbers, which identify the animals.

C.    Each class is worth 50 points maximum for a correct placing.

D.   Participants will have 12 minutes to place each class. For classes on which oral reasons will be given, participants will be given 15 minutes.

II.     Oral Reasons (Junior contestants - 50 points, Senior contestants - 100 points)

A.   Oral reasons will be required on one class for Junior contestants and two classes for Senior contestants. These classes will be designated by the event superintendent prior to the actual evaluation of the class.

B.   Participants should not use notes during delivery of reasons. Points will be deducted for the use of notes.

C.   Each class is worth 50 points maximum for each set of reasons.

D.   Participants will have 12 minutes to prepare each set of oral reasons. No more than two minutes may be used to deliver the reasons before the judges.

Scoring

Tiebreakers

If a tie occurs, the following events will be used to determine award recipients:

1.    Individual

A.  Oral reasons score
B.   Placing score - class 1
C.   Placing score - class 2

2.    Overall Team

A.  Oral reasons score
B.   Placing score - class 1
C.   Placing score - class 2Activity.

______________________________
If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Dave Winston at (540) 231-5693/TDD* during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event.  *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.