APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE 2013 NATIONAL 4-H DAIRY CONFERENCE- posted 5/21/2013

Applications are now available to Wisconsin youth who are interested in attending the National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison, WI from September 29 to October 2. Each year approximately 200 delegates from across the USA and Canada attend this conference which coincides with World Dairy Expo. Participants learn about dairy production, dairy food processing, marketing and use of dairy products, and develop a broader understanding of careers available in the dairy industry. The conference consists of participatory workshops on the University of Wisconsin - Madison campus, speakers, tours, visiting the World Dairy Expo, and is a great opportunity to network with current and future dairy industry leaders.

To be eligible to attend this conference youth must be in grades 10-12 as of January 1, 2013, must be a 4-H member in good standing enrolled in the dairy project area and must not be exhibiting animals at the 2013 World Dairy Expo.

For the more information on this opportunity and to download an application form, Click Here and scroll down to the National 4-H Dairy Conference and click on WISCONSIN APPLICATION.

PDCA JUDGES CLINIC DATE SET- posted 3/19/2013

The Wisconsin Purebred Dairy Cattle Association will conduct its Dairy Cattle Judging Conference on Wednesday April 10, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at Indianhead Holsteins Ltd. owned by Robert and Karyn Schauf, Barron, Wisconsin. To be a certified PDCA judge, placing shows from local to national levels, individuals should attend a conference on a regular basis. Judges who demonstrate appropriate skill levels at the conference are listed as PDCA RECOMMENDED with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. WDATCP maintains a listing of registered county fair judges. For more information and the registration form please visit: www.wipdca.com. The registration fee is $30.00 which includes lunch and beverages. Youth groups are encouraged to attend at a reduced rate of $10.00 per person. Reservations are appreciated by April 5th. If you have a neighbor, friend, relative, or other interested individuals interested in becoming a certified dairy cattle judge, please invite them. For more information contact the WI PDCA officers: Rick Bovre 920-923-6991, Mandy Sell 920-253-8773, or Ray Kuehl 608-712-5081.

JUDGING CONTEST OPPORTUNITY - posted 2/11/2013

As you and your judging teams are getting ready for summer contests you may want to consider attending the Milk Source Youth Judging Event on Saturday, March 23. This is the second year that Milk Source has hosted this event and again this year there are cash prizes for the top team and idividual. The contest will take place at Milk Source in Kaukana with registration starting at 10:00 AM. For more information on this event Click Here

RESULTS ARE IN FROM THE WISCONSIN 4-H DAIRY QUIZ BOWL AND FIRST ANNUAL 4-H DAIRY MANAGEMENT CONTEST - posted 2/8/2013

The annual Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl and first annual 4-H Dairy Management contest was held on Saturday February 2nd in Portage, WI.

For the dairy bowl contestants were tested on their knowledge of dairy cattle genetics, health, nutrition, showing and other topics as well as their ability to quickly and accurately answer questions under pressure. Four-person teams and their alternates traveled from all corners of the state to represent their counties in the three age divisions; junior, mixed and senior.

This year Manitowoc County went home with champion teams in both the senior and mixed divisions. Senior team members were Jordan Siemers, Jake Siemers, Josh Siemers and Crystal Siemers-Peterman. Mixed team members were Joost de Bruijn, Bieke de Bruijn, Sanne de Bruijn, Connor Siemers and Lauren Siemers. Both teams were coached by Janina Siemers. The senior team from Manitowoc will go on to represent Wisconsin this November in the national dairy bowl contest at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY.

Thirteen counties competed in the senior division this year. Placing second to Manitowoc county was the team from Shawano County. In the mixed division, which includes contestants from both the senior and junior age groups, seventeen teams competed and Dane County took second place to Manitowoc.

Eleven teams vied for first place in the junior division, which includes contestants 14 years of age and under. The number two team from Shawano County took home first place in this year’s contest. Team members were Taylor Gracyalny, Ben Schmidt, Mason Jauquet and Colin Wussow. The team was coached by Heather Jauquet and Nicolle Wussow. Taking home second place in the junior division was the team from Barron County.

2013 also marked the first year for the 4-H Dairy Management Contest. For this event, senior aged contestants were tested on their knowledge of dairy cattle judging and linear scoring, their ability to utilize DHI records, their knowledge of dairy animal treatment methods, feed identification and their ability to use online dairy management tools. The team from Polk County won first place in this year’s Dairy Management Contest and has earned the right to go on to represent Wisconsin at the National Dairy Management Contest in Harrisburg, PA this September. Team members were Ethan Dado, Trent Dado and Laura Jensen with coaches Gwen Dado and Patti Hurtgen.

The Top 5 individuals overall in the management contest were, first place Laura Jensen of Polk County, second Trent Dado of Polk County, third Cody Moeller of Shawano County, fourth Charlie Hamilton of Grant County and fifth Brad Warmka of Dodge County.

UW-Madison Department of Dairy Science faculty, Badger Dairy Club members and UW dairy science alumni helped with moderating, judging and operating the contest. The event was co-sponsored by the Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Endowment Fund, the UW-Madison Department of Dairy Science, UW-Extension and the Badger Dairy Club.

Dairy Bowl team photos available for download at:Click Here

BADGER DAIRY CAMP INFORMATION - posted 1/26/2013

The 2013 Badger Dairy Camp will be held on June 9-11 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This 3 day camp is a great opportunity for youth aged 12-18 to get hands on experience fitting and showing dairy cattle. Youth also have the opportunity to tour the beautiful UW Madison campus and attend seminars taught by UW Madison professors and graduate students. Space is limited so be sure to get your application in soon! The flyer and application can be found Click Here.

INFORMATION ON THE FIRST ANNUAL 4-H DAIRY MANAGEMENT CONTEST - posted 12/18/2012

The 2013 Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Management Contest will be held in conjunction with the 2013 Dairy Bowl on February 2 in Portage. This contest will test youth on their knowlege of dairy science and dairy farm management. For this first year the contest will be open to only senior age participants and each county may enter just one team of three or four individuals. For contest rules and registration Click Here.

DAIRY BOWL INFORMATION POSTED - posted 12/4/2012

The 2013 Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl contest has been set for Saturday February 2, 2013 and will take place at the Portage High School in Portage, WI. Click Here to be directed to the quiz bowl page where you will find the entry infomration for the 2013 contest.

BADGER DAIRY CAMP DATES SET- posted 12/4/2012

The 2013 Badger Dairy Camp is set for June 9-11 to be held at UW Madison. Check back soon for registration information!

FALL EVENTS FOR DAIRY YOUTH - posted 9/20/2012

There are two events coming up this fall open to all youth interested in the dairy industry. The first is the 2012 Jefferson Dairy Challenge. This event will be held on Saturday October 20th in Fort Atkinson and is hosted by The Cream of the Crop 4-H Club. Entries are due by October 15th to Mark Lundy. For more information and a copy of the entry form Click Here

The second event is the PDPW Youth Leadership Derby. This event will be held on November 3-4 in Sheboygan Falls. Entry forms should be sent to PDPW. Click Here for the entry form and for more information Click Here

JAMES W. CROWLEY STATE 4-H DAIRY LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED - posted 8/2/2012

Twenty Wisconsin youth interviewed for the James W. Crowley State 4-H Dairy Leadership Awards on Wednesday at the 2012 Wisconsin Junior State Fair. 16 of these youth have been selected as winners of this prestigious award and will be awarded a plaque provided by the James W. Crowley Dairy Management and Extension Fund at the Dairyland Youth Celebration on Saturday, August 4 at the Wisconsin State Fair. The 16 youth, in alphabetical order are:

Thomas Allen

Ethan Dado

Lara Daentl

Jordan Ebert

Elizabeth Endres

Lindsey Hellenbrand

Brooks Hendrickson

Blake Klessig

John Klossner

Theresa Madland

Connor Moore

Janelle Remington

Mckenzie Rowley

Emily Selner

Crystal Siemers-Peterman

Dane Thompson

The two top youth will receive $500 scholarships for continuing their dairy educations. These individuals will be announced during the Dairyland Youth Celebration. Individuals who interviewed for the Crowley award but did not receive the award this year are welcome to re-apply in the future if nominated by their county. Congratulations to all twenty youth who qualified to interview for this award.

Results of the 2012 Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Judging Contest - posted 7/25/2012

The teams from Dodge County had an exceptional day at the Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Judging contest taking home top honors in both the Junior and Senior divisions. One hundred youth competed at the contest State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest which was held on July 23rd in Marshfield in conjunction with the Wisconsin Ayrshire and Guernsey shows. Ayrshire and Guernsey animals were pulled out of the show strings and Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey cattle were trucked in from nearby farms to make classes for the contest. A huge thank you goes out to all of the Marshfield area breeders who provided animals for the contest and to the Ayrshire and Guernsey breeders who welcomed the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest to their show.

In the Senior contest, Dane Thompson of Barron county was the high individual for the day in both the overall and reasons categories. Dodge County took top team honors with a score of 1950 out of 2200 possible points and will go on to represent Wisconsin in the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. Barron County took second earning the right to compete for Wisconsin at the All American in Harrisburg, PA, however, since current Barron county team members have already competed at the contest the third place team from Pierce County will be traveling to Harrisburg to represent Wisconsin. The top four individuals not already headed to a national contest will team up to represent Wisconsin at the NAILE in Lousiville, KY. Those team members will be Matthew Kramer of Fond Du Lac County, Ethan Dado of Polk County, Laura Jensen of Polk County and David Pintens of Barron County.

In the Junior competition Dawson Nickels of Dodge County was the top individual for the second year in a row, edging out second place Luke Powers of Dunn County by just 4 points. The Dodge County junior team was the top team in both the overall contest and in the Type Analysis Questions (TAQ) category. The Manitowoc County juniors placed second overall.

21 youth also competed in showmanship at the state judging contest. Megan Willger of Barron county was the champion showman of the day with Kaitlin Artac of Clark county winning reserve and Brittany Artack of Clark county receiving the honorable mention.

Congratulations to all of the youth and coaches who participated in the 2012 State 4-H Dairy Judging contest!

For the full press release on this event Click Here

Wisconsin Application for National 4-H Dairy Conference - posted 6/8/2012

Each year about 200 youth who participate in 4-H dairy projects across the U.S. and Canada congregate in Madison, WI for the National 4-H Dairy Conference which is held annually in conjunction with World Dairy Expo. Participants learn about dairy production, dairy food processing, marketing and use of dairy products, and develop a broader understanding of careers available in the dairy industry. The conference consists of participatory workshops on the University of Wisconsin - Madison campus, speakers, tours, visiting the World Dairy Expo, and is a great opportunity to network with current and future dairy industry leaders.

The 2012 National 4-H Dairy Conference will be held in Madison September 30 - October 3 2012. If you would like to attend the conference as a delegate for Wisconsin fill out this WISCONSIN APPLICATION and return it to Beth Heinze by July 16, 2012.

Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Judging Rules Posted- posted 5/21/2012

The rules for the 2012 4-H Dairy Judging contests have been updated and posted. To get your copy of the rules and view other helpful judging materials go the the Wisconsin Dairy Youth Dairy Judging Resources page.

Wisconsin PDCA Judges Clinic Set for May 12 2012- posted 4/13/2012

The Wisconsin PDCA announces it's annual judges conference set to be held at Random Luck farm in Darlington on May 12. For the full press release Click Here.

Badger Dairy Camp Registration Info Available- posted 2/14/2012

Would you like to attend the 2012 Badger Dairy Camp? Registration forms are now available! This year the camp will be held on June 17-19 at UW Madison. For registration forms and more information Click Here.

Milk Source Judging Contest- posted 2/14/2012

Milksource Genetics is hosting a Youth Judging Event on Saturday, March 31 at their farm located at N3763 Vanden Bosch Rd in Kaukana, WI. This contest is open to any dairy industry youth interested in judging. Teams will consist of no more than 4 youth and you must be 21 years old or younger as of March 31, 2012 to participate. To enter please contact Cristy Duch at cduch@milksource.net For more information Click Here.

POLK, DANE AND BARRON COUNTY 4-H TEAMS TOP THE 2012 STATE DAIRY QUIZ BOWL CONTEST

Polk County’s senior dairy bowl team topped the State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl Contest on January 28 in Portage. The team will represent Wisconsin in November at the national contest in Louisville, KY. Dane County earned top honors as the winning mixed division team, while Barron finished first in the junior division.

The competition tested the quick wit and extensive knowledge of more than 200 4-H members of 33 county teams. Contestants answered questions about dairy cattle genetics, health, nutrition, showing and other topics. Four-person teams and their alternates traveled from all corners of the state to represent their counties in the three divisions.

“These kids and their coaches have worked very hard over the past few months to learn as much as they can about dairy and it really shows,”said Beth Heinze, the event’s coordinator.

Teams from 11 counties vied for first place in the junior division, which includes contestants 14 years of age and under. The Barron County team topped the competition with team members Allissa Firsle, Kelli Marschall, Abigail Solum and April Hunt. The team was coached by Chuck and Cathy Solum. The team from Langlade County was second in the junior division.

Eleven counties competed in the mixed division, which includes both junior and senior team members. The team from Dane County topped the mixed division. Team members were Lizi Endres, Cassie Endres, Emma Olstad and Molly Sarbacker with Coaches Amber Elliott and Kelly Sime. The Manitowoc County mixed team took second place.

Twelve senior teams with youth between the ages of 15 and 19 competed. For the second year in a row the seniors from Polk County went undefeated this year to claim the 4-H Dairy Bowl title and the right to compete at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville this fall beating out a tough Manitowoc county team in the finals. The Polk County team members were Laura Jensen, Trent Dado, Cody Getschel and Colin Scholz with Coach Patti Hurtgen.

W-Madison Department of Dairy Science faculty, Badger Dairy Club members and UW dairy science alumni helped with moderating, judging and operating the contest. The event was co-sponsored by the Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Endowment Fund, the UW-Madison Department of Dairy Science, UW-Extension and the Badger Dairy Club.

All three team photos available for download here

Dairy Quiz Bowl Registration DUE JAN 8- posted 1/4/2012

Just a reminder that registrations for your 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl teams are due on January 8th! The contest will be held on Saturday January 28th in Portage. For official rules and entry forms Click Here.

2012 EVENT DATES- posted 10/19/2011

Dates for three Dairy Youth events have been set for 2012

The Second annual "Ag Truths Not Tails" conference will take place on January 20-21 at Upham Woods. For more information on that conference Click Here

The State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl contest will take place on Saturday January 28, 2012

Badger Dairy Camp will be held June 17-19, 2012

JAMES W. CROWLEY STATE 4-H DAIRY LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED- posted 8/9/2011

Fifteen Wisconsin dairy youth received James W. Crowley State 4-H Dairy Leadership Awards at the 2011 Wisconsin Junior State Fair. These youth were rewarded for their outstanding dairy project work and leadership ability. Each award winner will receive a plaque provided by the James W. Crowley Dairy Management and Extension Fund.

The two top youth, Bethany Dado of Amery and Morgan Behnke of New Glarus, received $500 scholarships for continuing their dairy educations. Receiving plaques as State James W Crowley Leadership Award recipients were: Ryan Pralle of Humbird, Nicholas Shuster or Fond du Lac, Karsen Haag of Mt. Horeb, Sierra Solum of Rice Lake, Jessica Scheildt of New Glarus, Sean Brown of Dodgeville, Laura Finley of Lake Mills, Monique Levash of Brillion, Mitchell Krahn of Brillion, Vanessa Vanderweele of Waldo, Austin Schmidt of Cascade, Grace Curran of Taylor and, Jacob Leum of Viroqua.

For a full press release Click Here

Jefferson County 4-H Club to host new Dairy Contest- posted 8/2/2011

Jefferson County's Cream of the Crop 4-H Club invites all 4-H, FFA, Jr. Breed or other youth organization members to participate in the first annual Cream of the Crop Dairy Challenge in Jefferson, Wisconsin September 17, 2011. This event will be hosted by the Cream of the Crop 4-H Club . The event location is about 40 minutes east of Madison and would be an excellent practice contest before participating in a World Dairy Expo contest. For those who wish to mapquest the location the address is 925 Lexington Blvd. Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Registration will begin at the Fort Atkinson High School at 9:30 am and the contest will begin at 10:00 am.

Any questions about this event should be directed to Megan Lundy, Cream of the Crop General Leader. Phone, (920) 563-6137 email, megansthequeen@hotmail.com Entries are due by AUGUST 31 so if you would like to compete get your information in soon!

For more information and the entry form Click Here

FOND DU LAC AND DODGE COUNTIES TOP THE STATE 4-H DAIRY JUDGING CONTEST- posted 7/20/2011

One hundred youth competed at the contest State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest which was held on July 18th in Marshfield in conjunction with the State Ayrshire and Guernsey show. Ayrshire and Guernsey animals were pulled out of the show strings and Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey cattle were trucked in from nearby farms to make classes for the contest. A huge thank you goes out to all of the Marshfield area breeders who provided animals for the contest and to the Ayrshire and Guernsey breeders who welcomed the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest to their show.

In the Senior contest, Fond Du Lac County took top honors and will go on to represent Wisconsin in the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. They also received the new Dr. Dave Dickson Memorial Trophy. This traveling trophy will be awarded annually to the top Senior team at the Wisconsin 4-H State Dairy Cattle Judging contest with each year’s winning team having their county engraved on the trophy. Dane County took second and Dodge County took third and earned the right to compete for Wisconsin at the All American in Harrisburg, PA. Austen Schmidt from Fond Du Lac won the Senior division and Sara Harn was the top individual for Oral Reasons. Representing Wisconsin at the NAILE in Lousiville, KY will be a team consisting of Sara Harn from Dane County, Ben Powers from Dunn County, John Klossner from Green County and Lizi Endres from Dane County.

In the Junior competition Dodge County won first team overall and was first in the Type Analysis Questions category. The Pierce County juniors placed second overall. In the Junior individual contest, brother and sister Dawson and Kylie Nickels took first and second respectively.

For the full press release Click Here

For the full results from the contest Click Here

Results from South West and North West Area Animal Science Days- posted 7/7/2011

Results for two Area Animal Science Days are in.

For the full press release Click Here

For the full results from all contests Click Here

Results from North East and South East Area Animal Science Days- posted 6/29/2011

Results for two Area Animal Science Days are in.

For the full press release Click Here

Apply for National 4-H Dairy Conference- posted 4/27/2011

Are you interested in meeting young dairy enthusiasts from across the US and Canada? Then consider applying to represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Dairy Conference held October 2-5, 2011 right here in Madison. Conference participants enjoy tours of Hoard's Dairyman, The Dairy Shrine, ABS Global, Crave Brother's Dairy and visit World Dairy Expo. Youth must be in grades 10-12 as of 1/1/2011 and may only attend the conference once. If you are interested in attending please click on the link below to get your application form. Applications are due July 1, 2011

For your Wisconsin Delegation National 4-H Dairy Conference applicationClick Here

Quiz Bowl Results- posted 2/8/2011

POLK, DOOR AND MANITOWOC COUNTY 4-H TEAMS TOP STATE DAIRY QUIZ BOWL CONTEST. For the full press releaseClick Here

Dates for the 2011 Area Animal Science Days have been set - posted 1/4/2011

The dates for the 2011 Area Animal Science Days and District Dairy Judging Contests have been set as follows

June 21 - Brown Co - Brown Co Fairgrounds - Green Bay - NE Area

June 22 - Dodge Co - Dodge Co Fairgrounds - Beaver Dam - SE Area

June 30 - Monroe Co -Monroe Co Fairgrounds - Tomah - SW Area

July 1 - Clark Co - Clark Co Fairgrounds - Neillsville - NW Area

For more information on Area Animal Science DaysClick Here

>Click Here

"Ag Truths Not Tail" Conference Enrollment DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 1/14/2011- posted 12/22/2010

UW Extension is coordinating a youth conference around the topic of animal welfare and communicating agriculture’s story. Enrollment is open to youth ages 13 to one year past high school in dairy, beef, sheep, swine and goat project areas. The conference will be held January 28-29, 2011 (Friday night stay and activities are optional) at the Upham Woods 4-H Environmental Education Center in Wisconsin Dells.The deadline has been extended to Friday, Jan. 14

The objective is: Opportunity to learn and practice skills to become the next generation of communicators for Wisconsin’s Livestock and Dairy Industry. Interactive, networking sessions will focus on Animal Welfare from leaders in the Livestock and Dairy Industry. More information can be found at the conference website. http://fyi.uwex.edu/agtruthsnottails

Please promote this activity to your membership and support youth, parents, volunteers, etc. to attend this great activity. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Bernie O’Rourke at borourke2@ansci.wisc.edu or 608-263-4304. We feel we have put together a great program to build their skills and to provide them tools to be leaders for the agriculture industry.

Quiz Bowl Set for February 5th - posted 9/22/2010

The 2010 State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl contest will take place on Saturday February 5, 2011 in Portage.

For more information on Quiz Bowl Click Here

WISCONSIN 4-H DAIRY CATTLE JUDGING TEAM PLACES SECOND AT THE N.A.I.L.E. IN LOUISVILLE, KY - posted 11/10/2010

One hundred youth on 25 teams from across the USA competed in the Invitational Youth Dairy Cattle Judging Contest at the North American International Livestock Exposition (N.A.I.L.E) in Louisville, KY on Sunday November 7. The 4-H team from Wisconsin placed second overall and was the third place team for total reasons. The team was also first place in the Jersey breed and fourth place in the Guernsey breed.

Team members were Ryan Oleary from Fond Du Lac County, Trent Styczynski from Shawano County, Janelle Remington from Dodge County, and Dane Thompson from Barron County.

Individually Trent Styczynski placed second overall, third in total reasons, first in the Jersey breed and ninth in the Holstein breed. Ryan O’Leary placed ninth overall, fourth in total reasons and eighth in the Guernsey breed. Janelle Remington placed sixth in the Jersey breed.

For the full press release Click Here

Wisconsin youth wins top individual overall at World Dairy Expo 4-H dairy cattle judging contest - posted 9/28/2010

Out of more than 115 4-H youth who competed, Bethany Dado of Amery, Wisconsin took home top honors winning the high individual overall award at the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging contest at World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI on Monday September 27.

Bethany was a member of the Polk county dairy judging team who won the Wisconsin State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging contest earlier this summer and earned the opportunity to represent Wisconsin at the national contest. Out of 30 teams, the Wisconsin 4-H team placed 8th overall and was the 3rd place team in the oral reasons category. Other team members were Ethan Dado of Amery, Brett Getschel of Osceola and Kristin Solum of Amery. The team was coached by Walter Owens, Jered Haase, Kerrie Melin-Swenson and Kirsten Klugow.

Additionally, the team placed 4th in the Ayrshire breed, 3rd in the Brown Swiss breed and 3rd in the Jersey breed. Individually Brett was 1st in the Jersey breed and Bethany was 5th in the Ayrshire breed, 3rd in the Brown Swiss breed, 6th in the Holstein breed and 8th in the Jersey breed.

For the full press release Click Here

Dane County Dairy Judging Team Tops the All-American Contest in Harrisburg! - posted 9/21/2010

The Dane County Dairy Judging Team, with team members Sara Harn, Lizi Endres, Cassie Endres and Abbey Wethal, took first place at the All-American Dairy Show Invitational Youth Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held on Monday, September 20. Only 5 points separated the top 4 teams in the contest and our Wisconsin team won by one point! Congratulations to all of the Dane County dairy judging team members and their coaches for all of their hard work and for representing Wisconsin well!

For a full press release Click Here

4-H youth stampeding to Wisconsin for National Dairy Conference - posted 9/21/2010

Just as thousands of exhibitors arrive in Madison for the World Dairy Expo, youth from around the country will be on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for the 2010 National 4-H Dairy Conference September 26-29. More than 200 students from 30 states are expected to attend the conference, where they will learn about new farm technologies and careers in the dairy industry.

This year’s conference will focus on niche marketing in the dairy industry, including visits to the Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese facility in Waterloo and the Sassy Cow Creamery in Sun Prairie. These trips will teach delegates about small-scale, artisanal operations in Wisconsin.

Delegates at National 4-H Dairy Conference are high-school students who participate in their local 4-H Dairy Programs. While on campus, the students will attend seminars through UW-Madison’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on topics such as farm finance, dairy food quality and producing alternative dairy products from sheep and goats. The conference also includes a trip to World Dairy Expo, where young people considering careers in dairy production can learn about the latest technology and business practices being implemented around the world.

Delegates for Wisconsin at the 2010 National 4-H Dairy Conference are Cole Mark of Pierce County, Sawyer Roberts of Crawford County, Abby Tauchen of Shawano County, Anna Blake of Waushara County, Garrett Madland of Juneau County, Rachel Hartlaub of Manitowoc County, Dane Thompson of Barron County and Sam Lensmire of Manitowoc County.

National 4-H Dairy Conference has been held in Madison since 1970, giving young people from around the country an opportunity to learn about the dairy industry from established professionals. For more information on National 4-H Dairy Conference, visit http://4h.uwex.edu/events/dairyconf/index.cfm.

For a copy of this press release Click Here

State James Crowley Leadership Awards - posted 8/8/2010

Fifteen Wisconsin dairy youth received James W. Crowley State 4-H Dairy Leadership Awards at the 2010 Wisconsin Junior State Fair. These youth were rewarded for their outstanding dairy project work and leadership ability. Each award winner will receive a plaque provided by the James W. Crowley Dairy Management and Extension Fund.

The two top youth, Breinne Hendrickson of Belleville in Green County and Erin Kappelman of Two Rivers in Manitowoc County, received $500 scholarships for continuing their dairy educations. In addition to the $500 scholarship winners, Crowley Leadership Award recipients were: Jaclyn Peterson of Wison, Abby Tauchen of Bonduel, Kayla Wright of Watertown, Kami Schuler of Platteville, Brock Reeson of Blanchardville, Taylor Chandler of Rice Lake, Rachel Hartlaub of Cleveland, Sam Lensmire of Cleveland, Brett Hildebrandt of Hustisford, Colton Carpenter of Darlington, Ashley Martin of Mineral Point, Charles Oberhaus of Waukesha and Abigail Baker of Mineral Point.

For the full contest press release Click Here

State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest - posted 7/21/2010

One hundred youth competed at the contest State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest which was held for the first time in Marshfield in conjunction with the State Ayrshire and Guernsey show. Ayrshire and Guernsey animals were pulled out of the show strings and Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey cattle were trucked in from nearby farms to make classes for the contest. A huge thank you goes out to all of the Marshfield area breeders who provided animals for the contest and to the Ayrshire and Guernsey breeders who welcomed the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest to their show.

In a very close Senior contest, Polk County took top honors and will go on to represent Wisconsin in the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. Dane County took second earning the right to compete for Wisconsin at the All American in Harrisburg, PA. Ryan Oleary from Fond Du Lac won the Senior division, giving him the chance to compete along with, Trent Styczynski from Shawano County, Janelle Remington from Dodge County, and Dane Thompson from Barron County at the NAILE in Lousiville, KY.

In the Junior competition Barron County won first team overall and was first in the Type Analysis Questions category. The Shawano County juniors placed second overall. In the Junior individual contest, Kaila Wussow of Shawano County edged out David Pintens of Barron County by three points to win.

For the full contest press release Click Here

State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest - posted 7/15/2010

Congratulations to the teams and idividuals who qualified to compete at the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest! Coaches were sent an email informing them of who qualified. If you are looking for more information on the acutal contest please Click Here

District Dairy Judging Contests - posted 7/2/2010

The results are in from each of the four Area Animal Science Days! Click here for results from all of the District Dairy Judging contests. A special thanks to CRI of Shawano for sponsoring the 2010 Area Animal Science Days. For press releases on the events please go to our Press Releases page.

Check out the 6/14 post on the Hoard's Dairyman Blog to read about Badger Dairy Camp! - posted 6/15/2010

Hoard's Dairyman Blog