A new youth-oriented video on dairy show ethics entitled "The Rules Are Black And White - And They Apply To All Breeds" has been developed and released by video executive producer Ted Halbach, University of Wisconsin-Madison extension dairy youth specialist, and writer-producer-host, Dr. Jeff Goodwin at the University of Idaho.

The video features tools to make good ethical decisions such as Where is your ethical compass? It poses six questions about dairy show ring practices such as Does it break the law?; Does it harm the animal?; Does it falsely represent the animal?; Do you have to lie to cover it up?; Would the public be upset?; and Is the milk or meat unmarketable?.

The video features five steps to ethical thinking. It also features a section on the suggested level of adult involvement with youth preparing for the show ring. The video is fun and educational, and it's appropriate for use with youth dairy clubs, for agricultural educators, and for dairy families.

"Youth who show dairy animals and their parents are confronted with the question of what is and what isn’t appropriate in the preparation of and care of their show animals," according to Halbach. "This video is our attempt to provide guidelines that are easy to understand, and hopefully helps to provide a framework for positive parental involvement in youth dairy projects."

Goodwin states, "This video is appropriate for 4-H and FFA audiences who are involved with dairy projects or any animal project. I’ve also had very positive feedback from audiences who are not directly involved with animals of any kind. This is a good video about ethical decision-making that anyone can learn from and enjoy watching."

An accompanying booklet with support information for youth and adults will be available in Spring 2003. Booklets may be ordered from Holstein Foundation, P.O. Box 816, Brattleboro, VT 05302-0816, phone (800) 952-5200.

The new show ring video was made possible with support from: Hoard’s Dairyman; Holstein Association USA; James W. Crowley Dairy Management and Extension Fund; Wisconsin 4-H Foundation, Wisconsin PDCA; and World Dairy Expo.

Wisconsin residents can purchase videos for $30 from: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Dairy Science, c/o Ted Halbach, 1675 Observatory Drive, Room 261, Madison, WI 53706-1284 (Telephone 608-263-3305).