Dairy Judging

How & Why to Judge Dairy Cattle – “You Be the Judge”

Why Should You Know How to Judge Dairy Cattle?
The primary reason to raise dairy cows is to produce milk. For dairy cows to be highly profitable for the owners, they must have desirable traits that involve proper function. For example, a firmly attached udder that is held above the hocks, correct feet and legs, and width of chest and rump are all desirable traits (characteristics). When selecting dairy cattle for a 4-H project or to increase your herd size, you will need to understand how to select them based on the “ideal” breed characteristics. To do so, you will need to learn how to judge dairy cattle.

How Can You Judge Dairy Cattle?
Dairy cattle are judged by comparison. Strong and weak points are compared. The animals are then based on their closeness to the “ideal” breed characteristics.

The following are steps that you can take to understand how to properly judge dairy cattle:

• STEP 1: Learn the parts of the dairy cow. It is important that you know these terms (parts) and use them for dairy judging.
• STEP 2: Create a mental picture of the ideal cow. A mental picture of the ideal cow will give you a standard to judge a class of dairy cattle. Observing cattle at shows and in breed magazines will give you a better idea of the ideal cow for each breed.
• STEP 3: Learn what the most and least desirable traits (characteristics) are for dairy cattle. (Refer to the “Dairy Cow Unified Score Card”.)
• STEP 4: So now that you have learned the parts of a dairy cow, can picture an ideal cow, and know the most desirable and least desirable traits of a dairy cow, you are ready to participate in a dairy cattle judging contest. Remember, you can also learn all these things and practice your judging skills at the same time.

Let the judging begin!
Most judging practices and contests have four animals in a class. When judging dairy cattle, each animal will be identified by a number 1, 2, 3, OR 4. Sometimes the animals are tied up with halters and are numbered. Other times the animals will be marked and be loose in a pen. While other times the animals may be lead by halters.

When judging (evaluating) dairy cattle, you should consider the four major traits descriptions (Frame – 15%, Dairy Strength – 25%, Rear Feet & Legs – 20%, Udder – 40%) and how many possible points each ranks in importance. Ranking according to traits and possible score should be used only as a guide to teach the basics of dairy cattle judging.

State Dairy Judging Contest
A contestant may compete in both the 4-H and FFA contests provided they meet all eligibility requirements and are entered properly through their local Extension Office and FFA Advisor.

4-H Dairy Judging Contest
Superintendent: Tracy J. Behnken, UNL Extension in Dodge County
FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation Contest
Superintendent: Mike Roeber, Northeast Community College

Location: Nebraska State Fairgrounds, Grand Island

Date: During the Nebraska State Fair - same weekend as Youth (Combined 4-H & FFA) Dairy Cattle Show

Components:

FFA Dairy Evaluation Contest

• Dairy Management Test (50 points) – Contestants compete as individuals.
• Pedigree Class (50 points) – Contestants compete as individuals.
• Linear Evaluation (60 points) – Contestants compete as individuals.
• Team Problem (150 points) – Contestants compete together with their team.

4-H/ FFA Judging – Contestants compete as individuals.

     4-H Senior Contestants & FFA Contestants:

• Six Classes of Dairy Cattle (300 points – 50 points per class)

     4-H Junior/Intermediate Contestants:

• Six Classes of Dairy Cattle (300 points – 50 points per class)

NOTE: Judging classes may be any of the following breeds: Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey and/or Milking Shorthorn and may consist of heifers or cows.

4-H/FFA Judging Contest – Oral Reasons Given

     4-H Senior Contestants & FFA Contestants:

• Three Sets of Oral Reasons (150 points – 50 points per set of oral reasons)

     4-H Junior/Intermediate Contestants:

• One Set of Oral Reasons (50 points)

Resources

State Contest Information

• 2012 Nebraska State Fairbook - Dairy Judging

Additional Resources

• “Purebred Dairy Cattle Association Dairy Cow Unified Scorecard” (Revised in 2009)
• “Judging Dairy Cattle”, University of Minnesota, July 2000 (Note that the Unified Scorecard on page 2 is outdated.)
• “Dairy Judging” by Holstein Foundation (This publication also includes information about oral reasons and linear evaluation.)
• “Linear Descriptive Traits”, Holstein Association USA, Inc.
• Making It Better – Tips For Improving Oral Reason Scores, University of Florida
• Oral Reasons – “More Correct” INSTEAD OF “Better”

Video Resources

• CEV Multimedia: Dairy Cattle Judging Heifers DVD Lesson Preview 
• CEV Multimedia: Dairy Cattle Judging and Evaluation DVD Lesson Preview 
• Cow judging for beginners 
• Dairy Cattle Judging Practice, by Dr. Jim Gilmore, Retired Dairy Cattle Judging Coach, University of Vermont (Web-based site developed by the University of Vermont 
• Howard’s Dairyman – 2011 Cow Judging Results and Reasons - Five classes of dairy cows are featured on the covers of our January – March 10 issues, representing five of the dairy breeds. The website allows you to click the cover image to see the official placing for the class, the reasons, background on the official judge, and scoring key. Once you have selected the breed, each individual cow image can be clicked to receive a larger view of the cow.