Dairy Judging Contest

Contest Schedule and Rules

4-H Dairy Judging Contest & FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation Contest

Schedule/Components: 

FFA Dairy Evaluation Contest – Morning of Contest  
The FFA Dairy Management Test and Team Activity will be held at a site in Grand Island determined by the contest superintendent. The contest will take place on a day that will be determined by state fair management. Teams will be notified of their assigned time and location to report and complete the dairy management test and team activity. 

 DAIRY MANAGEMENT TEST (100 points) - Contestants compete as individuals. 

  • 50 questions - 2 points each 
  • 40 questions on dairy industry 
  • 10 questions using a dairy herd record evaluation data sheet to evaluate individual cows. 

TEAM ACTIVITY (200 points) - Contestants compete together with their team. 

  • Each team will be provided with a dairy farm management scenario to identify problems and determine possible improvements. Teams should assume the role of a hired consultant advising a producer (judges).  
  • The topic/scenario will be sent, via email to the teams prior to the contest and the teams will bring their presentation to the state contest.  
  • The scoring rubric for the presentation will be sent along with the scenario prior to the contest. The rubric will be based on the rubric found in the National FFA Dairy Evaluation contest rules on the National FFA website.  
  • The teams will have up to 10 minutes to present their recommendations. An additional 5 minutes will be allowed for questions. 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon (1 hour) - Lunch on your own 

12:00 - 12:15 p.m. (15 minutes) - 4-H/FFA Judging Contest Registration 

12:15 - 12:30 p.m. (15 minutes) - 4-H/FFA Judging Orientation 

12:30 - 2:00 p.m. (1 hour 30 minutes) - 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 INTERMEDIATE CONTESTANTS: Six Classes of Dairy Cattle (300 points – 50 points per class) 
  • 4-H JUNIOR 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. 

2:00 - 2:15 p.m. (15 minutes) - Break 

2:15 - 4:00 p.m. (1 hour 45 minutes) - 4-H/FFA Judging Contest - Oral Reasons Given (Intermediate and Senior Only) 

  • 4-H SENIOR CONTESTANTS & FFA CONTESTANTS: Three Sets of Oral Reasons (150 points – 50 points per set of oral reasons) 
  • 4-H INTERMEDIATE CONTESTANTS: One Set of Oral Reasons (50 points) 

CONTEST RESULTS will be announced following the conclusion of oral reasons and following the completion of tabulation with time and location to be announced during contest. 

General Contest Rules: 

  1. Contestants are required to furnish their own note pads and pencils. 
  2. Prepared judging aids are NOT allowed. 
  3. During oral reasons, contestants are strongly discouraged to hold any card or paper that will assist in presenting to the officials. Use of such a card will result in a deduction in score. 
  4. While the contest is in progress, a contestant shall not communicate with others, except FFA teams during the Team Activity or as directed by one of the contest superintendents. 
  5. FFA Dairy Evaluation Contestants will be given brief orientations at the start of their assigned time to complete the Dairy Management Test and Team Activity; and the 4-H/FFA Judging Contestants will be given a brief orientation 15 minutes prior to the start of the contest (12:15 p.m.). During the orientations, the contestants will be informed of the contest rules and regulations. 

Dress Code: 

  1. Contestants are required to wear long jeans/pants and closed toed shoes with non-slip soles. 
  2. Contestants shall not display local, county, commercial or other identification. 
  3. Contestants are required to wear the official Nebraska State Fair 4-H or FFA T-shirt. 
  4. No hats, caps or other types of headgear are to be worn during any portion of the contest. 

State Fair Eligibility

General Eligibility: 

  1. 4-H junior, intermediate, and senior teams, FFA teams, 4-H junior, intermediate, and senior individuals, and FFA individuals will be scored separately. Awards will be distributed separately for each division. 
  2. Youth may participate in both the 4-H and FFA portions of the contest. They must meet both 4-H and FFA eligibility requirements. Youth must enter both (twice) contests to compete in both. 
  3. Contestants must be pre-registered. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CONTESTS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PARTICIPATING IN THE 4-H DAIRY JUDGING CONTEST OR FFA DAIRY CATTLE EVALUATION CONTEST, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EXTENSION OFFICE OR FFA CHAPTER ADVISOR, RESPECTIVELY.

4-H Eligibility: 

  1. The 4-H Dairy Judging Contest will be divided into the following age divisions for the 4-H contestants: 
  • JUNIOR: Contestants are 8 through 10 years old as of January 1 of the current year. 
  • INTERMEDIATE: Contestants are 11 through 13 years old as of January 1 of the current year. 
  • SENIOR: Contestants are 14 through 18 years old as of January 1 of the current year. 
  1. 4-H members are eligible to participate in the 4-H Dairy Judging Contest regardless of project enrollment. 
  2. The final year of eligibility for a contestant is the final year of 4-H membership, regardless of year in school. 4-H members who have competed with a collegiate judging team or those who have completed college-level courses specific to the contest subject matter are ineligible to compete in 4-H contests. (Examples include completion of a college-level dairy judging class or participation with a community college dairy judging team would eliminate eligibility for the contest.) 
  3. Individuals who have competed and represented Nebraska at a national contest (National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held during the World Dairy Exposition (EXPO) in Madison, Wisconsin or Dairy Judging at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Kentucky) are eligible to return to the state contest and judge as an individual and on a team. 

FFA Eligibility: 

  1. All FFA Contestants must be a high school FFA member (graduating seniors are eligible to compete in this contest up to the first national convention following graduation.) 
  2. All career development participants must be undergraduates, be under 21 years of age and be bona fide high school students in regular attendance. 
  3. To be eligible for any career development events, the student must be having or have had instruction in agricultural education for at least one semester within the school year previous to the career development event entered. 
  4. To be eligible to compete, students shall be doing passing work in at least fifteen credit hours of high school work per year. They shall have credit on the school records for fifteen credit hours of schoolwork for the last preceding semester in school. 
  5. Students who have participated in the National FFA Dairy Evaluation CDE are ineligible for this contest. 
  6. No team or team members planning to compete in any of the annual Nebraska agricultural education judging career development events may use, observe, or observe being used, any of the livestock, equipment or supplies of the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in preparation for the career development events. This rule does not apply to teams or team members that have won a state career development event and are preparing to enter a national career development event. Proof will be necessary to satisfy the department involved. 

Team Entries: 

4-H Contest Team Entries: 

  1. The 4-H Dairy Judging Contest will be divided into the following TEAM age divisions: 
  • JUNIOR TEAMS: Contestants are 8 through 10 years old as of January 1 of the current year. 
  • INTERMEDIATE TEAMS: Contestants are 11 through 13 years old as of January 1 of the current year. 
  • SENIOR TEAMS: Contestants are 14 through 18 years old as of January 1 of the current year. 
  1. Teams shall consist of three or four members. 
  2. Individuals composing a team must be designated as such if they are to enter team competition. Contestants may enter as “individuals” if not a member of a three or four-person team. 
  3. The three highest individual scores will be added to determine the team score. 
  4. Youth are only eligible to compete on a team in their primary county or in combination with an adjacent county. 
  5. NO county/unit entering teams should solicit team members without the knowledge and support of extension staff of counties/units from which other team members are recruited. 
  6. There is not a limit to the number of teams a county may enter or number of individuals that may judge. This applies only to the dairy judging contest. 

FFA Contest Team Entries: 

  1. Teams are to be entered through/by a single FFA chapter. 
  2. There will be a limit of ONE team per FFA chapter. 
  3. Each FFA chapter may enter up to an additional FOUR individuals who will complete in all individual parts of the contest (written test, placing classes, oral reasons) and will be eligible for individual awards. All individuals, including those on a team, will compete in one division for awards.  
  4. If fewer than 20 schools enter a team in the contest, the contest superintendent reserves the right to allow schools wishing to enter a second team to compete in the team portion of the contest, which would include the individual parts of the contest and the team presentation. Teams will be notified on August 11 if they will compete in the team portion of the contest. The second team of a FFA chapter would be comprised of the four additional individuals listed in Rule 3. 
  5. FFA Scores will be tabulated as follows:  
  • POSSIBLE INDIVIDUAL SCORES: 
  • Six Evaluation/Judging Classes @ 50 points/class - 300 points 
  • Three Sets of Oral Reasons @ 50 points/set - 150 points 
  • Dairy Management Test - 100 points 
  • Total Possible Individual Points - 550 points 
  • POSSIBLE TEAM POINTS: 
  • Four Individual Scores @ 550 points - 2200 points 
  • Team Activity - 200 points 
  • Total Possible Score - 2400 points 

State Fair Quota

  • 4-H QUOTA: No limit of teams a county may enter or number of individual judges. 
  • FFA QUOTA: Limit of ONE team per FFA chapter - Each FFA chapter may enter up to an additional FOUR individuals who will compete in all part of the contest. 
  • If fewer than 20 schools enter a team in the contest, the contest superintendent reserves the right to allow schools wishing to enter a second team to compete in the team portion of the contest. 

State Fair Special Award/Honor

Contestants will be recognized as follows: 

4-H Individuals: 

  • Medals: Gold (1st), Silver (2nd), and Bronze (3rd) will be awarded to the top highest scoring individuals in the Senior, Intermediate, and Junior Divisions. 
  • Placing ribbons: 1st through 5th will be awarded to the top highest scoring individuals in the Senior, Intermediate, and Junior Divisions. 
  • The highest scoring individual in the Senior 4-H Division will be eligible for a $500 University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources College Scholarship. 
  • Monetary awards will be given based on sponsorships of the given year. 
  • The top four highest scoring Senior Division individuals will be selected to represent Nebraska at the following contests that will alternate each year: 
  • Even Years: National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held during the World Dairy Exposition (EXPO) in Madison, Wisconsin. 
  • Odd Years: Dairy Judging at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Kentucky. 
  • If the top highest scoring Senior Division individuals are ineligible or unable to compete at NAILE or EXPO, the next highest scoring Senior Division individuals will be selected to compete on the Nebraska team (of four). 
  • To be eligible for an invitation youth must have scored in the top 10. 
  • If a full team cannot be comprised within these criteria, Nebraska will not name a national team for the year. 
  • To represent Nebraska at either NAILE or EXPO, 4-H members must have reached their 14th birthday and not passed their 19th birthday by January 1 of the current year. 
  • Once a youth has competed at NAILE, they are ineligible to compete at NAILE again but are still eligible to earn an opportunity to compete at EXPO should they qualify at a future state contest. 
  • Once a youth has competed at EXPO, they are ineligible to compete at both the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) and the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest (EXPO). 
  • Final decisions regarding team invitations will be at the discretion of the Nebraska State 4-H Office and Contest Superintendents. 

4-H Teams: 

  • Ribbons will be awarded to each team member of the Champion and Reserve highest point teams in the Senior, Intermediate, and Junior Divisions. 

FFA Individuals: 

  • Medals: Gold (1st), Silver (2nd), and Bronze (3rd) will be awarded to the top highest scoring individuals. 
  • Purple, blue, red, and white ribbons will be awarded to the top 50% of the individuals. 

FFA Teams: 

  • A team plaque will be awarded to the first, second, and third highest point teams. 
  • Medals will be awarded to each team member of the first, second, and third highest point teams. 
  • Members of the first place highest scoring team will qualify for the National Dairy Cattle Evaluation CDE at the National FFA Convention. 

Scoresheets, Forms, and Contest Study Materials

Scoresheets, forms, contest study materials, and additional resources can be found at https://go.unl.edu/ne4hdairyjudgingcontest. 

Superintendents

4-H Dairy Judging Contest Superintendent: Brandy Schulze, State 4-H Office 

4-H Dairy Judging Contest Assistant Superintendent: Jenna Hanson, Extension Assistant, Saunders County 

FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation Contest Superintendent: Mike Roeber, Northeast Community College

For 4-H questions, contact: 

4-H Fairbook | Nebraska State Fair