State 4-H/FFA Dairy Youth Field Day

The State 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest will take place on August 1, 2024, 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 2024 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 Activity.

Schedule

• Morning Senior FFA Team Activity - Teams will receive appointments after registration closes.
• 12:30 PM Junior FFA check-in
• 12:40 PM General Knowledge Exam - Junior FFA and Senior FFA
• 1:00 PM 4-H Teams and FFA Dairy Handlers check-in
• 1:30 PM All teams begin judging classes
• 3:00 PM Oral reasons preparation and delivery
• 4:30 PM Ice cream social
• 5:00 PM Results announced (estimated)
  
• Note: Lunch will not be provided. All teams should eat before arrival at the fairgrounds. Senior FFA teams may wish to pack a lunch depending on their team activity schedule.

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 registration form and email it to Dave Winston (dwinston@vt.edu) by noon on Friday, July 26.

Lunch

Note: Lunch will not be provided. All teams should eat before arrival at the fairgrounds. Senior FFA teams may wish to pack a lunch depending on their team activity schedule.

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, 2024.
   B. Seniors will be 14 to 18 years old as of September 30, 2024.
   C. Youth born between January 1, 2010 and September 30, 2010 have the option 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 2

______________________________
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.