Dairy Project

Explore the dairy industry, from raising a cow to dairy science and ethics to manufacturing and marketing dairy products. Topics include dairy cattle breeds, nutrition, feeding, identify parts of dairy cattle, desirable traits, stages of calving and care, and grooming and showing. Cows may be owned or leased.

State & regional events

To view county or local club events, visit the county website.

View all 4-H events

Livestock Quality Assurance & Ethics Training

All youth participating as a State Fair 4-H livestock exhibitor in beef, dairy, sheep, swine, poultry, rabbit, meat and dairy goat, and lama must have completed the Livestock Quality Assurance and Ethics workshop. Certification is good for three fair seasons. The level of training required is determined by the grade of the youth at the time the training takes place.

Dates and locations vary by county. Check this list for more information.

Gopher 4-H Dairy Camp

A three-day workshop for teenagers wanting to improve their dairy cattle skills. The camp is open to all youth that have completed grades 6-11, but not yet started 12th grade. Activities include dairy workshops, dairy showmanship, the Gopher Gold Auction, dairy cattle judging clinic, and an evening activity. More info

June 2012 - University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus

Minnesota 4-H Dairy Showcase: Honoring Blue Ribbon Kids

This event recognized overall achievement of Minnesota 4-H Dairy Project exhibitors that have demonstrated year-round participation within 4-H and the dairy industry including:

success with the animal
knowledge of the dairy project and industry
involvement within 4-H and dairy communities
activities in school, church and community
More info

August 26, 2012 - Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St. Paul

National 4-H Dairy Conference

200 youth from 4-H dairy projects around the U.S. and Canada gather in Madison, Wisconsin for the National 4-H Dairy Conference held annually in conjunction with World Dairy Expo. Participants learn about production, processing, marketing and use of dairy products, and develop a broader understanding of careers available in dairy production, biotechnology, genetics, marketing and other areas. The conference consists of participatory workshops on the University of Wisconsin campus, speakers, tours and visits to the World Dairy Expo. More info

October 2012 - University of Wisconsin - Madison Campus

4-H Regional & State Project Bowls

Project Bowls are an exciting way for youth to explore a project area. Teams compete in quiz competitions with questions about specific project areas. Project Bowls are available for Dairy, Dog, General Livestock (Beef, Sheep & Swine), Horse, Poultry, Rabbit and Wildlife projects. Winners of the regional bowls advance to the State Project Bowl. More info

4-H Animal Judging Contests

Effectively evaluating breeding and market animals is highly important in the animal industry. Judging is an art developed through patient study and long practice. 4-Hers interested in Dairy, General Livestock (Beef, Sheep & Swine), Horses, Poultry, and Rabbits can learn to be a good judge by knowing the parts of the animal and their location, which parts are most important for meat and breeding stock production, making keen observations and comparing to the ideal, weighing the good and bad points of each animal, and much more. More info

Check with your county for local county judging contests.
State fair contest details in the State Fair Premium Book - Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St. Paul

Minnesota State Fair

4-H plays a pivotal role in youth development and public education at the Minnesota State Fair. Over 7,000 4-H youth have the opportunity to interact with the public and educate fairgoers through 4-H exhibits, demonstrations, performances, and 4-H promotion. More info

Dairy project resources

Cowabunga!

Dairy Cattle 1 - Cowabunga!
Price: $3.95 (40 pages)
Learning About Dairy External Website

Mooving Ahead

Dairy Cattle 2 - Mooving Ahead
Price: $3.95 (40 pages)

Leading the pack booklet

Dairy Cattle 3 - Rising to the Top
Price: $3.95 (40 pages)

video identify dairy

Identifying 4-H Dairy Project
VIDEO

Forms

I.D. Tag Rules (351 K PDF)

Dairy Genetic Information for Calves and Yearlings (11 K PDF)
Dairy Production and Genetic Information for Cows (54 K PDF)

National Dairy Production Averages 2011 (32 K PDF)

Animal Science-Dairy

National 4-H Dairy Project

Gopher Dairy Camp

Hoard's Dairy Facts (55 K PDF)

Dairy Cow Unified Score sheet (530 K PDF)

Feeding the Dairy Herd

Learning About Dairy...A Resource Guide for the 4-H Dairy Project $4 (old version)

Feeding the Dairy Herd (revised 1994/reviewed 1996)

Practical Techniques for Dairy Farmers BU-06414 (3rd Edition). Available from Tony Seykora at 1-612-624-3448 ($7 for individual copies and $6 for multiple copies)

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