Animal Science Contests

Knowledge Bowl/Quiz Bowl

4-H Animal Science Knowledge Contests provide the opportunity for youth to demonstrate their knowledge and skills  in Animal Science in a competitive setting. Youth 8 - 19 who have a serious interest in learning more about horses and dairy cattle participate in practices preparing them for the Hippology and Quiz Bowl contests. Species specific knowledge contests are also held at the Wayne County Fair for a multitude of different animal species.

• Hippology (the study of the horse) is a contest designed to test the youths knowledge in Equine Science. Participants will rotate through a series of phases including the Examination phase, the station phase, the judging phase, and the team problem phase. During the examination phase youth will taken a written exam on horse features and anatomy classification. During the station phase participants will rotate around and be asked to identify objects related to horses. In the judging phase youth will place 4 different classes as if they were the judge themselves. Finally the Team Problems phase allows for the participants to apply their knowledge of equine to real-world situations. Members participate as a team, as well as for individual placings. 
• Dairy Quiz Bowl and Horse Bowl are "game style" contests where members of a 4 person team will answer individual and team questions as well as compete for the chance to answer questions in the buzzer round head-to-head against another team. In these contests the individuals will answer questions regarding all aspects of equine science and dairy farming including; Health, Nutrition, Judging, Crops, Field work, Equipment and more! 

Members competing in these knowledge bowls will also have the opportunity to compete at the state and national level if they do well individually at the county and district level!!

Judging 

4-H Judging is an event that allows for youth ages 8-19 to be the judge of a class of animals! Youth will participate in a team of 4 to judge a group of animals based on their conformation! There is opportunity to place as both a team and individually and there is opportunities to compete at both the state and national level. 

• Dairy Judging: Dairy Judging contests teach youth to critically evaluate dairy animals based on breed standards and gain an understanding of how form affects function. Youth participating in these competitions learn anatomy and physiology of the dairy animal and gain capability in choosing the proper animal to take in the show ring or keep for breeding on farm. They also learn confidence and public speaking skills while defending the reasoning for their placements to the judges.
• Livestock Judging: Livestock Judging contests train youth to critically evaluate production animals based on breed standards and qualities for food production. Participants learn more about anatomy and physiology of beef cattle, sheep, swine and meat goats. Youth gain skills to distinguish which animals are more likely to become future breeding stock or quality meat products. They also learn confidence and public speaking skills while defending the reasoning for their placements to the judges.
• Horse Judging: The primary purpose of NYS 4-H Horse Judging contest is to recognize 4-H horse project members with outstanding knowledge of equine conformation and performance and also with outstanding skill in the presentation of oral explanations of their evaluation of the equines used in the contest. 

Livestock Skillathon

Skillathon focuses on the experiential learning and allows youth to solidify their learning with hands-on experience. Livestock Skillathon provides youth the opportunity to blend knowledge and skills acquired through Livestock Judging, demonstrations, care and exhibition of animals into one activity. Youth will participate in both individual activities and team-oriented exercises. There are 3 different stations that youth will participate in including:

• Written Quiz 25 questions (100 points possible per person). Individuals will complete the exam independently. Potential topics are nutrition, health, breeding, management, genetics, and current industry topics.
• Identification (50 points possible per topic). Individuals may be asked to identify retail meat cuts, livestock equipment, feeds and breeds, evaluate cuts of meat and hay or wool samples and complete a quality assurance exercise
• Team Questions (100 points possible per topic). Team participation will be required in a quality assurance exercise, evaluation of livestock feeding and/or performance information, and an animal breeding or marketing scenario and exercise.

Dairy Challenge 

Dairy Challenge is a hands-on educational activity for 4-H Youth to test their understanding of the dairy industry, knowledge of how to properly manage a dairy farm, and evaluate top quality dairy animals. The Dairy Challenge program is designed for 4-H youth between the ages of 8 and 18 as of January 1st and culminates in a state-wide competition at the New York State Fair. Participating in Dairy Skillathon activities like Dairy Challenge provides an excellent opportunity for youth to increase their dairy knowledge of in many facets of the dairy field using an applied and hands-on model. The one-day competition held during the New York State Fair allows youth from across the state to showcase their skills both as a team and as individuals. Youth rotate through themed stations and answer questions on topics such as farm and food safety, meat and dairy product identification, and dairy reproduction.

Rabbit Decathlon 

Skillathons can include anywhere from five to ten stations, each taking about five minutes to complete, although stations can be changed to fit the time available. Some skillathons offer different age- or skill-appropriate stations for novice (first time participants) to juniors and seniors. Youth move from station to station attempting to perform tasks such as matching breeds with descriptions, labeling animal body parts, identifying feed samples, demonstrating safe handling techniques, etc.

Horse Communications

The NYS 4-H Horse Communications contest is an event for qualifying youth to compete and show off communications and public speaking skills. The event is centered around the horse world, encompassing a wide variety of topics. As this is a state level event, youth will be evaluated at a high level with constructive comments offered to help youth improve.

For more information on these contests or information on other contests please click here, or contact the 4-H office at 315-331-8415!

Last updated June 16, 2023