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.
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.
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:
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!
Amy Pelton
4-H Program Coordinator
alp257@cornell.edu
315-331-8415 Ext. 113
Last updated June 16, 2023