The 63rd Annual State 4-H Dairy Show was held Sat. February 20, 2010 in Kissimmee, FL at the

Osceola County Fairgrounds. It was a great show and a wonderful turnout for our youth exhibitors. The

show was judged by Dave Fisher of Illinois. We would like to thank ALL the volunteers, parents and spon-

sors that showed support to this year’s State 4-H Dairy Show. Without these individuals the State

4-H Dairy Show would not be possible.

In addition to the show, youth participated in many events, including showmanship, judging com-

petition, Quiz Bowl Competition, State Dairy Record Books, and Herdsman Competition. Below we rec-

ognize the Champions from this year’s past show.

Ayrshire Grand & Reserve Grand Champions– sponsored by Kinney-Johnson Fabricators

Grand: Lemola Kind Vera exhibited by Shiloh Anuez

Reserve Grand: SL Cornelius’s Anastasia exhibited by Sarah Luther

Brown Swiss Grand & Reserve Grand Champions—sponsored by Florida Brown Swiss Cattle Club

Grand: FTE Dallas Dafadil exhibited by Kelsey Ahern

Reserve Grand: R Bay Dans 448 exhibited by Kelley Jorgensen

Guernsey Grand & Reserve Grand Champions—sponsored by Gene & Jody Holcomb

Grand: Lisa exhibited by Fallon Curren

Reserve Grand: Turnpike Moondance Java exhibited by John McGehee

Holstein Grand & Reserve Grand Champions—sponsored by The Graham Farms

Grand: Vermouth exhibited by Fallon Current

Reserve Grand: Wild Rose Exclusive Lucy exhibited by Austin Carey

Jersey Grand & Reserve Grand Champions—sponsored by Novartis

Grand: IOF Goldenboy Kilo So Sweet exhibited by Mariah Shelton

Reserve Grand: Deerview Count Arlinda Two exhibited by Ross Laskey

Next year’s State 4-H Dairy Show will be held Feb. 10-13, 2011 & we hope to see everyone there!

For more information please contact Chris Holcomb or visit the Osceola County Fair webpage at:

www.osceolacountyfair.com/index.html

State 4-H Dairy Show

F L O R I DA 4 - H

DA I R Y YO U T H

P R O G R AM

U P DA T E

The Scoop A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E I I I I S S U E I

S P E C I A L

T H A N K S T O :

Southeast Milk,

Inc. Dairy Check

-Off, without

Dairy Check-Off

the Florida Dairy

Youth Program

would not be

possible.

To the dairymen

who donate their

time and animals

to allow the

dairy judging

youth to practice

at their farms.

The parents and

countless

volunteers who

graciously

donate their

time to help the

youth in this

program.

The University of Florida. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity – Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research,

educational information and other services only to Individuals and Institutions that function without regard to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital

status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, IFAS, FLORIDA A&M

For information about the

Dairy Youth Program

please contact:

Chris Holcomb University of Florida

Department of Animal Science

1702 Hwy 17 S. Bartow, FL 33831-9005

863-519-8677Office

863-534-0001 Fax christophersholc@ufl.edu

4-H Dairy Program Update For those of you that I have not already met, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Chris Holcomb

and I am proud to be the Regional Specialized Extension Agent in charge of the Florida 4-H Dairy Program.

I graduated from the University of Florida in 2000 with my Masters Degree in Dairy Nutrition. After

graduating college, I moved to New York and began a dairy operation and produced ice cream made from

our own dairy herd. I have recently returned to Florida, and am excited to be involved in the Florida 4-H

Dairy Program. As a youth, I participated in the Florida 4-H Dairy program, and have a strong passion for

the dairy industry. Many dates and events are already planned for the remainder of this year and for the

upcoming year and we are looking forward to one of the best years in the program. The focus of the dairy

program will shift slightly from where it was, to a more practical dairy farm-based program. Those youth

that participate in the program will be more prepared to enter the industry and be-

come leaders of the future. Many of the traditional events will continue, as will as the

return of some of the older events, and the implementation of new programs. If you

have any questions, please feel free to contact me. If you would like more informa-

tion on becoming a volunteer in the dairy program, please let me know. Again I look

forward to working with the program and to meet each and everyone of you!

P A G E 2

T H E S C O O P

National Guernsey Convention- June 2010

Quiz Bowl Competition

Florida 4-H Quiz Bowl Trivia

Senior Quiz Bowl Team: (L to R)

Fallon Curren, Raychel Rabon-

Kaley Brooks, Austin Pluskot

Junior Quiz Bowl Team: (L to R)

Shelbi McCall, Chandler Ash,

Alex Pluskot, Ross Laskey

Case of Golden Guernsey Prod-

ucts from Stolzfus Dairy Farm—

Lancaster, PA

DO YOU KNOW???

1) How much feed can 30 sparrows eat in one month?

2) What cow now holds the world record for milk production?

3) At what length should alfalfa stubble be cut?

4) What hormone is released by the corpus luteum (―CL‖)? (Hint: maintains pregnancy)

5) DFI was the previous name of the Dairy Products Promotion organization in Florida...What

is their new name?

THINK YOU KNOW THE ANSWERS..come to the State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl contest on

August 11, 2010! For more information, contact Chris Holcomb.

Answers will be given in the next issue of The Scoop!

Guernsey Junior Quiz Bowl Com-

petition—pictured (L to R): Di-

anne Spann, Chandler Ash. Chris

Holcomb, Alex Pluskot, Raychel

Rabon, Ross Laskey, Alex Plus-

kot, Fallon Curren, Kaley Brooks,

Robin Laskey. Not Pictured:

Shelbi McCall, Sharon McCall,

Kim Pluskot.

In mid-June a group of youth involved in the Florida 4-H Dairy program traveled to Lan-

caster, PA to compete at the National Guernsey Jr. Quiz Bowl Competition. The week

was full of events, including farm visits to many local dairy farms, a trip to a producer

making and marketing Golden Guernsey Dairy Products and trip with the other Junior

participants to Hershey Park. The Junior Quiz Bowl team, consisting of Shelbi McCall,

Chandler Ash, Alex Pluskot, and Ross Laskey, did extremely well and had the opportu-

nity to interact with other youth involved in the dairy program throughout the country.

The Senior Quiz Bowl team, consisting of Fallon Curren, Raychel Rabon, Kaley Brooks

and Austin Pluskot, competed very well in the quiz bowl competition and participated in

many educational events throughout the week. As always, we would like to thank the

gracious volunteers that accompanied the youth, Dianne Spann, Robin Laskey, Sharon

McCall & Kim Pluskot. Congratulations to these youth on a great job!

State 4-H Dairy Judging Program

Well, it is that time of year again...Judging, Judging & Judging! With many practices sched-

uled throughout the summer and fall months, the State 4-H Judging Team has been travel-

ing throughout Florida and Georgia preparing for the fall judging competitions. The State

4-H Dairy Judging Team will compete at 3 National Judging competitions at the All-

American Dairy Show, World Dairy Expo and the North American International Live-

stock Expo. This year’s state team consists of the following youth: Fallon Curren, Holly

Whetsell, Mariah Shelton, Pamela Mayo, Trent Johnson, Glenn Snowberger, Shiloh Anuez,

Jessica Turgeon & Cassidy DeLong. On behalf of the team, we would like to thank the

volunteers that work with the program and the many dairy farms throughout the state

which give the team the opportunity to visit and judge at their farm.

For those of you interested in learning more about dairy cattle judging, the State

4-H Dairy Judging program teaches evaluation of dairy cattle and preparation of oral and

written reasons. Participation in the program develops skills such as decision-marking ,

oral and written communication, and team-building. Being involved in the program, takes

dedication and the willingness to ―PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!‖ The program is a

very rewarding experience, allowing youth to travel, make great contacts in the dairy in-

dustry and develop life-long friendships.

National Holstein Convention - June 2010 Quiz Bowl Competition

By Chanse Huggins

P A G E 3 V O L U M E I I I I S S U E I

Summer time is the time of year to put up the pitch forks and feed pales and open up the quiz bowl books

and prepare for several competitive events. This past June I had the opportunity along with five other Florida

Juniors to compete at the National Holstein Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota in Dairy Quiz Bowl and Dairy Jeopardy con-

test, where we had to test our knowledge of all aspects of the dairy industry. For those of you who are unaware of what Quiz

Bowl is, it is an excellent opportunity for you to gain an immense amount of knowledge about your dairy project. At the Na-

tional Breed Conventions each state can send a team of four in each age division where you will take a written test, be asked a

set of individual questions and then answer a series of toss up questions competing against another team to answer the ques-

tion first and correctly.

The National Holstein Convention plays host to a variety of other

events where state Holstein Associations can showcase their accomplish-

ments throughout the year in traditional scrapbooks, digital scrapbooks and

state banners. In addition, Holstein youth can take the next step to further

their self and the Holstein breed by serving on the Junior Advisory Commit-

tee or as a Distinguished Junior Member, this allows the voice of the youth

to be heard and appreciated. This year I will reach my 21st birthday which

will terminate my time as a junior to compete in dairy quiz bowl. I reflect

back on the many miles traveled and the knowledge I have gained from at-

tending and competing in quiz bowl competitions. I left this year’s convention

enthusiastic about the years to come as I hope to take the excitement of

other states and bring it back to Florida to share with the rest of our juniors.

As the theme was ―Get Hooked on Minnesota,‖ I hope to get each of you

hooked on junior activities and experience the many priceless moments that

I did as a dairy youth.

The youth competing on the Senior Holstein Quiz Bowl Team consisted of,

Shane Gearhart, Fallon Curren, Holly Whetsell, & Chanse Huggins. Alex

Pluskot represented the group at the Junior Holstein Jeopardy Quiz Bowl

competition, & Austin Pluskot participated as the Senior Holstein Jeopardy Quiz Bowl contestant.

Bonnie Mohr Studio—Glenmark Genetics, Inc. Pictured: Chris Holcomb, Austin Pluskot, Shane Gearhart,

Alex Pluskot, Bonnie Mohr, Fallon Curren, Holly Whetsell, Chanse

Huggins

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 The inaugural Fuel Up to Play 60 program, promoted by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, took place

throughout the nation. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a student-led school wellness program that empowers youth to get healthy and be

active, by fueling up on foods such as low-fat or fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains in order to be able to exercise for

at least 60 minutes per day.

Bay Point Middle School in St. Petersburg was honored in May for earning the State’s top honors in the program, and Ac-

cel Castillo from Palm Springs Middle School was the top individual in national competition. For a full article please visit the Florida

Dairy Farms & Florida Dairy Council website at www.floridamilk.com and click on the ―FUEL UP TO PLAY‖ tab. More information

can also be found at FuelUptoPlay.com.

State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl Contest Gainesville, FL August 11, 2010

State 4-H Dairy Judging Team Workout North Florida Region August 12-14, 2010

Dairy Leaders/Volunteer Training Seffner, FL August 20-21, 2010

UF Dairy Science Club Clinic Bushnell, FL August 28, 2010

All-American Dairy Show Harrisburg, PA Sept. 18-23, 2010

World Dairy Expo Madison, WI Sept.. 24-30, 2010 For more information on any of these upcoming events, please contact christophersholc@ufl.edu

Upcoming Dairy

Youth Events...

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK!! Yes that is right...Florida 4-H Dairy has a facebook page dedicated to keep-

ing the youth and volunteers updated on current events in the Florida 4-H Youth Program. It can also be

used as a forum for youth and volunteers to share ideas and helpful information!

The webpage can be found under FLORIDA 4-H DAIRY!!

Southeastern Youth Dairy Retreat– July 2010 By Pamela Mayo

The eight-hour drive to South Carolina was truly worth it. Upon arrival to the South Eastern Youth Dairy

Retreat, Florida students unloaded for a fun filled week that would encompass opportunities to learn

about the dairy industry itself, and skills, to later take home and apply while in the show ring or at judging

competitions. Within the first day, Florida students visited the first dairy of many to come, Riley’s Dairy.

As a kickoff, the basic aspects of a dairy were covered. This included the technicalities of what it takes to

own and run a dairy on a daily basis. Riley’s was a smaller farm that emphasized the importance of sanitation. Which was

due to having a smaller herd size. From this point on, the dairy’s that were visited ranged in size with the majority being

smaller and family owned. A personal favorite was definitely Bush River Jersey Dairy, which was a registered jersey dairy

that excelled on genetics and bottled their own milk for local consumers.

As a kid growing up the thought of a merry-go-round was just as a playground and not a style of dairy parlor.

Bush River Jersey’s milking parlor incorporated a rotary system that rotated, allowing each cow to load and continue

rotating during the process of milking. A tour of the bottling area was given and a vending machine called the Vend –A-

Moo sat outside for anyone who wanted to enjoy a cold bottle of jersey milk right there.

In addition to the numerous dairies that were visited during the retreat, background tours at a local zoo were

given along with a tour and hands on activity at the University of Clemson’s lab/ state vet office. Students were able to

practice the skill of artificial insemination on cow repro tracts from harvested animals, as well as gaining experience with

an ultrasound.

Wrapping up the retreat were clinics that gave advice on grooming and showmanship. As the retreat came to an

end, Florida students returned home with new friends and long lasting memories.

Pictured:

Youth enjoying a day at Bush River Jer-

sey Farm in Newberry, SC. Youth partici-

pated in judging, showmanship clinic,

fitting and grooming, and hoof trimming

clinic. Youth also had the opportunity to

tour their rotary parlor.