Dairy Judging Training

Charles F. Hutchison, Ph.D.

LSU AgCenter
March 23 & 24, 2010

Objectives of Training a Dairy

Judging Team
Gain a better understanding of what

makes a productive and functional dairy

cow

Improve observation & evaluation skills

Improve decision making skills and
organizational skills
Improve critical thinking skills

Objectives of Training a Dairy

Judging Team
Improve communication skills
Public Speaking
Speaking concisely
Taking Notes
Organizing thoughts

Being a team member

Build Self Confidence

Fundamentals

Recognize the different breeds of dairy cattle

Learn the parts of the dairy cow
Learn what traits and parts are important
Evaluate and compare to the ideal
Learn comparative terminology
Evaluate and make a decision.
Prepare and organize their thoughts and
decisions; and present them in a logical, clear,
concise and convincing manner both orally and
written.

State Contest
Conducted at LSU AgCenter Dairy Farm
on Campus
All classes will be Holsteins
3 Classes of lactating cows
3 Classes of heifers
Placing on all 6 classes
Oral reasons on the 3 classes of cows at
the 4-H Mini-farm building

RESOURCES

www.holsteinfoundation.org
CEV videos and DVDs
Other Agents
Live animal training sessions

Breeds of Dairy Cattle

7 Major Breeds and Several
Minor or Rare Breeds

Dairy Cattle Facts

-Most were imported
from Europe
-Most do better in temperate climates:
Milk production goes down in
extreme hot weather
-Most have horns:
Physically removed (de-horned) when calves
Few polled (born with no horns) bulls available

Dairy Cattle
Terms
bull - Mature male dairy animal
cow - Mature female dairy; shows
evidence of having produced one or more
calves
heifer - female dairy animal that has not
borne a calf
calf - male or female dairy animal under
one year of age
springer cow or heifer showing signs of
pregnancy
breed characteristics - physical traits that
differentiate one breed from another

Dairy Cattle
Terms
dairy herd improvement records (DHI)
production records kept on producing dairy
cattle
mammary system - parts of the cow directly
responsible for producing and storing milk
disposition - manner in which an animal acts;
quiet, docile, vicious
pedigree - register of lines of ancestry

Dairy Cattle
Terms

dairy character - characteristics indicating

the animal will be useful in the dairy
industry
butterfat - percent of fat in the milk
milk production - amount in pounds of
milk that a cow produces during a
lactation period
lactation - span of time that a cow is
giving milk
Dry Cow mature cow that is not lactating
but is in late gestation.

Holstein
Origin: Netherlands
Second oldest of the
pure dairy breeds
Color: Black and white or
red and white with
markings clearly defined.
Head: Clean cut
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
moderately dished
Size: 1500 lb

Holstein
-Largest of all U.S. Dairy Breeds
-Account for 93% of all dairy
breeds in the U.S.
-Highest Milk
Producer
-Lowest breed for
milk components

Jersey
Origin: Isle of Jersey
Color: usually a shade of
fawn with or without white
markings. Muzzle is black
encircled by a light colored
ring. Tongue and switch can
be black, white or both.
Head: clean cut
proportionate to stature
showing refinement; Face
slightly double dished
Size: 900 1,000 lb

Guernsey
Origin: Isle of Guernsey
Color: Shade of fawn
with white markings
clearly defined; a clear
(buff) muzzle is
preferred over a smoky
or black muzzle
Head: clean cut,
forehead broad and
slightly dished
Size: 1100 1150 lb

Ayrshire
Origin: Scotland
Color: Light to deep cherry
red, mahogany, brown or
a combination of any of
these colors with white or
white alone
Head: Clean cut,
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
moderately dished
Size: 1200 lb

Brown Swiss
Origin: Switzerland
Color: Solid brown varying
from very light to dark;
muzzle is black encircled
by a mealy colored ring
Head: Clean cut,
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
slightly dished
Size: 1400 lb

Milking Shorthorn
Origin: England
Color: Either red, red
and white or roan
Head: Clean cut
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
moderately dished
Size: 1250 1350 lb

Red & White

Origin: Holland
Color: red and white
Head: Clean cut
proportionate to body;
forehead broad and
slightly dished
Size: 1400 lb

Dairy Breeds
Milk Production Facts
Breed
Holstein
Ayrshire3.95
Jersey
Brown Swiss
Guernsey

Percent Butterfat
3.66

Pounds Butterfat
703

569
4.75
4.03
4.57

Pounds
Milk Prod
19,185

14,398
618
606
611

13,020
15,062
13,363

Think about this?

1. Which breed produced the most total pounds of milk? Why do think this is
so?
2. Why would butterfat be important to milk?
3. What breed produced the lowest total pounds of butterfat?
4. What would you think the most popular breed of Dairy cattle would be
judging from this data? Why?
5. What is the definition of milk production? Why would a cow be lactating?

Identify the Breed(s)

Identify the Breed(s)

Identify the Breed(s)

Identify the Breed(s)

Identify the Breed(s)

Identify the Breed(s)

Identify the Breed

Identify the Breed(s)

Minor Dairy Breed

Dexter
Origin: obscure could
be cross between
Devon and Kerry
Native home is
southern part of
Ireland
Mature cow weighs
less than 750 lb and
36 42 tall

Minor Dairy Breed

Danish Red
Origin: Islands off the
coast of Denmark
Mature cow will weigh
about 1,400 lb and
gives about 12,000 lb
milk

Minor Dairy Breed

Dutch Belted (Lakenvelder)
Origin: Holland
The Dutch Belted breed
flourished in the U.S. as a
dairy breed from around
1815-1940.
Today they are one of the
rare breeds of livestock in
North America, with fewer
than 200 registered cattle in
the country.

Minor Dairy Breed

The Swedish Red-andWhite is the most
common dairy breed
found in Sweden. It is red
with small white
markings.. The cows
weigh around 1200 lb,
and they give about
16,500 lb milk in one
year. The SRB is a
resilient breed of cattle
and they are also used for
meat production.

Minor Dairy Breed

Milking Devon
Origin: Devonshire
England
First imported to the
U.S. in 1623 to
Plymouth Colony.
Triple purpose breed

Minor Dairy Breed

Gir
Origin: Southwest
India
Mature cow weighs
about 900 lb and
produces about 3,500
lb.
Dual purpose breed

Dairy Breeds
Parts of a Dairy Cow

Dairy Breeds
Parts of a Dairy Cow Quiz

Parts of the Cow

Lets Practice!
Look at each cow and think about the
parts of the Unified Scorecard.
Then write down several things that
you like or dislike about that cow.
Finally, write down how you would
place the pair of cows

Dairy Cattle Judging

Use What you have learned

Which animal would be considered desirable?

What terms would you use to describe the differences?
Which animal shows the best general appearance?
Are these cows or heifers? Why?

Dairy Cattle Judging

Use What you have learned

Which animal would be considered desirable?

What terms would you use to describe the differences?
Which shows more dairy character? What are the
indicators?
What about the udder?