GA DAIRY YOUTH FOUNDATION

November 2019
GDYF Exceptional Showmanship Class at GA National Fair 
 Photo credits: Sophia Politino, Warner Robins High School
2019 Fall E-Moos
2020 GDYF Junior Board Applications 
GDYF is laying the foundation for the future of the Georgia dairy industry. We are approaching the fifth year of our Junior Board and want to say "thank you" to our current members - they have done a fantastic job! We will mail applications out next month to those interested in applying for the 2020 Board. Junior members in grades 8-12 are eligible to serve. 
Six youth will be selected to serve next year.  Please note: The Board will only have 6 open seats.  Those selected must write a short bio to share on social media, attend the GDYF training day and at least two additional GDYF events. 

If you or anyone you know is interested, please 
GA Junior National Commercial Dairy Heifer Show Results for Fall 2019
Jessi Strickland, Burke Co.
The commercial dairy heifer show at the Georgia National Fair on October 6, 2019, saw many victories for the 
4-H and FFA members who competed in both the showmanship and weight class events.

Students in grades 4th through 12th exhibited heifers for top honors in the junior showmanship category. Congratulations to these exhibitors on their accomplishments!

1st Place Showmanship placings:
4th-5th Grades :  
Peyton Clark, Madison Co. 4-H
6th  Grade : Leah Higginbotham, Elbert Co. 4-H
7th Grade :  Jack Keener, Clear Creek Middle FFA
8th Grade :  Sydney Coble, Burke Co. 4-H
9th Grade :  Kiley Padgett, Hall Co. 4-H
10th Grade : Octavia Bushey, Gilmer Co. High FFA
11th Grade:  Trent Maddox, Jasper Co. High FFA
12th Grade:  Jessi Strickland, Burke Co. High FFA

Congratulations to the winners of the weight class category:
Division I: 
Grand Champion: Jack  Keener, Clear Creek Middle FFA
Reserve Grand Champion: Mary Keener, Gilmer Co. High FFA

Division II:
Grand Champion: Octavia Bushey, Gilmer Co. High FFA
Reserve Grand Champion: Eliza Jane Glover, White Co. High FFA

Division III:
Grand Champion:
Colton Swartz, Coweta Co. FFA
Reserve Grand Champion: Bryson Bartlett, White Co. High FFA

Overall:
Grand Champion: Octavia Bushey, Gilmer Co. High FFA
Reserve Grand Champion: Jack Keener, Clear Creek Middle FFA

ALSO, congratulations to the winners of the 
Dairy Cattle Showmanship Circuit awards presented by 
the Georgia Junior Livestock Foundation.

2018-19 Junior Division Dairy Point Circuit Winners:
1st place: Ashlyn Reddick, Burke Co. FFA
2nd place: Sydney Coble, Burke Co. 4-H
3rd place: Lane Bridges, Chattooga Co. FFA
4th place (tie): Leah Higginbotham, Elbert Co 4-H and Luke Huff, Oglethorpe Co. 4-H 
5th place: Noel Pickel, Morgan Co. 4-H

2018-19 Senior Division Dairy Point Circuit Winners:
1st place: Trent Maddox, Jasper Co. FFA
2nd place:  Lawton Harris, Piedmont Academy FFA 
3rd place: Chris Pittman, Piedmont Academy FFA 
4th place:  Octavia Bushey, Gilmer Co. FFA
5th place: Alyssa Ashurst, Glimer Co. FFA

The Georgia Junior Livestock Foundation (GJLF) recognizes youth exhibitors that have excelled in the show ring with their showmanship skills and participation through this program. Congratulations on this well deserved achievement!!
Dress-A-Cow Contest Highlights Youth at GNF
The GA Dairy Youth Foundation and the GA National Fair hosted the 3rd Annual Dress-A-Cow Contest at the GA National Fair in Perry. Costumes ranged from Beauty and the Beast to an ice cream cart to Willie Nelson. Spectators filled the arena and were blown away by the creative costumes that the kids displayed during the event.  Special thanks to Commissioner Gary Black and Mrs. Lydia Black for serving as our judges for this event.   To view the many colorful and creative costumes visit the GDYF Facebook page here.
Pickel Receives Commissioner's Trophy at 
GA National Fair
 
C ongratulations to Noel Pickel, a freshman representing the Morgan County 4-H  chapter, for winning the Commissioner of Agriculture Showmanship Trophy in October

The Commissioner's Showmanship Competition took place at the Georgia National fair after the junior open show.  Competitors for the trophy included the top showman in ninth through 12th grade and collegiate classes in the Open Show. 

Exhibitors were judged according to showmanship ability, appearance of animal and appearance of exhibitor.  Georgia Dairy Youth Foundation sponsored the award. Congratulations!!
Gilmer County High FFA Dairy Judging Team Competes at National FFA Competitio n
Congratulations to the Gilmer Co. High FFA dairy judging team that competed at the National FFA Convention last month in Indianapolis, Indiana! Team members were  Mary Keener, Alyssa Ashurst, Rose Chadwick and Ari Price.

They competed against 43 teams and 172 students. The team place 21st and received a silver emblem!  Congratulations to these students on their success and for representing Georgia's dairy industry well!
Commercial Dairy Heifer Show Clinics in Madison on Dec. 14th and Jan. 11th
Morgan Co Extension will host two Commercial Dairy Heifer Clinics on Dec. 14th and Jan. 11th at the Morgan County Ag Center in Madison, GA. This clinic is open to all GA dairy heifer show kids and is a great opportunity for new and experienced exhibitors to educate themselves on proper dairy heifer nutrition, health and showmanship.

During the first clinic on December 14th, 2019, heifers will be dewormed, body condition scored, vaccinated, weighed and dehorned (if needed). There will also be a basic halter breaking/ showmanship clinic. 

During the second clinic on Saturday, January 11th, 2020, exhibitors will learn more on advanced showmanship techniques.  Heifers will have their feet trimmed and body condition scored. Please note that heifers DO NOT have to be WELL halter broken to attend-this is a learning experience

Please call the Morgan County Extension Office at (706) -342-2214 or email Lray@uga.edu to RSVP no later than Monday, December 9th, 2019 for the 1st Clinic & Monday, January 6th, for the second clinic in order to assure that we have an adequate amount of vaccines and de-wormer.

Address: Morgan Co. Ag Center: 2268 Athens Hwy, Madison, GA 30650
Upco ming Events

Commercial Dairy Heifer Show Clinics
Dec. 14, 2019 & Jan. 11, 2020, Morgan County Agricultural Center, Madison, Ga. RSVP no later than Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. View clinic flyer. For more info contact the Morgan County Ext. Office at 706-342-2214 or email Lucy Ray.

Burke County Bird Dog Classic Commercial Dairy Heifer Show
Jan. 4, 2020, B SC Arena, Waynesboro, Ga.
Entry deadline: Dec. 15, 2019. Download show info.
For more info contact Shelley Coble at 706-466-3492, Kim Reddick at 706-399-4580 or email bcbirddogclassic@gmail.com
.

Houston County Dairy Show
Jan. 4, 2020, Georgia National Fairgrounds, Perry, Ga.
Entry deadline: Dec. 30, 2019. Download show info.
For more info contact Ronnie Thomas.

Madison County FFA Alumni Commercial Dairy Heifer Show
Jan. 18, 2020, Oglethorpe County Ag Center, Crawford, Ga.
Entry deadline: Jan. 3, 2020. Download show info.
For more info contact Josh Daniel.


Lee County Dairy Heifer Show
Jan. 18, 2020, Leesburg, Ga.
Entry deadline: Jan. 10, 2020. Download show info.
For more info contact J
osh Drew.

3rd Annual Apple Capital Commercial Dairy Heifer Show
Jan. 18, 2020, Gilmer County Ag Ed Center, Ellijay, Ga.
Entry deadline: Jan. 11, 2020. Download show info.
For more info contact Michael Bushey at 706-273-6393.

 
Snow Flurries Classic Dairy Heifer Show
Jan. 25, 2020, White County Ag Center, Cleveland, Ga.
Entry deadline: Jan. 4, 20
20.  Download show info.
For more info contact  Meg Dickerson at 706-865-4060.

19th Annual Elbert County Grade Dairy Heifer Show
Feb. 1, 2020, Elberton Fairgrounds, Elberton, Ga.
Entry deadline: Jan. 24, 20
20.  Download show info.
For more info contact  Jordan Collins at 706-621-9351 or  Dixie McCarty
at 706-988-9113.

UGA Dairy Science Commercial Dairy Heifer Show
February 8, 2020: UGA Livestock Arena on South Milledge in Athens

Chattooga County FFA Dairy Heifer Show
Feb. 15, 2020, Chattooga County Agricultural Center, Summerville, Ga.
Entry deadline: Jan. 24, 2020.  Download show info.
For more info contact  Emily Potter at 423-802-6341

13th Annual Briarpartch Classic  Dairy Heifer Show
Feb. 15, 2020, Putnam County FFA Agricenter, Eatonton, Ga.
Entry deadline: Jan. 17, 2020. Download show info.
For more info contact Kelly Smith at 706-485-9971.

February 20 - 24, 2019 - Georgia Junior National Livestock Show - Perry, GA - View Rulebook Here
Gordon County 4-H'ers Compete in Wisconsin at National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest

On September 30, 2019, Gordon County 4-H represented Georgia 4-H at the 98th National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held in Madison, WI. The 4-H'ers representing Georgia were Annelies Carr, Hannah McElrath, Gabrielle Ralston, and Bryson Smith.  This team earned the right to compete at the national contest after placing first place at the Georgia 4-H State Dairy Judging Contest held in March of this year. As state winners, these team members are also granted Master 4-H status in dairy judging.

For the national contest, the team was coached by Tim Street. In preparation for the contest, the team visited multiple farms in Wisconsin prior to the contest. These farms included Luck-E Holsteins, Cozy Nook Farm,  Mapleton Valley Farm, Crescentmead, and Hoard's Guernsey Farm. In addition, the team toured the National Dairy Shrine Museum, and Nasco.
 
The team also took part in a welcome dinner to meet other teams competing, as well as a reception and awards banquet. Wisconsin, Ohio and Maryland placed as the top three teams. 
 
The Georgia team wrapped up their once in a lifetime trip by attending the opening day of the World Dairy Expo. Congratulations to Gordon Co. 4-H and thank you for working so hard to represent Georgia proudly!
"On the road again to my old Kentucky home!"  
Written by: Dr. W. Graves & Dr. J. Bohlen, UGA

The UGA Dairy Judging Team participated in the 2019 NAILE Dairy Judging Contest. On there way to Louisville they practiced Brown Swiss Cows with Richard & Joe Sparrow at Ferndale Farms in Owenton, Ky in the heart of the bluegrass. It may have been 32 degrees, but the beautiful classes were worth the cold. What a great practice prior to the contest!
 
The 15 collegiate teams judged 10 classes from five breeds, then gave reasons to the officials on five classes.
 
UGA was the 5th place team in Ayrshires and 2nd team in Guernseys. Then the big news, the DAWGS were 1st place team in Holsteins!!
 
Dawson Fields was 6th place individual in Jerseys, Hunter Swartz was 6th in Holsteins & Abby Smith was 9th in Ayrshires. Alyssa Rauton also participated.
Georgia 4-H'ers Attend 65th National Dairy Conference in Madison, WI

On September 28th , 2019 three Georgia delegates Mary Anna Bentley, Addison Bridges, and Morgan Patterson boarded a plane to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the 65th National 4-H Dairy Conference. The National 4-H Dairy Conference is the place where leading dairy youth from across North America can come to interact with one another and build industry bridges that will last well into the future. At the National 4-H Dairy conference they had opportunities to learn more about careers in agriculture, seminars on dairy topics, and a wealth of chances to interact
with dairy 4-H members from across the country.

Each day, they heard from multiple speakers on different aspects surrounding the dairy industry and where that may fit into their chosen future pathway. They had hands on experiences, such as creating their own ice cream with the use of liquid nitrogen. The students experimented with how to create cheese and learned the science behind many of the existing dairy products, even learning about the effects of coagulation on the digestive system. They toured area dairy farms witnessing the usage of robotic dairy machines, learning the ins and outs of the daily operations of a dairy farm, what goes into feeding each stage of the dairy cow, as well as a variety of ways they can market their milk. They saw firsthand how Crave Brothers Dairy takes their milk and ships it across the street to their very own cheese factory. Students also had the opportunity to tour Hoards Dairy farm and their publishing company where they were able to try out getting an article ready for print.

This conference gave them a multitude of behind the scenes opportunities, but also created hands on experiences with Artificial Insemination, comparing and contrasting dairy with nondairy products in today's market, as well as giving them a chance to explore where they wanted to go within the Agriculture industry in their own future.

Addie, Mary Anna, and Morgan had the chance to spend time exploring the World Dairy Expo where they spoke one on one with leading researchers, technical experts, and sales representatives from around the world. There, they were given the opportunity to witness one of the best known dairy cattle shows.

During their "free" time they explored a local apple orchard, went on a boat tour of Geneva Lake learning the history behind this Wisconsin spring fed lake, and explored State Street and all it has to offer in downtown Madison.

The National 4-H Dairy Conference helped these three girls connect, learn, engage, lead and taught them how agriculture impacts their communities and their world today and how they can be involved in the future.
Coweta Co. 4-H Members Compete Nationally in Quiz Bowl
Pictured - Back row: Nicole Hillebrand, Kitty Yeager, and Madison Dyar
Front row: Pam Brinton (Coach) and Jennifer Brinton.

Earlier this month, our Georgia State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl team from Coweta County participated in the 40th Annual North American 4-H Invitational Dairy Quiz Bowl contest in Louisville, Kentucky. The team was comprised of Jennifer Brinton, Nicole Hillebrand, Madison Dyar and Kitty Yeager.  The competition tests students' knowledge in all areas of the dairy industry and involves not only individual knowledge, but teamwork and the ability to reason quickly in response to questions. The Coweta team tied with Pennsylvania for 5th place and was awarded Honorable Mention.  

The national contest is organized by extension dairy specialists Donna Amaral-Phillips of the University of Kentucky, and Warren Gilson, retired from the University of Georgia. This was Dr. Gilson's last year with the contest as he is stepping down after over 30 years. The Georgia team had a very positive experience at the contest and learned a lot.

UGA Dairy Fun Night Highlights Dairy in the Community and Supports GDYF
Written by  A. Rauton and Dr. J. Bohlen, UGA

UGA Dairy Science Club's Annual Dairy Fun Night was he
ld on Thursday, November 14th. In the spirit of good fun and camaraderie, Dairy Fun Night brings together ag and non-ag students from across campus to compete in a series of events that highlight the dairy cow. As in year's past, the proceeds from team registrations will go to benefit the Georgia Dairy Youth Foundation. 

This year's fun night drew 23 teams with a total of 91 individuals. The evening consisted of events such as heifer relay, milk chugging contest, and heifer dress up. 

Heifers i n the dress up event boasted looks to include "Dairy-el" modeled after The Little Mermaid, "Sherlock Holstein", and the "Holly, Jolly Jersey". In addition to this, teams were asked to participate in a canned food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, which yielded more than 80 canned foods. After  all events were completed, the competition closed with a single, victorious team-- the Branding Bandits comprised of team members Clint Lee, Ansley Roper, Emilee Eickhoff, and Kathryn Jemick. 

Dairy Fun Night, of course, would not be the same without the Annual Professor Milking Contest. This year we had  three professors to participate, including Dr. Todd Callaway and Dr. John Gonzalez from the Animal and Dairy Science Department and Dr. Brian Keipper of the Poultry Science Department. Ultimately, Dr. Kiepper was the "udderly best" in the contest. The UGA Dairy Science Cub would like to thank everyone that took part in and supported what was surely a MOOvelous time!
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In This Issue
GDYF Jr. Board Applications
Junior National Show Results
GNF Dress-A-Cow Contest
Pickel Wins Commissioner's Trophy at GNF
Gilmer Co. High FFA Dairy Judging Team
Upcoming Show Clinic for Dairy
Upcoming Events
Gordon Co. 4-H'ers Compete at National Judging Contest
UGA Dairy Judging Team
GA 4-Hers Attend National Dairy Conference
Coweta Co. 4-H'ers Compete in National Quiz Bowl
UGA Dairy Fun Night
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