What you'll do
Explore the dairy industry, from raising a cow, to dairy science and ethics, to manufacturing and marketing dairy products. Cows may be owned or leased.
Topics
- Breeds
- Nutrition and feeding
- Anatomy
- Desirable traits
- Stages of calving and care
- Grooming and showing
Levels of learning
Get started with 4-H'ers in your area
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Find a club near you or contact your local 4-H office for more info.
Get started on your own
- National 4-H dairy activity books (for sale)
- Iowa 4-H Dairy Cattle Project Hot Sheet (free download)
- Dairy cow unified score sheet (free download)
- My American Farm
- Learning About Dairy Resource Manual (University of Wisconsin)
- Dairy Judging (University of Vermont)
- Project Brief: Dairy (University of Missouri)
- Buying animals for meat processing
Games and activities
- Character Connection: Dairy
- Skill-a-thon: What's that cheese? (University of Missouri)
- 4-H Business Startup Guide: Working Animals (University of Missouri)
- Dairy Jeopardy Game
- Dairy Judging
- Arrange for your class to tour a dairy farm
Find out more about your animal's breed
Already enrolled in the 4-H Dairy Project?
- Dairy information sheet — posted Dec 11, 2020
- AnSci updates for 2021 — posted Dec 11, 2020
- 4-H animal ID requirements and processes
- Animal science show requirements sheet for all species
- Animal science 4-H premise ID information
- Cloverbuds and animals
- 2021 National Dairy Conference application form
Join the Minnesota State Fair 4-H show committee
This is a leadership opportunity for 4-H members in grade 9 and up. Represent your fellow 4-H'ers on the livestock show committee, serving with adult volunteers.
What you'll do
- Attend two face to face meetings during the year as youth representative
- Participate in 2-4 calls during the year
- Staff a 4-H livestock information booth the first two days of the Minnesota State Fair
How to apply
Selected applicants will be notified in September and will be invited to a state fair meeting in October. This is a one-year experience, and you can apply for a second year.
Contact
Brian McNeill, Extension educator and advisor, mcnei006@umn.edu
Local livestock committees
You may be able to join your county 4-H livestock committee. Contact your local 4-H office for more information.
Dairy project resources for volunteers
Find training, project development committees (PDCs) and more support for volunteers on our volunteer site.
To volunteer with 4-H in your area, contact your local 4-H office.
Fairs and exhibits
Record keeping and evaluation
- 4-H youth record keeping — Reflect on your project and what you've learned.
- Animal science project interviews evaluation - junior level (PDF)
- Animal science project interviews evaluation - senior level (PDF)
You can exhibit
Your livestock
Contact your local 4-H office for sign-up deadlines and more info about how to get started showing your:
Dairy
- Spring (junior), winter, fall calves
- Summer junior, spring junior, winter senior, fall senior yearlings
- Junior, senior two-year-old cows
- Three, four, five year-old and older cows
- Dry cows
Dairy Showmanship
Commonly shown breeds include: Holstein (registered and grade), Brown Swiss, Red and White, Milking Shorthorn, Ayrshire, Guernsey, Jersey and Crossbreeds.
Your knowledge
Find out about livestock shows near you on your local 4-H website.
Future study
You could study agriculture at the University of Minnesota.
Reviewed in 2020