Coach: Bonnie Ayars
The dairy judging program provides the opportunity for undergraduates at OSU the unique experience of judging dairy cattle at possibly eight separate contests across America. In such settings, members of the team are expected to place various ages and breeds of cattle as well as to present oral reasons to officials. Contests generally have a recognition banquet, and awards are presented to high individuals and high teams. Many participants are interested in this program through their experiences in 4-H and FFA. However, it is not uncommon for our judges to have little or no experience, but they have a genuine interest and talent!
ANIMSCI 3307 is the foundation course that provides the background content on dairy cattle evaluation and the process on how teams are selected.
Each year, “Scarlet” (primary) and “Gray” (understudy) teams are selected. The members generally commit to spending additional time at practices, workouts on host farms, and a trip to the Maryland State Fair over Labor Day weekend. Travel expenses for these events are funded by endowments, our department, and income earned from managing the Ohio State Fair milking parlor.