Posted: December 4, 2023
A team of Pennsylvania 4-H members from Perry County — Evan Fleisher, Sadie Innerst, Julie Loy and Gavin Neff — recently earned honorable mention in the 4-H dairy quiz bowl at the North American International Livestock Exposition. Innerst earned second place in the individual written test.
Back row – Gavin Neff, Irene Osborne – club leader, Dr. James Osborne- team coach, Harrison Boaz - assistant coach. Front row – Sadie Innerst, Evan Fleisher, Julie Loy
A team of 4-H'ers from Mercer County — Makenna Mase, Kallie Prinkey, and Clayton Prinkey — competed in dairy judging at the event.
Held in Louisville, Kentucky, the exposition is one of the largest livestock shows in North America, featuring various competitions, exhibitions, and events related to livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, and swine.
Pennsylvania team members were selected from the top-ranking contestants at the Pennsylvania 4-H Animal Bowl in May and the 4-H Animal Judging Day in June.
Bowl contests involve a team of youth learning everything they can about a particular animal species and recalling that information quickly under pressure in a live, team-versus-team competitive setting, noted Kirsten Dubbs, 4-H animal science specialist with Penn State Extension.
Youth apply knowledge related to animal care and ownership; animal health and biosecurity; quality assurance and food safety; animal housing and facilities; ethics and communication; and other topics.
In judging competitions, participants gain knowledge about animal conformation and breed standards as they assess and compare animals, determining their placement. Youth also articulate and defend their choices to contest officials.
"Participating in animal science knowledge contests certainly teaches youth about their 4-H animal science projects and increases their knowledge level about those projects," Dubbs said. "In addition, these contests provide opportunities to learn and practice a host of other life skills, such as decision-making, teamwork, evaluating on the fly, memorization, and recall."
The Pennsylvania Livestock Association provides financial support to 4-H teams traveling for these types of contests. A Pennsylvania 4-H livestock judging endowment provides additional funding.
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Penn State Extension website.
