Dairy Judging Clinic with Dr. Knowlton

The Georgia Dairy Youth Foundation was proud to sponsor a dairy judging clinic with Dr. Katherine Knowlton of Virginia Teach on April 7th in Midville, GA. The clinic was free for Georgia dairy youth and hosted by Burke County 4-H, with special thanks to Pam Sapp and Merideth Meckel. Dr. Knowlton went over Judging 101: the priorities and even how to most effectively take notes on a class. Then students practiced evaluating live Holstein and Brown Swiss heifers as well as two Brown Swiss cows. Thank you to Southern Swiss Dairy for loaning and transporting the animals for the day. Although it rained, students and adults were able to use the equipment shed set up with pens. Following lunch Dr. Knowlton taught about giving reasons 101 and even had the youth write and give reasons over a pair of Hoard's Dairymen judging contest cows.

Dr. Knowlton is a professor of Dairy Science at Virginia Tech and is their dairy judging coach. She herself won reasons at three different national contests as a student. Virginia Tech has seen great judging success having won 5 national titles since 2006. We are grateful for her traveling down to Georgia and giving her time so that our state may continually improve our students' judging and decision-making skills. Hope to do it again next year!