CONTEST INFORMATION

This contest will serve as both the district dairy judging contest for senior members and held concurrently with the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo 4-H & FFA Dairy Judging contest.  This will also serve as the national qualifier for the two highest (and eligible) placing senior 4-H teams.

Date.  The contest will be held on Sunday, January 19,2020.

Location.  Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show, Fort Worth, TX.  Registration and judging will take place in the cattle arena (located between Cattle Barns 1 and 2).

Schedule.  Leaders and contestants should report to the superintendents by 7:15 a.m.  Contestants and coaches will need to remain in the cattle show arena stands for the orientation.   Following the orientation, contestants will be divided into groups and will judge on the floor of the arena.  Following judging, contestants will be moved to the sale arena for lunch (provided) and in preparation for reasons.

The complimentary Awards Dinner will begin at 5:30 pm in the Stagecoach Room of the Round Up Inn.  Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo results will be presented first, followed by the Texas 4-H national qualifiers announcement, and then District IV 4-H contest results will be presented.

Registration.  In order to be able to participate in the District IV 4-H Contest, all teams must register through BOTH Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo AND through 4-H Connect.

• There will be no onsite registration.
• Teams will only be allowed to register.
• No individuals may judge.
• The team entered in the Fort Worth contest will be the same team entered in the District IV 4-H contest

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Registration

• Fort Worth Entry Forms and Entry Fees must be postmarked by December 1, 2019.
• There will be a $60 registration fee per team payable to Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show. This fee covers a box lunch for each contestant.
• Every county that enters must also submit the name of a volunteer or agent that will be willing and able to serve as a group leader or cattle handler.

4-H Connect Registration

• Each contestant must individually register on 4-H Connect between December 9, 2019 and January 9, 2020.
• There will be a $10 registration fee per contestant to participate in the District IV 4-H Dairy Judging contest.
• When entering in 4-H Connect, you will enter the team name as it appeared on your Fort Worth Entry Form.
• No late registration will be allowed.

Keep in mind, that there is the potential for senior age division competitors to register for 3 separate contests (Fort Worth, District IV, and State 4-H).

Participation.  Contestants must be active 4-H members enrolled in a Texas 4-H and Youth Development county program in District IV.  Contestants must also be academically eligible (according to UIL rules) to compete on the day of the contest.

Age.  Age divisions are determined by a participant’s age as of September 1 of the current 4-H year.  Age divisions for this contest are:

Junior              grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8

Senior              grades 9, 10, 11, or 12

District IV 4-H will follow the same age groups as Fort Worth for this contest.  There will not be any distinction between 4-H juniors and intermediates in competition or awards.

Entries per county.  Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo allows one team per age division per club, for as many clubs as you have in the county.  When entering teams with the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, use a unique CLUB name for each team, not county name.

Members per team.  Teams shall consist of 3 or 4 members within the same age division.   4-H members 13 or younger are not allowed to move up to the senior age division.

Awards.  1^st through 5^th place individual and team awards in both age divisions will be presented.

Participants with disabilities.  If you need any type of accommodation to participate in this program or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Derrick Bruton at 972-952-9264 or d-bruton@tamu.edu at least 2 weeks prior to the program or note such needs when registering on 4-H Connect.

Contest Rules.  District IV follows the rules set forth by the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show.  The contest will consist of ten (10) classes made up of four animals in each class. The teams may judge the following breeds:  Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Jersey and Holstein.  See complete rules here:  http://www.fwssr.com/livestockpremium/.

Team scores will be determined by the combined score of the three (3) highest scoring individual team members.  The contestant with the lowest score will be designated as alternate, but will still be eligible to receive individual awards.

Senior contestants will give TWO sets of oral reasons.  Junior contestants will give one set of oral reasons.   Contestants will be notified at the time of placing whether or not reasons will be required on the class being judged.  Each set of reasons should be no longer than two (2) minutes.

Scoring.

• The contest will be scored using Universal Form A scan sheets. An example of the scan sheet can be found at the following link: https://www.judgingcard.com/ScanSheets/samples/705A-12.pdf
• Scan sheets will be provided by the contest; contestants do not need to bring their own. Each placing class will be worth 50 points and each set of oral reasons will be worth 50 points.
• A team shall consist of a minimum of three (3) members and a maximum of four (4) members. The lowest scoring individual of a 4-member team will be declared the alternate.  Alternates are eligible for individual awards.
• Ties will be broken according to the same procedures set forth by the Fort Worth Stock Show.

Resources.  Mississippi State University’s dairy judging guide: http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p0194.pdf

Passes.  Included in your FWSSR entry fee is a lunch and gate pass (letter of admittance sent to the coach by the Fort Worth Stock Show) for all contestants.