www.aces.edu

The Dairy Project Is . . .Cow’s milk has been used for human food

for at least 11,000 years. Early pioneers brought their milk cows with them when they sailed to America. Settlers took their cows as a source of food when they moved West.

Milk is one of nature’s most complete foods. It is produced at dairies from cows bred for milk production. A good milk cow can pro-duce enough milk in one day to supply an av-erage family for a month.

In the 4-H Dairy Project, you can learn how to make cows produce more milk and how to judge whether a cow will be a good animal.

There are two activities in this project. You may choose to show a calf or cow. You’ll care for, train, groom, and exhibit your animal at county, district, and state shows.

You may also be on a dairy judging team. You’ll visit dairies and learn to judge dairy cows. You’ll compete at county, district, and state levels.

You can take the dairy project no matter where you live. But you need a cow or calf to be your project animal. You can own or lease animals for your project.

Things You’ll Learn

• Different breeds of dairy animals• How to choose a good dairy animal• How and what to feed a dairy animal• What health care dairy animals need• How milk gets from dairy to market• Why milk is a good food

Things You Can Do

• Raise a calf or care for a cow• Make a halter• Train, groom, and show your animal• Tour dairies and farms• Practice dairy judging• Develop good sportsmanship• Keep records on your project activities.

Bob Ebert, Extension Animal Scientist, Animal and Dairy Sciences at Auburn University. Originally prepared by Tony Dozier and Deborah Stabler, former Extension 4-H Program Specialists.For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory under your county’s name to find the number.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.

UPS, 3.5M11, Revised Sept 2002, YANR-135 YANR-135

Answers to Dairy Breed Scramble: 1. Ayrshire 2. Brown Swiss 3. Guernsey 4. Holstein 5. Jersey

Answers to Dairy Foods Quiz: ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, butter, buttermilk, skim milk, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, egg nog, flavored milk, nonfat dry milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk

Answers to Silo Acrostic: 1. judging 2. calf 3. milk 4. groom 5. day

Annual Record of 4-H Dairy Activities, ______________

Name ___________________________________________________________________ Age ________

A pedigree is a record of an animal’s ancestors or “family tree.” Fill in this chart to record your project animal’s pedigree. A dam is the mother of an animal. A sire is the father of an animal.

Dairy Calf Growth Chart Age Heart Girth Weight (months) (inches) (pounds)

1

3

6

9

12

Calf ’s Name

Dam

Sire

Maternal granddam

Maternal grandsire

Paternal granddam

Paternal grandsire

Plant & Animal Sciences

4-H I Can Do… YANR-135

18 U.S.C. 707

© 2002 by Alabama Cooperative Extension System. All rights reserved

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Dairy 3

Dairy Breed ScrambleUnscramble the letters below to learn the five major breeds of dairy cattle.

1. Shirerya _______________________2. Ronwb siwss ___________________3. Nesyreug ______________________4. Slohneit _______________________5. Rejyes ________________________

SiloAcrostic

1. _ _ D _ _ _ _

2. _ A _ _

3. _ I _ _

4. _ R _ _ _

5. _ _ Y

2 Alabama Cooperative Extension System

4-H Dairy Activity ofName _______________________________________ Grade _________

Dairy FoodsQuiz

One way we use milk is to drink as whole milk.

List 7 other dairy foods.

1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

4. ________________________

5. ________________________

6. ________________________

7. ________________________

Solution to

SILO ACROSTICAnswer the dairy questions below to fill in the

blanks in the silo.

1. Dairy _________ is an activity in which you choose

the best dairy cow.

2. In the dairy project, you may raise a _________________ .

3. A dairy is a place where _____________________ is produced.

4. Before entering the show ring, you must ______________ your animal.

5. One cow can produce in one __________ enough milk to supply a family for one month.

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