The National FFA Organization has announced an addition to their endorsed Career and Leadership Development events: The Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest. Entering its 96th year, the cow judging competition has long been a staple for the FFA’s Ag-Ed Division, but the now-formal partnership was launched to help the school-based national organization reach even more students through its state and local coordinator networks. The FFA’s endorsement of the Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest is also intended to bolster the group’s core mission: To make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.

The Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest allows students to learn and hone their dairy cow judging skills in a setting that doesn’t require access to live cattle for evaluation. The competition is formatted as five pictorial classes of four cows each, with the materials available in print or web-based format for evaluation. Participants apply their judging knowledge and compare their results against those of official dairy cattle judges.

For additional information and dairy judging educational resources, visit the Hoard's Dairyman Dairy Judging Corner.