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4H animal science

4-H Animal Science projects are an important part of the 4-H program in Volusia County. Here are some resources you may find useful:

Florida Market bulletin for livestock classifieds

University of Florida Dept of Animal Science Youth Programs
4-H calendars & information on programs from the state animal science 4-H program.

Running Deer Farms Installation Page (various Volusia County Fair and cattle-calculation tools.)

4-H Livestock Judging
What is 4-H Livestock Judging?
Judging activities provide youth with an excellent opportunity to develop communication, decision-making and organizational skills, and enhance their confidence and self-esteem. Livestock judging uses livestock to accomplish this goal.

How do I get involved in 4-H livestock judging in Volusia County?
Livestock judging practices are coordinated with the Showstoppers 4-H Club and meets every 3rd Monday of the month, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Agricultural Center auditorium in DeLand.

How do I find out more?
Check out the following resources or, for Volusia County residents, contact Sharon Gamble, (sfoxgamble@co.volusia.fl.us) Livestock/4-H Agent or Laura Cash, (lcash@co.volusia.fl.us) 4-H Agent.

Livestock Judging Resources
Steps of Teaching Animal Evaluation and Selection Judging

1. Teach the livestock.
   1. The mission of the animal judge is to select the animal which, based on all available information, should best fit the prescribed use outlined by the class. Therefore, it is necessary for the team members to fully understand the industry in which the animals in question are expected to function. The practical side of animal evaluation must be emphasized. Profit is the bottom line in all cases. Which animal would be the most profitable?
2. Teach anatomy.
   1. Identify body parts and how they relate to value.
3. Teach the language.
   1. Terms, phrases, methods of communication in the industry.
4. Teach the team members the traits, which are important to evaluate.
   1. Youth must know what the traits are, the level of performance that is desired and how to prioritize traits for a given situation.
5. How does use change desired type?
   1. In some contests, there will be management scenarios given. A class of four animals may be placed three different ways depending on the management scenarios provided. This is an excellent example to teach team members that it is difficult to make a general statement concerning which animal is “best”. The type desired may change with the needs of the use.
6. Teach members to orally defend their placing decision: oral reasons.
   1. Oral reasons are usually given with a two-minute limit. In general, oral reasons are given in comparative form including an introduction, body of three comparative paragraphs and a conclusion. Reasons are given to one official in a private setting. Teach team members to communicate with the single listener and not shout or mumble a memorized list of phrases.

Leif Wright, Showstoppers 4-H Club co-leader and livestock judging coach in Volusia County, has collected most of the following resources from the Internet.

Links of interest

University of Kentucky - Agripedia
This site is an encyclopedia of agriculture with several interactive learning tools.
Agripedia - Livestock Judging
This page is the livestock judging section of Agripedia. Judging techniques for cattle, swine and lambs are discussed.

• Agripedia - Livestock Identification
  This page contains interactive games to aid in learning the parts of animals and the terms used to describe them.
• Agripedia - Breeds of livestock
  This page is the livestock breeds section of Agripedia. The different breeds of cattle, swine, sheep, horses, and chickens are discussed.
• Georgia Agricultural Education
  This site contains a collection of reference materials for agriculture.
  Links of interest
  • Georgia Agricultural Education - Livestock Resources
    This page contains links to livestock resources. Most of the links are to PowerPoint presentations and require PowerPoint be installed on your computer.

National Swine Registry
This site has links to swine related resources.

Livestock Judging.Net
This site has some practice classes and links to livestock judging resources.

University of Florida
This site contains a collection of reference materials for agriculture.

University of Florida - Resources
This page contains links to animal science resources.
University of Florida - Livestock and Meat Evaluation
This page contains links to livestock judging resources.
University of Florida - Teaching Aids
This page contains links to livestock judging resources. Some of the links are to PowerPoint presentations that require PowerPoint be installed on your computer.

Colorado State University Animal Science Resources

International Museum of the Horse

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Volusia County, Florida.