GRAY – Earlier this month, members of the Franklin County Dairy 4-H Club gained first-hand experience in working with dairy cows while participating in two events across the state. Both events helped prepare youth in the 4-H program for participating in dairy competitions at fairs across the state and region later this year.
The first event was the Spring Dairy Workshop at Juniper Farms in Gray, Maine on Saturday, April 2. This day-long program gave youth hands-on experience in dairy cow nutrition, showmanship, clipping and fitting.
The second event was a dairy judging practice hosted by the Cumberland County Dairy Club on Saturday, April 9. Three Franklin County youths, Amber Smith, Kristen Davis, and Mariah Johnson, joined 15 4-H members from around the state. While working in teams, youth learned about dairy cow anatomy, judging terminology and comparisons of different animals. Youth also had an opportunity to judge a class and then shared their reasons for placing the animals as they did.
4-H is the youth development program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Its mission is to “empower youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults.” To learn more about the 4-H Program in Franklin County, Please contact Judy Smith or Dave Allen at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Farmington at 778-4650 or extension.franklin@maine.edu.
