4-H dairy youth learned dairy showmanship skills at the recent 4-H Dairy Fitting and Showmanship Clinic hosted by Country Ayre Farm in Dewittville, NY. The youth will be using new information they learned at the clinic to exhibit their dairy animals on Thursday at the Chautauqua County Fair in Dunkirk.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s 4-H Youth program recently held the annual 4-H Dairy Fitting and Showmanship Clinic to help 4-H youth prepare for the upcoming Chautauqua County Fair.

The hands-on clinic was hosted by Country Ayre Farm, the Woodis and Kimball families, at their dairy farm in Dewittville. Heather Woodis also serves as a volunteer on the 4-H Dairy Committee, and she and her family members hosted the clinic at their dairy farm.

A total of 30 4-H dairy youth participated in this educational clinic learning how to wash, clip and groom a dairy calf, and teach the calf how to lead at the county fair. Bret Bossard from Barbland Dairy, Fabius, N.Y. worked with the youth throughout the day providing clipping and showing demonstrations and encouraging each 4-H youth with individual comments. The youth gained many ideas and showmanship information from. Bossard’s experience and skills showing dairy cattle.

The Chautauqua County 4-H Dairy Advisory Committee planned and financially supported this clinic to provide the judge an honorarium, lunch, and snacks throughout the day for the youth and adult volunteers participating. Each 4-H youth received a gift certificate to a local agriculture supply store to purchase supplies for their project. The 4-H youth fundraise throughout the year allowing them to cover their costs of their many 4-H dairy activities.

The 4-H youth educational activity helps teach youth ages 5 – 19 dairy showmanship and various life skills as they worked closely with their peers, Mr. Bossard, and other adult volunteers at the clinic.

Fifty-three 4-H Dairy youth will be exhibiting their dairy animals at the Chautauqua County Fair in Dunkirk on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Main Show Arena on the fairgrounds. The show will begin with dairy showmanship at 9 a.m., where a judge will place the youth on how they have trained and exhibit their dairy animal, followed by the conformation classes, where the judge places the animals based upon ideal conformation characteristics.

Also, 14 4-H dairy youth will be selling a cooler full of dairy products, coupons, and gift certificates from local businesses for dairy products at the 60th annual meat animal sale on Friday beginning at noon. All are encouraged to attend to help support our youth at the Meat animal sale, with youth selling their hogs, goats, chickens, dairy coolers, lambs, and steer to help them earn money to reinvest into their 4-H projects or save for their future.

For more information about the 4-H dairy project, the many upcoming 4-H youth shows at the county fair or for more details on the 4-H Meat Animal Sale, please contact Cornell Cooperative Extension – Chautauqua County at 716-664-9502 or Lisa Kempisty, extension educator, at ljk4@cornell.edu.