So, you want to buy a dairy cow? Although you may be able to tell your Holstein from your Ayrshire, there are a few more things you ought to know if you’re going to get the best bovine for your buck. Luckily, UW–Madison’s Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Team is here to help, and they know something about cow selection — in fact, they compete to see who’s the best at picking the best cows. The team won the first of its 11 national championships in 1924 and for many years was coached by one of the foremost authorities on dairy cattle judging, former professor of dairy science David “Dr. Dave” Dickson MS’63, PhD’67. Today, Brian Kelroy ’02 and Trent Olson continue the team’s long legacy of success, skill-building, and friendship as they lead students through the competition season each year. To join the team (which is also a for-credit course), students enroll as sophomores and begin learning the parts of a cow as well as ideal traits and how to describe them. Throughout the summer and fall, the team travels to county fairs, farms, and competitions across the country to practice observing these traits and evaluating as many cows as possible. Here are four things you should know about dairy-cattle judging.
First impressions count
In collegiate competitions, students judge cows on four physical categories: frame, rear feet and legs, dairy strength, and udder. Each of the seven breeds of dairy cows (Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey, Milking Shorthorn, and Red & White) also has its own unique characteristics. Within each breed-specific “class” — a group of four representative cows — there will usually be trait differences that show an obvious winner, a loser, and a close middle pair for judges to place. Because judges have a finite amount of time to inspect the contenders from muzzle to tail, they need to quickly determine which breed they’re looking at and what they’ll need to judge them on.
Udderly important
Although you may not be able to judge a book by its cover, you should judge a cow by its udder. “When you’re judging a cow, the most important criteria to look at is how the structure of their udder — where the milk comes from — is made,” Kelroy explains. “A high, wide rear udder generally means the cow would have more milk, and a well-attached udder will mean the cow has longevity. We’re looking for practicality to ensure that udder is structured in a way that indicates a cow will produce more and be simple to milk.”
Look, but don’t touch
At a competition, each university judging team includes up to four students, and because classes only contain cows of the same age and breed, each team will go through the judging process several times. The student judges are expected to be able to predict how productive each dairy cow will be just by looking at it. In fact, they are expressly not allowed to touch the animals. In the first half of the competition, judges are given 15 minutes to observe the cows from a distance as the animals circle the ring in both directions before they’re lined up side by side. Students then identify differences between the cows and determine which are closest to “ideal dairy conformation.” The animals are numbered one through four, and at the end of the time, each judge turns in a card with their official placing.
Know your reasons
After the evaluation period, each team member gives a two-minute presentation explaining why they placed each cow as they did. The critical element of this section is to demonstrate that they assessed each cow against the others, not just placed them correctly, so students focus on comparing the traits of the four cows using specific dairy-cattle terminology. “In my opinion, the most valuable takeaway from dairy judging is the oral reasoning,” says Kelroy. “Whether in dairy judging, a personal relationship, or a business situation, you will constantly have to give reasons as to why you think or feel a certain way. It’s a skill that’s going to help you throughout the rest of your life.”
