Minnesota’s State Champion 4-H Dairy Knowledge Bowl Team competed against 14 other state champion teams from throughout the United States at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 3-4. Dairy Bowl is a competition where all questions deal with dairy topics. Teams of four to six members take a written test and then compete face-to-face orally answering questions posed by a moderator. Questions are on topics such as nutrition, reproduction, milk quality, judging, and more. Teams receive points for correct answers and may lose points for incorrect answers. The team with the highest final score is the winner. The contest is organized on a double-elimination basis with winning teams advancing into further rounds until a champion team is selected.
The Meeker team placed fourth overall. Our Meeker County team battled it out in a couple of close matches with Vermont, which came in third. New York won the contest, and Wisconsin finished second.
Team members included Preston Welling (Koronis Eager Beavers), Paige Frenchick (Koronis Eager Beavers), Claudia Frenchick (Koronis Eager Beavers), and Elizabeth Thyen (Danielson Hustlers). They were coached by Jim Salfer of Dassel. The team earned the trip by placing first in the Minnesota State Project Bowl Contest in April.
For more information on how to become involved in Dairy Project Bowl or 4-H, please call the Meeker County Extension Office at (320) 693-5275, e-mail ctmartin@umn.edu, or visit our website at www3.extension.umn.edu/county/meeker.
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