Fresno County 4-H Livestock Achievement Program Updated August 2016

Overview, Purpose, & Goals WHAT: Fresno County 4-H Livestock Achievement Program: The program is similar to the Dog Achievement and Horse Achievement Programs in Fresno County. The program provides an outline of what information should be covered in each year of a livestock project. Members, leaders, and parents can go online to http://ucanr.edu/sites/4-H-Fresno/ to access study guides for each species of livestock (beef cattle, dairy goats, meat goats, sheep, and swine.) Study guides and other resources will also be available for purchase from the 4-H office. Project leaders will administer a written test to their members in April. In May, in conjunction with the 4-H Fair, members will be tested on skills related to their species of livestock. Written and skill tests will be scored and members will be awarded medals or ribbons based on their proficiency. WHY: Fresno County 4-H wants to encourage members to increase their knowledge and skill development in their livestock projects and offer members an opportunity to excel outside of the show ring. WHO: The Livestock Achievement Program is open to all 4-H members who are enrolled in a beef cattle, dairy goat, meat goat, sheep, or swine project. (Dairy cattle will be added if there is leader/member interest). Participation in the program is strongly encouraged but is optional. If a project leader does not follow the program, members are still eligible to participate on their own. In that case, the written test will be done with another club or individually, as needed. HOW: All members will begin with Level I. Members are eligible to participate in the Livestock Achievement Program for each species of livestock for which they are enrolled in a project. Members do not need to medal in order to move on to the next level the following year, however, members who do not medal, have the option to repeat the level the following year.

Levels There will be four proficiency levels for each species: Beef Cattle, Sheep, Swine, and Meat Goats Levels 1 and 2 will focus on market animal production Levels 3 and 4 will incorporate breeding animal production as well as more advanced skills and knowledge of the species. Dairy Goats Levels 1 and 2 will focus on basic care and handling of dairy goats. Levels 3 and 4 will focus on more advanced skills and knowledge. Dairy Cattle* *There is a need for a leader to oversee the Dairy Cattle portion of the Livestock Achievement Program

Written Test Overview During the month of April, project leaders will order tests from the 4-H office and administer the tests to their members. All tests will be returned to the office by the end of April for scoring. Level 1 Written Test: Body Part Identification (Identify 6 parts) Complete a Fair Entry Form Terminology (Match 10 terms to their definition) List Three Breeds of Your Species of Livestock Level 2 Written Test: Body Part Identification (Identify 12 parts) Wholesale Cuts (Identify 3 cuts) (Beef, Sheep, Swine, and Meat Goats) Parts of the Udder (Identify 3 parts) (Dairy Goats) Terminology (Match 20 terms to their definition) Identify Three Breeds of Your Species of Livestock

Written Test Overview (continued) Level 3 Written Test: Body Part Identification (Identify 18 parts) Wholesale Cuts (Identify 6 cuts) (Beef, Swine, and Meat Goats); (Identify 5 cuts) (Sheep) Parts of the Udder (Identify 6 parts) (Dairy Goats) Terminology (Match 30 terms to their definition; Sheep match 28 terms) Identify Desirable Traits of Three Breeds of Your Species of Livestock List Three Wool Breeds (Sheep) Name Four Parts of the Ruminant Stomach (Beef, Sheep, Meat and Dairy Goats) Read Ear Notches (Swine)

Skills Test Overview In conjunction with the 4-H Fair held in early May, livestock members who completed the written test will be tested on skills specific to their species of livestock. An “open testing” format will be used, in which members will be able to move among the testing stations at their own pace. They will turn in a score card after completing each test station. Level 1 Skill Test: Basic handling/management skills (haltering, leading, tying, care, cleanliness, feeding/watering, worming schedule, temperature of healthy animal) Basic showmanship (setting up legs, presenting animal to judge, proper use of show stick/whip) Judging (members will judge a class of 4 animals of their species) Feed identification (identify 5 feedstuffs) Equipment identification (identify 8 pieces of equipment specific to their species) Level 2 Skill Test: Management (members will answer questions and/or demonstrate skills related to basic management including simple veterinary care, feeding, and fitting) Showmanship (members will demonstrate Level 1 skills + demonstrate ability to move animal out of line and set-up (if applicable), position themselves correctly to show front, side, and rear view of animal, and turn animal)*** Feed Identification (identify 10 feedstuffs) Equipment Identification (identify 15 pieces of equipment specific to your species of livestock)

Skills Test Overview (continued) Level 3 Skill Test: Management (members will answer questions and/or demonstrate skills related to management including basic veterinary and breeding/reproduction knowledge) Showmanship (members will demonstrate Level 1 & 2 skills including ability to move animal out of line and set-up, if applicable, position themselves correctly to show front, side, and rear view of animal, turn animal, and maneuver within a showmanship class) Judging (members will judge a class of 4 animals of their species and give oral reasons; notes for reasons will be allowed) Feed Identification (members will read labels and identify feed as starter, finisher, or maintenance) Equipment Identification (members will match 15 pieces of equipment to their use, specific to their species of livestock)

Medal/Ribbon Criteria To be consistent with our Dog and Horse Achievement programs, members will be able to move on to a new level, as long as they tested in the previous level in both written and skills, regardless of how they scored; however, if a member does not receive a gold medal in their level, they can repeat that level the following year. All members will begin at Level 1 for written and skills testing. Each member will test on one level per species but can work on multiple species in a given year. Written test score will be combined with skill test score to determine final score. 90% or above = gold medal; 80-89% = blue; 70-79% = red; 69% or lower = white.

Resources Study guides and this Power Point will serve as a resource and curriculum guide for leaders and provide members with information and a reference for the testing. Study guides to be used will be those developed by Fresno County 4-H Livestock Achievement committee members and/or those purchased from Ohio Cooperative Extension. Study guides made by committee members will be available on-line or at the county office. There are currently study guides for beef, sheep, swine, and meat goats. Study Guides will be updated by September 1st of the 4-H year. The Ohio Cooperative Extension books will be available for purchase through the 4-H Office. It is highly recommended that clubs purchase at least one copy of the Ohio Cooperative Extension book, as it serves as the “official” reference for the program. There are Ohio Cooperative Extension books available for beef, sheep, swine, meat and dairy goats.

Leader/Parent Help Needed Species help (Dairy cattle needs a leader to oversee the program.) Skills Testing – judging skills, scoring, tabulations, set-up, clean-up Contact Susanne Carroll to sign up to help: (559) 269-9959 or susanneandkevin@yahoo.com