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Need an idea for a winter Dairy Club meeting? Learning the parts of the dairy cow is a great club meeting topic for this time of year. Every 4-H dairy club member should know the anatomical parts of the dairy cow. Members who want to participate in Dairy Quiz Bowl or Dairy Judging in the spring will especially benefit from knowing the parts of the dairy cow. There are some different options for obtaining this information. If you are using the National 4-H Dairy Curriculum from National 4-H Council (www.4-hcurriculum.org), you will find a dairy body parts quiz in the first book in that series (Dairy 1, Cowabunga!), on page 10. There is also a Body Parts Word find on that same page which could be used to enhance the skills learned.
Another source of this information is available from the National Holstein Association and reproduced by the University of Wisconsin Extension:
https://fyi.uwex.edu/dairyyouth/files/2014/03/Dairy-Cow-Parts-Quiz-KEY.pdf
This single page document can be printed with the names of the parts blocked out and typed on separate pieces of paper to create a “pin the part on the cow game” with each 4-H member taking a turn in helping to identify each part on the cow. After the game or activity, be sure that all members go home with an “answer key” so they can study them at home prior to participating in 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl or Dairy Judging activities. Even members who do not participate in those competitive activities will benefit from knowing the parts of their cow when showing or when describing an injury to a veterinarian.
By: Carol K. Ward, County 4-H Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Tracy Smith, Warren County 4-H Volunteer