How to Judge Dairy Cows

Whether you are judging for the 4-H, the FFA or just trying to pick the right cow to bid on at an auction, the more you know about what the professionals look for, the better off you'll be.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Assess all of the animals from a distance and compare them to each other before looking more closely. At this time, see if you get a feeling about any one of the cows that sets her apart from the others, and then identify why.
2. Evaluate each animal individually starting with the frame. Examine each one's rump, stature, front end and back, and then evaluate for any particular breed characteristics. Assign each cow a score for her frame from 0 to 15.
3. Judge each animal for "dairy character." Assign each a score from 0 to 20 based on openness and angularity, keeping in mind that in order for a dairy cow to be a dairy cow, she must be able to give birth to a calf with relative ease. The ribs should be wide apart, the thighs should be wide then curve in to flat, the neck long and lean and the skin loose and pliable.
4. Determine the body capacity (volume = length x depth x width). Score each animal from 0 to 10.
5. Rate each cow's rear legs and all four feet. She should have flexible, clean joints and feet with short, closed toes. Give each animal a score from 0 to 15 based on legs and feet.
6. Assign each animal a score for her udder. The udder is everything to a dairy farmer, so each cow is graded on a scale of 0 to 40 based on (in order of priority) depth, teat placement (square on each quarter), rear udder (not too high, too low or too wide), udder cleft that shows a strong suspensory ligament, fore udder (position, attachment and shape), teats, udder balance and texture.
7. Tally each cow's points. The cow with the most points is number one, the cow with the second most is two, and so on.