Vermont finishes fourth in National 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl

The Vermont 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl Team’s combined knowledge of dairy nutrition, herd health, breeding and genetics, calf raising, dairy marketing, and other dairy-related topics resulted in a fourth place-finish in national competition.

The four-member team competed Nov. 7-8 at the 35th annual North American 4-H Invitational Dairy Quiz Bowl in Louisville, Ky. The event, which attracted 14 teams from across the country, was held at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.

Team members included: Tara Collins, Fairlee; Maggie Kirby, East Montpelier; Ben Maille, Shelburne; and Andrew Seward, East Wallingford. The team was selected at the state dairy quiz bowl competition sponsored by University of Vermont (UVM) Extension earlier this year. The coaches were 4-H volunteers Sara Kirby and Kaitlin Benoit.

For placing fourth, each team member received an engraved silver cup and commemorative glass along with a rosette ribbon.

All competitors took the written exam on the first day of competition, designed to test their understanding of the dairy industry. The scores were used to rank the teams for the double-elimination team quiz bowl contest the following day as well as to determine overall team standings.

Each quiz bowl round consisted of five group questions where teams were allowed to collaborate on answers and 20 toss-up questions where the first individual to buzz in the correct answer earned points. Bonus questions, each worth up to 20 points, were offered to a team when three members of that team answered a question correctly.

The Vermont team’s trip was funded in part by the State 4-H Dairy Committee. Each team member also received a K. Stewart Gibson Award, given in honor of the former UVM Extension dairy specialist, to help cover expenses to participate in this national event.

To learn more about the 4-H dairy program, contact Wendy Sorrell, UVM Extension 4-H livestock educator, at (802) 656-5418 or (800) 571-0668, ext. 2.