National 4-H Dairy Conference
Georgia 4-H’ers Attend National 4-H Dairy Conference
On September 28th, three Georgia 4-H delegates, Mary Anna Bentley Addison Bridges (Chattooga County) and Morgan Patterson (Jasper County) boarded a plane to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the 65th Annual National 4-H Dairy Conference. The conference allows youth interested in dairy to interact with one another and build industry bridges. They also have the opportunity to learn more about careers in agriculture, attend seminars on dairy topics and interact with 4-H’ers from across the country.
Each day, they heard from multiple speakers on different aspects surrounding the dairy industry and potential careers. They had hands-on experiences, such as creating their own ice cream with the use of liquid nitrogen. The youth experimented with cheese and learned 
the science behind many of the existing dairy products, including learning about the effects of coagulation on the digestive system.
Participants toured area dairy farms, witnessed the usage of robotic dairy machines and learned the logistics of the daily operations on a dairy farm as well as a variety of ways to market milk.
They saw firsthand how Crave Brothers Dairy takes milk and ships it across the street to their cheese factory. During a tour of Hoards Dairy Farm and its publishing company, participants were able to practice composing, editing and publishing an article.
The youth compared and contrasted dairy with nondairy products in today’s market as well as explored their future possibilities in the agriculture industry.
Addie, Mary Anna and Morgan had the chance to spend time exploring the World Dairy Expo, where they spoke with leading researchers, technical experts and sales representatives from around the world, and view one of the best-known dairy cattle shows.
The National 4‑H Dairy Conference helped these three 4-H’ers connect, learn and engage while focusing on the impacts of agriculture in their communities and world, and how they can be involved in the future.
Source(s): Caleb Millican, 4hcaleb@uga.edu
Author: Roberta Pepper, roberta.pepper@uga.edu
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action organization.