4-H Meats Judging – Saturday, February 6, 2027
Location: Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Building, UW Madison Campus
Registration Deadline: TBA
If you have any questions, please contact or Bernie at borourke2@wisc.edu/phone at 608-263-4304 or Jill at jill.jorgensen@wisc.edu/phone at 920-391-4659
What is the 4-H Meats Judging Contest? Have you been to your local meat market or grocery store lately and think you could choose the best cut of meat out of the case? Have you ever watched a live animal contest and thought you could choose what animals would provide the best meat products? This is your opportunity to put those skills to work. This contest tests the knowledge of youth in the placement of carcass and retail cut classes, carcass grading, and retail cut identification. Top teams earn the opportunity to compete at regional and national competitions.
Even if your county has not participated in the past, round-up some 4-H friends and take advantage of this fun opportunity to show your knowledge of the animal species and industry.
Who can participate? You must be a currently enrolled WI 4-H member to participate in this contest.
- Junior – Age 8-13 as of January 1, 2026. Youth must be in or completed 3rd grade, 8-year-old Cloverbuds cannot participate.
- Senior – Age 14-18 as of January 1, 2026. (Sr. team members cannot exceed grade 12, regardless of age)
- Grade 13 Members – WI 4-H members that are in the 13th grade are eligible to compete at this state contest as individuals but not as a member of a team.
Livestock Skillathon and Quiz Bowl – March 12, 2027
Location: UW Madison Campus, Animal Science Building and Stock Pavillion
What are these events?
Livestock Bowl is a quiz competition where all the questions are about beef, sheep, swine, and meat goat topics and students use a buzzer in order to answer the questions. Teams compete in a double elimination format by giving oral answers to questions posed by a moderator. Each match has both an individual and toss-up question round. The winning 4-H senior team will represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl competition held each fall in Louisville at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE).
Skillathon contest is made up of a written quiz and learning stations such as breed identification, feed identification, equipment identification as well as some team activities such as demonstrating evaluation skills. The top Senior level 4-H team will represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Skillathon Contest, held each fall in Louisville at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE).
Competition in Quiz Bowl & Skillathon encourages members to develop a more complete knowledge of animals and related subjects. This contest provides an educational program for all project members, including those who may not own a project animal, and provides a way to develop self-confidence. These programs are a great parallel to some similar programs that breed associations and other organizations conduct.
Who can participate? Any current 4-H members grades 3-13. Please note, there are age divisions for each of those contests and parameters for grade 13 members. Please see the contest information in the link below for more information on the age divisions. Cloverbud project members are not eligible to participate in this experience. Even if your county has not participated in the past, round-up some 4-H friends and take advantage of this fun opportunity to show your knowledge of the animal species and industry.