Illinois team to national 4-H dairy contest selected
Four Illinois 4-H members claimed their spot on the 2016 National 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl team for Illinois during the state contest held Feb. 27 at the Parke Regency Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington. Thirty-nine youth competed for top awards.
Local youth from McHenry County - Ashtyn Martin of Union and Adam Olbrich and Morgan Olbrich, both of Harvard, attended the 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl in Bloomington to compete for their spot on the national team.
National team members selected include Jared Dickman of Lanark in Stephenson County, Charlie Elliott of Freeport in Stephenson County, Connor Erbsen of Lanark in Carroll County, and Jordon Oellerich of Lena in Stephenson County. Alternates to the team are Grace Koester of Red Bud in Randolph County and Adam Olbrich of Harvard in McHenry County. The national contest is held in Louisville, Kentucky in the fall.
The dairy quiz bowl challenges the 4-H members' knowledge and quick recall of information relating to the various aspects of dairy cattle management and dairy products. Each competition round included 12 questions presented one-on-one followed by 16 toss-up questions with bonus point options.
"The 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl requires many hours of dedicated learning and a good understanding of the dairy industry," said Dave Fischer, retired University of Illinois Extension dairy specialist and coordinator of the Illinois 4-H dairy education program.
In addition to individual awards, youth competed as teams. The junior division was won by a team of 4-H members from Clinton and Saline counties. Members included A.J. Lenkaitis and Briley Lenkaitis, both of Eldorado; and Drew Lueking and Shana Lueking, both of Centralia. The senior division team included 4-H members from Carroll and Stephenson counties. Members included Jared Dickman and Connor Erbsen, both of Lanark; and Charles Elliott of Freeport.
Assisting Fischer with the contest were Mike Hutjens, Gene McCoy and Rod Stoll.
About 4-H: Illinois 4-H helps youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H impacts the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming. To learn more about 4-H in the community, contact their local University of Illinois Extension office: McHenry County (815) 338-3737 or Lake County (847) 223-8627.