2023 State 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl and 4-H Skillathon set for April 1

The State 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl and State 4-H Skillathon contests will be held together April 1 at Iowa State University in Kildee Hall, on the Ames campus. The deadline for registration is March 27. Check-in starts at 10 a.m., and competitions will begin at 10:30 a.m. The contests will be occurring at the same time and accommodations will be made so that teams may compete in both contests.

The teams are divided into two age divisions, consisting of three or four members for Skillathon and three to five members for Quiz Bowl. The senior division are youth who are 14-18 years of age as of Jan. 1, 2023. A mixed division team contains youth between the ages of 9-18 but must have youth aged 9-13.

Livestock Quiz Bowl is a competition where all the questions are about beef, sheep, swine and meat goat topics, and students use a buzzer 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 Iowa at the National 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl competition in Louisville, Kentucky, at the North American International Livestock Exposition.

Skillathon contest comprises a written quiz and learning stations such as breed identification, feed identification, equipment identification, meats evaluation, and some team activities such as demonstrating animal husbandry skills. The top senior level 4-H team will represent Iowa at the National 4-H Skillathon Contest in Louisville, Kentucky, at the North American International Livestock Exposition.

Competition in Quiz Bowl and Skillathon encourages members to develop a complete knowledge of animals and related subjects, said Amy Powell, ISU Extension and Outreach agriculture and natural resources specialist who serves as contest coordinator.

“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 similar programs that breed associations and other organizations conduct, such as Junior Cattle Nationals, National Junior Swine Association and the All-American Sheep Show,” Powell said.

For more information and registration information, please contact Powell at ampowell@iastate.edu or visit the Iowa 4-H Youth Development website at www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/livestock-quiz-bowl.