NEW SHARON — Eight Franklin County 4-H members working on their animal science dairy projects joined with 13 peers from across the state in the Maine 4-H state dairy judging.

It was held April 15 at Silver Valley Farm in New Sharon and at Hardy Farm in Farmington.

Members judged breeds of dairy cows — Brown Swiss, Holstein and Ayrshire — and offered reasoning to support their judging decisions. Each member was scored on their judging skills for each individual breed and on the strength of their reasoning.

Senior members ages 12 and older competed to represent Maine on the Eastern States Exposition judging team, while junior members ages 11 and younger practiced their judging skills. Eastern States Exposition is a regional agricultural educational event held each autumn in Springfield, Massachusetts. Maine 4-H is the youth development program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

For more information about UMaine Extension (or Maine) 4-H in Franklin County, contact Tara Marble at 207-778-4650, or email tara.marble@maine.edu.

Eight Franklin County 4-H members  participated in the Maine 4-H state dairy judging recently. They are, from left, Amber Leah Smith, Franklin County Beef Club; Samantha Davis, Jonathan Cliche, Jason Bagley and Bradley Smith, Franklin County Dairy Club; Hannah Mulcahy and Mariah Johnson, Doe-C-Doe Dairy Goat Club; and Caleb Foster, Franklin County Dairy Club.