EAST LANSING, Mich. — The 13th annual Michigan Dairy Expo will take place July 20-24 at the Michigan State University Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education.
Dairy producers and visitors may attend the expo to learn about Michigan’s dairy industry by visiting commercial exhibits and attending dairy management seminars and state breed shows.
Youth portion
As part of the youth-centered portion of the event, future dairy professionals and enthusiasts will have an opportunity to compete for premiums, ribbons and scholarships in various activities, including dairy quiz bowls, dairy management contests, dairy cattle judging competitions and the Dairy Days youth show.
New this year is the Michigan Livestock Expo Sale-abration auction to be held at 6 p.m. July 21 in the sale arena.
Dairy producers looking to buy replacement heifers can attend the Michigan A.I. Heifer Showcase Sale July 22. The sale will be held in the south barn on the grounds of the MSU pavilion at noon.
Consumer education day
The 11th annual Great Dairy Adventure consumer education day will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 22
Individual and team winners will be announced during the Michigan Dairy Expo celebration picnic and dairy youth and 4-H recognition program the evening of July 23.
At the conclusion of the awards program, the top two eligible junior and senior individuals will be presented with cash awards of $1,000 and $750, respectively.
The state’s purebred dairy breed associations, with direction from the Michigan Purebred Dairy Cattle Association, will also host their annual summer open and youth shows July 23-24.
The expo concludes with the selection of the breed show supreme champion. Premiums, supported in part by a grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture, will be available to both youth event and open show exhibitors.
Admission
Admission to the expo is free and open to the public.
Premium books, event entry information and schedules are available at any MSU Extension county office or online at www.canr.msu.edu/anscikids/dairy.html.
Registration deadline
The registration deadline is June 20. For more information contact the Michigan 4-H dairy office at 517-353-7855.
