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Dairy Specialist
Career Program Area

Goals

The Dairy Specialist Career Program Area is designed to evaluate each participant on all phases of dairy production and management.
  • The career program area will cover skills, tasks, knowledge and leadership abilities that would be beneficial in a student’s education or employment.
  • The career program area will pertain to all regions of the country without being partial to any region.
The Dairy Specialist Career Program Area is designed to:
  • encourage the development of specialist opportunities.
  • provide incentives to develop and improve curricular and instructional techniques.
  • evaluate participant and program efficiency.
  • recognize individual accomplishments and educational curriculum in the dairy production industry.
  • encourage cooperation between education and industry.
  • strengthen the PAS organization by encouraging active participation.

General Rules

Participants will only be eligible to compete in one Specialist Area per year. No participant shall be allowed to compete in more than one specialist area.

*Any participant who achieves 1st Place as an individual in The Dairy Specialist program area in Iowa will not be eligible to participate in this program area in the coming years. If that participant is also a member of the any team (no matter what their final official team position is - i.e. 1st,2nd.3rd,4th, etc) the 1st place individual will become ineligible and the other team member may return with a different team member if they so choose.

All career program areas requiring tests will be written by a non-affiliated representative or certification representative and if they are available will also
administer the test. Power to select representatives will be under the direction of the Iowa PAS executive director.

** Participants need to provide a NON-programmable calculator, (2)No. 2 pencils and erasers. Calculators will not be provided; it will be the responsibility f the participant to be prepared for the event. Cellular phones, Palm Pilots or any other type of programmable devices will not be allowed during the Dairy Specialist event.

*Though not required, each team is highly encouraged to write a general unsealed thank you letter to the career program area sponsor of the Dairy Specialist event area. Thank you letters should be submitted to the Dairy Specialist coordinators at the beginning of the competition. If possible, write thank you letters on local or state PAS stationary. Therefore, participants will be responsible for their own thank you stationery and their own writing utensils.

All graded tests will be returned to participants or an answer key will be provided for them to use as learning tools, unless it is prohibited by an association or organization. All announced results are final. All returnable information will be given back in chapter packets at conclusion of national conference.

Procedures

1. The Dairy Specialist Career Program Area is divided into three parts, as follows:
  • Part I – all members of the team will work together to answer test questions on all phases of dairy production and management.
  • Part II – all members of the team will work together to solve a problem or problems based on a dairy operation situation. The team will write down possible causes and solutions. (Example: Herd has poor conception rate.)
  • Part III – each team member will work individually to answer test questions on all phases of dairy production and management. There may be questions concerning diagnostic procedure identification and management applications. (Examples: CMT, particle sizing, injection sites, etc.)

2. The Dairy Specialist Career Program Area will be divided into the following five areas:
  • Genetic and the Breeding Program: Estrus cycle, artificial insemination, proper mating of sire and dam, and sire and dam selection.
  • Nutrition and Ration Balancing: Anatomy, physiology and digestive tract, selection of ingredients, ration balancing and analysis of homegrown feeds.
  • Health: General health, sanitation, diseases and parasites symptoms, prevention and treatment.
  • Building and Equipment: General housing principles, requirements, ventilation, feed and manure handling, milking equipment, equipment in the barn and milk room, biosynthesis of milk and milking procedures.
  • Management: Cash flows, DHIA records, farm business analysis information, economics, dairy products, marketing, and other management topics.
3. The following examples will be provided:
  • Nutritional information sheets
  • Sire directory
  • DHIA computer printout
  • Scratch paper
  • Other pertinent resource material as appropriate

4. Every possible attempt will be made to avoid regional bias in the questions.

5. Questions will vary and may include written questions, problem solving, viewing slides, actual equipment, etc.

***Each participant will be evaluated on performance in each of the three activity areas:
a. Written Examination = 100 pts. (Individual)
b. Written Examination = 50 pts. (Team)
c. Problem Solving = 50 pts. (Team)

***Team scoring will be determined by adding the following:
Team Scoring – Team written test 50 pts.
Team problem solving 50 pts.
Average of top three individual tests 100 pts
Team Total 200 pts.

*The total time for this career program area may last up to four hours.

Dairy Specialist Specific Rules

  1. Each team must consist of three (3) or four (4) members. The participants will compete both individually and as a team.
  2. In the event of a tie for individuals three (3) preselected questions from the written exam will be used and will continue in the same sequence until a winner emerges. For teams; the 1st criteria will be the highest team score will win and if still tied; 2nd criteria we will go to the same three preselected questions used to break individual ties as above.