2017 Junior Sheep & Goat Skillathon

The 2017 Junior Sheep & Goat Skillathon will be held Sunday, May 7 at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. The festival is always held the first full weekend in May at the Howard County  Fairgrounds in West Friendship. For the first time, there will be an admission fee for adults ($5).  Everyone under 18 enters for free. Parking remains free.

A skillathon provides youth with the opportunity to blend knowledge and skills acquired in livestock judging, demonstrations, and care and exhibition of animals into a single activity. It consists of a series of stations where youth are tested on their knowledge and abilities related to livestock. In the Sheep & Goat Skillathon, all stations pertain to sheep and goats (meat, milk, and fiber).

Fleece judging is always one of the stations.

The Junior Sheep & Goat Skillathon is open to any youth between the ages of 8 and 18. Individuals and teams (of 3 or 4) from any county, state, or province may compete. Youth compete according to their age as of January 1st of the current year. Youth ages 8 to 10 compete as juniors; youth ages 11 to 13 compete as intermediates; and youth 14 to 18 compete as seniors.

Questions pertaining to this year's skillathon should be directed to Christopher Anderson, 4-H Youth Development Specialist, Animal Science, University of Maryland Extension, Maryland 4-H Center, 8020 Greenmead Drive, College Park, MD 20740, phone: (301) 314-7187, fax: (301) 314-7146 or canders2@umd.edu. Register online by April 28 at https://form.jotform.com/70254820764961.