The Junior Livestock and Rabbit Show is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2020, at the Agriculture Building in Raceland, La. All animals will show on this day. The Ground Beef Cookery, Beef Illustrated Talk, Rice Cookery, and Sweet Potato Cookery will be held in conjunction with the Livestock Show.

We will also have Consumer Foods Judging and Meat Identification Contests which are Pre-Achievement Day Contests. They are open to all 4-H club members. These contests will begin at 9:30 a.m., will end around 11:30 a.m. and will be held in the Agriculture Building.

Rules for the cookery contests are as follows (Registration 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.):

Ground Beef Cookery

Dishes will be entered as follows: Elementary (4th-5th grade, Middle School (6th-8th grade) and Senior High (9th-12th grade). Only one dish can be entered in this contest. The contest will follow the District Cookery rules for the categories for the Ground Beef Cookery Contest. The categories are as follows:

• Low Calorie Main Dish - A dish that provides less than 300 calories per serving. Can also be found on labels. Calculation of calories needs to be stated on the recipe.
• Quick & Easy Main Dish - A dish that is ready to serve in less than one hour. The time for each step and for cooking or baking should be stated on the recipe.
• One-Dish Meal - A dish that provides foods from at least three of the main food groups. Foods and food groups should be stated on the recipe.

The dish must contain at least one pound of ground beef.

Rice Cookery

Dishes will be entered as follows: Elementary (4th -5th grade), Middle School (6th-8th grade), and Senior High (9th-12th grades). Only one dish can be entered in this contest. The categories are as follows: Rice Main Dish, Rice Side Dish, and Rice Dessert. The dishes must contain at least one cup of cooked rice.Wild rice is not a cultivated rice in Louisiana and does not meet the requirement of 1 cup rice for this contest. Dishes containing rice products such as rice cereal, rice flour, etc. must also contain cooked rice. "Rice Crispy" cereal cannot be used as rice for this cookery.

Sweet Potato Cookery

Dishes will be entered as follows: Elementary (4th-5th grade), Middle School (6th-8th grade), and Senior High (9th-12th grade). Only one dish can be entered in this contest. The sweet potato dish must contain a minimum of one cup fresh, frozen or canned sweet potatoes. The categories are: 1) Desserts and 2) Other Sweet Potato Dish.

Note for all cookery contests:

Prepare the dish at home and bring it to the contest for judging along with a copy of the recipe including your name, school, category and grade. The whole dish does not have to be displayed. Two or three servings is enough for the judges to taste. Registration of all dishes will begin at 9:00 a.m. Judging will begin at 10:00 a.m.

The food should be exhibited in a container not to exceed 18" to allow adequate space for all entries. You will be asked to remove items not directly related to the dish such as place mats, flower arrangements, figurines, trays, footed chafing dishes, soup tureens, etc. Baskets or metal containers in which casserole/serving dishes fit exactly will be allowed. Non-edible items are not to be used as garnish. No serving utensils are needed. A microwave is used to heat all food for judging.

Beef Illustrated Talk

4-H’ers may also participate in the Beef Illustrated Talk Contest. The state contest will be held at the state livestock show in Gonzales in February. There will be additional rules and guidelines for the state contest. The contest is open to all 4-H club members. There will be three divisions in this contest:

• Division I – (Grades 4-6) Contestant designs (a) standard poster 22” x 28” relating to beef, (b) presents a 5-minute maximum explanation of poster subject and (c) responds to questions from judges.
• Division II – (Grades 7-9) Contestant will present an 8-minute maximum oral presentation relating to beef in one of the five categories (1) production, (2) food preparation and nutritive value, (3) food safety, (4) processing, or (5) marketing. Two posters or two power point slides may be used. Costumes based on theme are acceptable.
• Division III – (Grades 10-12) Contestant will present a 10-minute maximum oral presentation on beef. It can be a specific idea or an overview. Examples include Nutritional Value, Economic Value, Cooking Principles, Versatility, Food Safety, Role in Today’s Healthy Diet, beef’s place in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Role in our National Economy, or Role in Protecting the Environment. Posters or power point presentations may be used. Costumes based on theme are acceptable. There will also be an interview from the judge.

Awards will be presented at noon or shortly afterwards. All dishes will receive ribbons and champions will receive other prizes. Dishes will not be released until after the awards program.

Consumer Foods Judging

The contest is open to all 4-H members in Elementary (4-5 grades), Middle (6-8 grades) and Senior (9-12 grades) Divisions. The contest consists of at least 4 separate classes. The objective of this contest is to teach 4-H members the importance of healthy food choices. At least four classes will be set up with four choices in each class. Middle and Senior Division 4-H members will be required to give reasons on one of the classes. Types of information to be found in each of the classes include:

• Healthy breakfast foods
• Proper beverage choices
• Healthy cereal choices
• Selecting fruits & vegetables

4-H members should look for items low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium. They should select items high in dietary fiber, low in calories and high in nutrition value.

Meat Identification

This contest is open to all 4-H members in Elementary (4-5 grades), Middle School Division (6-8 grades), and Senior Division (9-12 grades).

For Elementary Division contestants will identify 20-25 cuts of meat according to the following guidelines:

• Species - 4 points each - Beef, Pork and Lamb

For Middle and Senior Division contestants will identify 20-25 cuts of meat according to the following guidelines:

• Species - 1 point - Beef, Pork, Lamb
• Retail Name - 3 points – T-bone, Bacon, Brisket, etc.
• Type – 1 point – Roasts, Steaks, Chops, Slice

Rabbit Show

The rabbit show will be held at the Agriculture Fair Building at 9 a.m. All rabbits should be brought in a leak-proof cage. They should be entered from 8 to 9 a.m. There will be showmanship contest. Age divisions are 9-11 years old, 12-14 years old and 15 and older. Awards will be given. Rabbits will be released immediately after all rabbits have been judged and ribbons are awarded. Entry forms will be sent to leaders and given out at January club meetings.