2022 National Guernsey Convention Questions Part A

What is the name of the award sponsored by the American Guernsey Association honoring an individual or farm that has bred outstanding animals for many years and thereby has made a notable contribution to the advancement of the Guernsey breed?

Master Breeder

What is the name of the trophy presented by AGA each year to the highest living lifetime milk producing cow?

Liebers Trophy

The All-American Produce of Dam in the 2022 Guernsey All-American contest consisted of a pair of offspring from what famous Guernsey cow that was previously All-American herself?

Knapps Regis Tambourine—ET

What undesirable four carbon volatile fatty acid is produced during the fermentation of wet forages?

Butyric

What process kills disease causing organisms by heating milk to high temperatures?

Pasteurization

A sterile heifer born twin with a bull is called a what?

Freemartin

When you “churn” cream, what product does it turn into?

butter

What is the name for the first milk produced by a cow immediately after she calves?

Colostrum

What state produces the most total milk in the United States?

California

How many chambers are found in a cow’s heart?

4

Where on her body would you find a cow’s muzzle?

Head

In a feeding program, what do the letters TMR stand for?

total mixed ration

On what month and day must a heifer be born to be the oldest possible animal in the winter heifer calf class?

dec. 1

What is the enzyme needed by humans to digest milk sugar?

lactase

During hot weather, does a cow’s feed intake increase, decrease, or stay the same?

decrease

In which season of the year are incidences of twins and retained placenta highest?

summer

Breyer’s and Ben and Jerry’s are best known for which dairy product?

ice cream

The term gestation refers to the time when a cow is in what condition?

pregnant

How much does it cost to become a junior member of the AGA?

$20

What famous dairy magazine was first published in 1885?

Hoard’s Dairyman

Where in a cow would you find her streak canal?

teat

A mature cow produces between 50 and 80 quarts per day of which fluid that buffers the rumen?

saliva

What term refers to the highest point on a cow’s lactation curve when she is giving the most pounds per day?

peak

Milk letdown is stimulated by what hormone released from the posterior pituitary gland?

oxytocin

In what year was the American Guernsey Cattle Club formed?

1877

If your cow was successfully bred on January 10, in which month should you expect her to calve?

october

What is the best method to store colostrum for long-term use?

freezing

Most cheeses should be stored at what temperature?

35-45 F

Some breeders prefer polled animals so that they do not have to perform what task on their calves?

dehorning

The dairy checkoff program collects how many cents per hundredweight of milk sold?

15 cents

What term describes excess fluid accumulation in the mammary gland just prior to calving?

edema

Which part of an alfalfa plant has the highest digestibility?

leaves

Which compartment of the ruminant stomach is referred to as the “true stomach”?

abomasum

Low levels of effective fiber often lead to a reduction in which milk component?

butterfat

Failure of passive transfer is a term often discussed when feeding what type of milk to calves?

colostrum

What technique abbreviated PCR can be useful in identifying disease pathogens?

Polymerase chain reaction

IBR is a disease also commonly known by what colorful nickname?

red nose

What is the general term for the type of stress that occurs in the high temperatures and humidity of summer?

heat stress

What is the major male reproductive hormone produced in the testicle?

testosterone

The terms heavy, sour, and light whipping refer to which specific dairy product?

cream

Which month is National Grilled Cheese Month in the United States?

April

What is the designation given to the second-place finisher in each class in the Guernsey All-American Contest?

Reserve All-American

Which U.S. dairy cooperative has the most member farms?

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA)

How many different parts does a NAAB sire code have?

3

What products of carbohydrate fermentation are used to provide energy to ruminants and are abbreviated VFA?

Volatile Fatty Acids

What do the letters ME stand for when comparing younger cows to older cows for production?

Mature Equivalent

One serving of milk is equal to how many ounces?

8

In Guernsey sire evaluations, what do the letters PTI stand for?

Production Type Index

What state is home to Knapps Guernseys and Rolling Prairie Guernseys?

Iowa

What are animals called that are born without horn buttons or horns?

Polled

During cold weather, do a calf’s energy requirements increase or decrease?

increase

Generally speaking, when should cows infected with mastitis be milked in a herd’s milking order?

last

If your Guernsey has a body condition score of 5, is she very thin or very fat?

very fat

The term strutting is sometimes used to describe what part of a cow’s udder?

teats

What is the single biggest expense on almost all dairy farms when it comes to producing milk?

feed

Which fat-soluble vitamin is often called the “sunshine vitamin” since cows exposed to sunlight will readily make it on their own?

D

Of fats, carbohydrates, or minerals, which provides the most energy per pound?

Fats

Is the saliva of a dairy cow acidic or alkaline?

alkaline

In feeding terminology, what does the acronym NDF stand for?

Neutral Detergent Fiber.

What trait in Guernsey sire summaries is abbreviated PL and is a measure of longevity?

productive life

How many pairs of chromosomes does each Guernsey have?

30

In which ruminant stomach compartment are the B complex vitamins mainly produced?

rumen

What is the name of the Guernsey magazine published by Purebred Publishing?

Guernsey Breeders’ Journal

Who is the Executive Secretary of the American Guernsey Association?

Robin Alden

IgG and IgA are important components of colostrum. What do the letters Ig stand for in IgG and IgA?

Immunoglobulin

What fluid is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder?

bile

Hypothermia is most likely to occur in baby calves during which season of the year?

winter

Where is the site of fertilization in a dairy cow?

oviduct

If your Guernsey cow scores 85 points, under what final classification score category does she fall?

Very Good

What hormone interferes with milk letdown?

Adrenaline or epinephrine.

Carbon dioxide and which other gas is the largest contributor to total greenhouse gas emissions from dairy operations?

methane

What was the original name of the American Guernsey Association?

American Guernsey Cattle Club

What milking system component allows air to enter or exit the shell in an alternating manner?

Pulsator

A good estimation of a feed’s crude protein is to take 6.25 and multiply it by the percentage of which chemical element found in the feed?

Nitrogen

Which vitamin keeps eye linings healthy and helps prevent night blindness?

A

What Guernsey sire program is abbreviated GGS and provides Guernsey breeders with genomically-tested young sires?

Guernsey Gold Sires

What two letters are used by NAAB as the breed code to designate Guernsey semen?

GU

Hyperkeratosis is most often associated with which part of the cow?

teat ends/teats

What cow was named Grand Champion Guernsey at the 2022 World DairyExpo?

Valley Gem Atlas Malt—ET

What country is the world’s largest dairy product exporter?

New Zealand

Who is the current United States Secretary of Agriculture?

Tom Vilsack

On the PDCA Unified Dairy Scorecard, how many points are assigned to Rear Feet and Legs?

20

When discussing beta casein, if an A2A2 sire is mated to an A1A1 cow, what percent of the resulting offspring should be A2A2 for this trait?

0

What linear type trait measures the relative height of the pins compared to the hooks and is abbreviated RA?

Rump Angle

In the Guernsey Genetic Recovery program, what step abbreviated GT falls between Recorded Female and Provisional Register?

Guernsey Type

Generally speaking, a healthy cow will have how many rumen contractions per minute?

1-2

What list published in the Guernsey Breeders’ Journal recognizes the top 100 Guernsey cows who rank highest for combined fat and protein pounds each year?

Component Queens

What are the fingerlike projections called that line the rumen wall and assist with absorption?

papillae

What is the name of the condition when the rumen becomes very distended with excess gases?

bloat

What is the more common name for the cattle disease known as paratuberculosis?

Johne’s Disease

Milk can be checked for what hormone to determine pregnancy status?

progesterone

What is the name of the portion of a cow’s back that lies between the chine and rump?

loin

What is another term for the time when a cow is in heat?

estrus

Stable, house, and horn are all types of what insect?

flies

What are the clusters of milk secreting cells called in the udder that are arranged into lobes and lobules?

alveoli

You look at your DHI sheet and see that your RHA is 23,000 pounds of milk. What do the letters RHA stand for?

Rolling Herd Average

What does the P stand for in the AGA program known as TPE?

performance

In the estrous cycle, what organ secretes prostaglandin?

uterus

What department of the U.S. government oversees the National Organic Program?

USDA

The Fuel Up to Play 60 program is a partnership between the dairy industry and what professional sports league?

National Football League