Each state, based on their National Junior Membership, may nominate up to four youth to compete in the National contest. Contestants prepare books summarizing their Junior Holstein activities and provide views on current industry topics. Twelve semifinalists are chosen to attend the National Holstein Convention, where six Distinguished Junior Member finalists are selected. The top six DJMs receive an annual renewed adult membership with the Holstein Association USA, Inc.

Congratulations to the 2008 Holstein Distinguished Junior Member Finalists

This fact sheet is designed to help organize the many steps involved in preparing an entry as well as increase awareness of the responsibilities of Distinguished Junior Members. In order to apply for the National Distinguished Junior Member Award, you must first be recognized as a regional and/or state winner. Once you have been named to represent your area, you must make the commitment to submit a top quality national entry. This fact sheet will assist you in completing your entry book. To find out more information on a specific portion of the Distinguished Junior Member Award entry process, click on the link below.   Filling out the Book   Story of Junior Holstein Work   Summary of Activities and Projects   Resume of Registered Holsteins Owned   Clippings and Pictures About You   Personal Views   Preparing for the Interview   Deadlines   2009 DJM Application (in pdf format)   DJM Form 1       DJM Form 2       DJM Form 3 Filling out the Book Allow for plenty of time to complete the application. The twelve national semi-finalists are chosen completely on the book evaluation. The book score then comprises 60% of the finalists score and is combined with 40% of the interview score. A top entry must begin preparing the book months in advance. It is very important that you fill out this application with the mindset that you will be named a finalist. Your self confidence will show in your work. This entry should be a factual representation of your life with the Holstein cow. Remember to be clear and concise so the judges do not have to guess what you have done. In addition, the interview judges will not see your entire book, so it is imperative to have each section complete. Be sure to include only the information asked for in each section. Do not be repetitive. Adding too much filler material will bore the judges and lower your overall score. Certificates or similar items may be used on the front of divider pages - limit to one-side only. The material should be put in a three ring binder. Front and back covers are optional. A wide variety of cover styles are turned in each year. If you choose to prepare a special cover it should be neat and attractive. A simple binder with your name and state on it is fine. If you choose to display your creativity, the cover is your place to show it. The judges do not score your book on the cover, but others who see it will. The book's visual appearance is very important. It should be eye-catching but not overpowering. Your entry book must be done in an easy-to-read 12 point font with one-inch margins and double-spaced. It should be printed on the same computer, word processor or typewriter. It is recommended but not mandatory that your work be laser printed on resume quality paper. If there is not access to a laser printer, make sure that the type style is easily readable and the ribbon on the printer is dark. Pages should be in non-glare page protectors. The dividers should also be in the same type of page covers and labeled with tabs. Tabs should be the same size, typed, in ordered sequence (first section top right corner, last section bottom of the page), and labeled with each section name. It is not recommended to letter each section on the index and follow with those designations on the tabs. This practice makes it difficult for viewers to find the exact section they are looking for. Make your book personal. When the judges are selecting the top twelve from a large field of entries, they need to remember who you are. Demand their attention by being creative and showing your personality. Story of Junior Holstein Work Emphasize your degree of involvement in your home-farm operation and/or other dairy/agricultural operations. Include specific responsibilities. Explain involvement in Junior work and the extent to which you are preparing for your future career. Other suggested topics include: details of farm, cows, acres, milking facility and how you got involved in the industry. Be sure to make a clear outline of your story before beginning the initial draft. Avoid overlapping areas yet completely cover each section. A suggestion to make your story more organized is to sub-head each section. There are specific individual sections for finances, obtaining animals, and the breeding program. Not to exceed eight double-spaced pages of type on one side only. Summary of Activities and Projects List from most recent year to your first year beginning with the first year of dairy project work and include achievements, awards won and offices held. These to be the highlights of your career as a Junior Holstein Member. This should include all types of projects and activities...Holstein, 4-H, FFA, school, church, and community. Do not go overboard in this area. This section is to highlight your accomplishments and activities. Some applicants tend to list every placing their projects have ever received: listing the placing, animal, and show. Only show highlights should be listed. Do not exceed five pages. Many of these summaries are several pages long and difficult for the judges to read. Accomplishments should be listed by year and can be further separated by activity such as 4-H, FFA, school, etc. A good way to get your most important activities noticed is to type your top accomplishments each year in bold, emphasizing the last five years. Resume of Registered Holsteins Owned Inventory   Individual listing including all animals owned.   List your current herd in a neat, concise fashion. This section should not be cluttered with extraneous information. The list may include: animal's name, date of birth, sire, dam, and estimated value.   There should be separate headings for your animals and partnership animals. If you would like to list all the animals you have owned and are no longer in your herd, it is recommended that you list them on the bottom of the page or on the next page, however, this is not necessary. You are not scored on the number of animals you own or the quality of the pedigree. It is more important that this area is neat and easily readible. Limit to three pages. Obtaining and Financing   Explanation of how animals were obtained and financed.   In this area you could go more in depth on income increases over the past years of your project. This is a good area to talk about purchased animals. Limit to two pages. Breeding Program   Limit to three pages. Sire selection criteria and guidelines, mating programs and philosophy, cow families, and herd development plans.   This section allows the applicant to go into more detail on the cows in your inventory. It is necessary that the judges know your ideas about the details on your herd’s breeding program. Give guidelines or examples that will aid the judges in understanding your genetic philosophy. Diagrams may help judges follow your matings. Limit to three pages. Performance Information   One per animal on three animals for each of the following:      -Official Performance Pedigrees      -Individual DHIA computer cow pages      -Management Records (DJM Form 3)   Be sure this area is up to date. Recent pedigrees and DHIA sheets are necessary. Management records should be typed. These records are judged on the accuracy and completeness, not the quality of the animal. Clippings and Pictures About You Holstein, 4-H, FFA, church, school and community. Five pages, front only. Limit to highlights. This area should showcase you by combining your best articles and pictures. An arrangement or collage that is clean, neat, and shows a variety of activities can be eye-catching and fun to look at. Captions are helpful. If you are using clippings, it is not necessary that the judge be able to read the entire article, especially if it is long. Make sure the headline, lead paragraph, and the reason you’re in the article are easily readable. The pictures and articles you choose should be from a variety of activities. Action photographs from your project work showcase your involvement while attracting attention. Personal Views Answer each of the four questions in one page or less. Many of these questions have a variety of answers. Do not be afraid to discuss the questions with others, such as professors, classmates, youth advisors, etc., to help you gather more information. You should form your own opinions and answer the questions accordingly. Answers are limited to one page--answer them thoroughly but do not get overloaded with facts and figures. Do not attempt to manipulate statistics, especially if they are from different parts of the country. It is easy to be asked technical questions in your interview from a judge who might be from that area and know many more specific details. Preparing for the Interview Even before filling out your book, you need to think about your interview. As stated previously, your personality should come through in both sections of this award selection process. You must know your entry book well. In your interview, the judges will have only seen your story and your personal views sections. Although they ask very general questions to all the contestants, they will also have the opportunity to ask questions specific to you. Be careful in your answers that contain regional facts. This is another reason you need to form your own opinions that are extracted from an array of knowledge you have learned by discussing these topics with others. For More Information Contact: Holstein Association USA Youth Specialist 1 Holstein Place, PO Box 808 Brattleboro, VT 05302-0808 (802) 254-4551, ext. 4124

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