 In this video, we will be focusing on the following two topics, rump and front end. Each one has a different purpose to help the cow produce high-quality milk. Depending on the quality of each characteristic, the cow will increase or decrease in value and productivity. According to the PDCA scorecard, each characteristic that you see mentioned has a different point value. When looking at the rump of a dairy cow, the judges should look at the angularity of the hips and pins. These are the round bones that stick out towards the top line of the cow. The hips, or hooks, is the bone closer to the head, and the pins are closer to the tail head. The angle should be almost level, with the pins being slightly lower than the hips. They should be wide apart. Also, the judges should look at the tail head, which is the very top of the tail. It should be set slightly above and evenly between the two pins. In these photos, cow B has a wide-set hip and pins, but the pins are angled way lower than what is desired. Her tail head is set slightly above the pins, compared to cow A, who has wide hips and pins, and they are almost level, with the pins being slightly lower than the hooks. Her tail head is set evenly above the pins, cow A has the better rump. A cow could also have her hips lower than her pins, and this is also undesired. When reviewing the dairy cow's front end, similar to the rear legs, judges should look for front legs that are wide apart, straight, and squarely placed. Also, the PDCA scorecard talks about how the shoulder blades and elbows should be firmly set into the chest. Cow A has forward pointed feet, set wide apart, and they're straight. This shows that she has a firmly set shoulder blade, compared to cow B, who has front feet turned out, bringing the elbows in and making the distance between her legs narrow. This could be a sign that her shoulder blades are not very strong, giving her the characteristic of a narrow chest. Thank you for watching! Be sure to check out our other livestock judging videos, as well as the Alabama Cooperative Extension YouTube channel.