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NORFOLK — The next wave of livestock producers is currently in junior high, high school and college. Some of them were at Northeast Community College on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Chuck Pohlman Ag Complex, judging cattle, hogs, sheep and goats. Like previous generations, the knowledge they gain from livestock judging can help them to select animals that will optimize weight gain, have skeletal correctness and the right amount of muscling to meet consumer demands.
Northeast has hosted FFA District livestock judging contests for about as long as anyone can remember, with two district contests held Wednesday. Some 509 contestants from 36 schools competed, making it an allhands- on-deck effort to make sure it ran smoothly.
Mike Roeber, Northeast Ag instructor and livestock judging coach, said seven livestock judging members heard reasons for the district contests, with an estimated 80 Ag students also helping. At any given time, about 50 students were needed.
The Junior Division contestants gave one set of reasons, while the Senior Division contestants gave three sets of reasons. And while there was a new Junior High Division this year, they didn’t give any reasons -- being scored only on placings.
For those unfamiliar, reasons are when contestants stand before a judge and discuss the class of four animals from memory, stating why they placed them in the order they did. The contestants are scored on such things as delivery, truthfulness, ability to assess the class and logic for making the decisions that went into the placing.
Along with hosting FFA Districts 3 and 4, the college assisted other districts with finding livestock or other aspects for their judging contests.
Livestock judging is never an exact science as the cattle, hog, sheep and goat industries continually evolve to changing domestic and international markets. Northeast is one of four colleges that have livestock judging teams, with Southeast Community College recently starting up again.
“The thing we are running into with the dual credits, students aren’t spending a full two years at Northeast. Trying to get them prepared and ready to compete (is more difficult), but we’re getting it done,” Roeber said.
It’s not just tomorrow’s ag producers who benefit from livestock judging.
“You’re learning to make decisions. You have 12 minutes to make decisions, and then with oral reasons, you have to defend those decisions,” Roeber said.
Those types of skills benefit students no matter what careers they pursue.
The Laurel-Concord-Coleridge FFA (Future Farmers of America) group traveled to Norfolk to participate in District Livestock Judging.
The results are as follows: Junior Division
Team award winners Leah Gould 10th place, purple Grace Galvin blue Jacob Lipp blue Senior Division
Team award winners Lily Pehrson third place, purple Dillon Munter blue Tanner Hansen- Blue
