Alix Pearson- Livestock Judging
- kaybeckermann8
- Nov 23, 2015
- 6 min read
Something New, Something Fresh
Something New and Something Fresh- Livestock Judging
This next topic I am going to touch on a topic that involved showing, but the judging side of it, Livestock judging. This is when a person learns to judge how a show animal is suppose to look and function. People who are on judging teams and participate in livestock judging, go on to judge the shows that all of the contestants to compete in.
I have been livestock judging since I joined 4-H when I was about eight years old. Of course my dad was the coach so I didn’t have a choice of being in it but I am glad that I have because livestock judging has taught me a lot more than how to pick out the best animal. It helped me with my memorization skills, helps with picturing and remembering the class, networking, and because I was in livestock judging, I am more confident in my public speaking ability. Which in all reality helped me pick out my major and career path. Now I will get into the basics of judging.
When a person goes to a judging contest there are six classes: three reasons and three non-reason. These six classes are made up of 2 beef, 2 swine, and 2 sheep ranging from both market and breeding classes. Each class is made up of 4 individual animals numbers 1-4. When judging the class, the judger needs to come up with a placing for the class and if it is a reasons class, they need to take notes on why the placed the class if they did. So their places start with the simple 1,2,3,4 to 4,3,2,1 with all of the possibilities in-between. One nice thing about livestock judging is the officials, who a committee of people who decide how the class is place and will give the officials reason at the end of the day why. Also the officials are the people who listen to the contestant’s reasons. Anyways, back to the point, the officials are judging the classes the same time as the contestants so they see the same looks of the animals and the judgers do. Nothing is decided before the contest even starts.
Time to explain the basic layout of the contest and what the day consists of. When the team arrives at the contest, their coach will register them and each individual judgers will get sorted into 6 different squads. Which are simply the groups that you will rotate with to judge the classes. Once the contest is ready to start, the judger follows their squad leader to their first class, which they stand with their backs to the class till time is in. Usually in most contests class range from 12-15 minutes. That is all the time to judge, place, and take reasons. When the class is done, the judgers has a placing card where they have their name on it, the name of the class, and their placing for the class. They will turn that into the squad leader when the class is done and then taken to the officials to tally up the score. This goes on till all of the classes are judged. Two things are always stressed in contest: DO NOT TALK and ALWAYS MARK YOUR CARDS. Very very important things to remember. Once the classes are judged, the contestants are taking to their reasons room, where they will give their reason on the three reasons classes. One to a beef official, one to a sheep official, and the last one to the swine official.
Reasons are where overall places for the contest are really decided. Everybody can place a class, but how to give and deliver a set of reasons is where all of the extra points are earned. The judger is “painting” a picture for their reasons taker. They should be able to see and picture the class when the judger is done with their set. While giving reasons to the judger keep these things in mind; never read off of your notes. The older you get this become very important. There is enough time between reason to look over your notes for the class, memorize them and are ready to go. Usually there about 10 minutes if not more to look of your notes for each set of reasons. Back to the things to keep in mind; i.d. the animal. If it is a class of market steers and one is red, one is black with a white face, one is all black, and the last one mention that to your judge! Paint the picture. Another things is when giving the reasons start from the front of the animal and work back. Last thing, only criticize one thing about the animal, mention what your would change if you could and even for the last place say a couple good things and end with didn’t have enough to compete. Because, you never know when you might be giving the reasons to the owner of the animal.
Each class is with 50 points, the classes itself and reasons. So if you place the class right you get a 50 and then if you switch something up it all depends on what the cuts are to determine what you got. For example: the class is places 3-4-2-1 with cuts of 5-2-1. You places the class 4-3-1-2
so you have two pair switches on the top in bottom. So in order to get the right placing you would of have to switch that so you get the cut from the top, 5, and the cut from the bottom, 1. So your score for the class would be a 44. It is important to drop as little points as possible.
I have had a lot of great opportunities because of livestock judging; scholarships, attending nationals in high school, winning belt buckles, and I was also on the North Dakota State University livestock judging team where we got to attend all of the majors shows competing against the other big schools like: OSU, K-State, and Texas A&M. It couldn’t of asked for a better experience. In college it is a little different. Way more intense, way more competitive, serious, and it is a 12/8 contest. Where you judge 12 classes and give 8 sets of reasons. It is a lot of work but I would change it from anything.
To end my last and final blog, I am going to give an example of a set of reasons. Remember, I wouldn’t read it, this is how I would say it and speak it.
1, 2, 3, 4 alines this class of Market Steers. I decided to start with the pair of black who are the most complete of the class and offer the most shape and muscling. 1 is just the powered house heavy boned steers who needed to start. The number 1 steer is the best balances steer of the class who is a taller fronted more extended steer. He has more muscling and dimension working down his top into a fuller quarter. In addition he is fuller rib and more shape to his lower rib cage and deeper flanked. He is a heavy boned steer who stands down on a larger for. Further more, I believe he will go the rail with more meat/animal product
I grant to 2 that he leveler hip and freer moving, but is shallow flank and flatter rib so remains in second. Its 2’s body and muscling that places him over 3 in my intermediate pair. 2 is a more capacious higher volume steer who has more natural thickness working down his top. He shows more spring to his for and read rib and more level and correct in his hip. Consequentially making him the freer moving longest striding steer of the class.
I believe he will go to the rail with a high yielding carcass. I fully believe that 3 is the larger outlined steer but is off in his tail head and struggles off of his back two so I marked him third.
Size and rib shape compels me to place 3 over 4 in my bottom pair. 3, the red steer, is a larger outlined steer who is taller fronted. He is a long topped, long sided steer who boulder sprung and bigger ribbed. I will admit that the black steer with white socks is the attractive steer of the class. Long neck tying into a smooth should and straight in his line but he is the smallest steer of the class, who isn’t market ready, and gets over powered by the 3 ahead of him.
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