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Livestock judges head to national competition
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| Livestock Judges |
BY SHERRY FICKLEN
Four Calhoun County youth may very well be called experts in the field of livestock judging.
Quite possibly, Holly Behrens, Everleigh Hayes, Matt Pfeifer and C.J. Mabry have spent more time with animals than with people for most of their young lives while perfecting their livestock judging skills. The four young adults make up the first livestock judging team from Calhoun County that has won the district and state titles, which qualifies them to compete in the National Western Competition held this week in Denver, CO. The team placed second in the Texas 4-H competition earning them a spot at the national competition.
What is livestock judging? Judging contestants make a careful analysis of animals or carcasses and measure them against a standard that is commonly accepted as ideal. Certain classes are then designated as “reasons classes” where the judging contestants take notes and then usually have a short amount of time to prepare a set of oral reasons for their decisions. These reasons are then presented in a knowledgeable and professional manner to judges who give them a score usually from a 35 to a perfect score of 50. The judges are usually made up of livestock producers, college professors, and collegiate livestock judging team members.
Holly Behrens, a 16-year-old junior at Calhoun High School, said, “Livestock judging is more than just looking at animals. To me, it is a sport. I absolutely love the competitiveness and passion involved in this ‘sport.’”
Holly has been participating in livestock judging for seven years and plans to continue throughout college. She claims the skills she has gained from livestock judging will help her tremendously in the future and better prepare her for the agricultural life.
Matt Pfeifer, a freshman at The Victoria College, stated, “Some may think the process of placing a class of livestock would be relatively simple, but there is much more that goes into becoming an accurate and consistent judge.” He went on to explain the three main species of livestock are divided into breeding and market classes, what criteria they must meet and what expectations they, as livestock judges, are trained to determine.
Pfeifer said, “Placing the animals isn’t that bad, but when you have to justify your placement in front of industry experts with unscripted oral reasons, livestock judging can become pretty stressful.” Pfeifer is a 10-year 4-H member and has been judging practically the entire time. Competitively, he began in the seventh grade.
For Everleigh Hayes, a 17-year-old senior at Calhoun High School, it is a family affair. Her older brother, Cassidy Hayes, judges livestock at Blinn College and has won many national titles. Everleigh has been judging livestock for nine years and plans to continue. She has already received many calls from college livestock judges and plans to continue at the collegiate level. She said her family has traveled as far as Louisville, KY, to a national livestock judging contest. “I have been to just about every county livestock judging contest in the state including many out of state,” she said.
C. J. Mabry is the newest member to the team. At the age of 18, he has only been judging for a little more than one year. Once known as the “Rabbit Boy” after raising grand champion rabbits three years in a row, Mabry decided to try something different, so he joined the livestock judging team. As far as judging, Mabry said, “It presents me with a challenge each and every time I set foot in a show barn. It makes me think outside the box.”
Mabry is a 2008 graduate of Calhoun High School and a freshman at Texas A&M University, College Station. His future judging plans are to be a member of the Texas A&M Livestock Judging Team in his junior year. Reflecting back on the past year, Mabry said, “I realize I’m not the ‘Rabbit Boy’ anymore, but a member of a livestock judging team on our way to nationals.”
All four members of the team boast about the skills they have learned from livestock judging. Not only have they all grown as individuals, judging has enhanced their confidence and speaking abilities, promoted making and analyzing quick decisions, and most importantly, accepting the fact that it is acceptable to not always be right. Whatever it may be, they realize that the choices they make will affect them eventually. Most importantly, they all reflect on the great experiences and the wonderful memories they have created through livestock judging that will carry them through the rest of their lives.
The team will depart for Denver, CO, on Wednesday, Jan. 7 and return home on Monday, Jan. 12.
Quite possibly, Holly Behrens, Everleigh Hayes, Matt Pfeifer and C.J. Mabry have spent more time with animals than with people for most of their young lives while perfecting their livestock judging skills. The four young adults make up the first livestock judging team from Calhoun County that has won the district and state titles, which qualifies them to compete in the National Western Competition held this week in Denver, CO. The team placed second in the Texas 4-H competition earning them a spot at the national competition.
What is livestock judging? Judging contestants make a careful analysis of animals or carcasses and measure them against a standard that is commonly accepted as ideal. Certain classes are then designated as “reasons classes” where the judging contestants take notes and then usually have a short amount of time to prepare a set of oral reasons for their decisions. These reasons are then presented in a knowledgeable and professional manner to judges who give them a score usually from a 35 to a perfect score of 50. The judges are usually made up of livestock producers, college professors, and collegiate livestock judging team members.
Holly Behrens, a 16-year-old junior at Calhoun High School, said, “Livestock judging is more than just looking at animals. To me, it is a sport. I absolutely love the competitiveness and passion involved in this ‘sport.’”
Holly has been participating in livestock judging for seven years and plans to continue throughout college. She claims the skills she has gained from livestock judging will help her tremendously in the future and better prepare her for the agricultural life.
Matt Pfeifer, a freshman at The Victoria College, stated, “Some may think the process of placing a class of livestock would be relatively simple, but there is much more that goes into becoming an accurate and consistent judge.” He went on to explain the three main species of livestock are divided into breeding and market classes, what criteria they must meet and what expectations they, as livestock judges, are trained to determine.
Pfeifer said, “Placing the animals isn’t that bad, but when you have to justify your placement in front of industry experts with unscripted oral reasons, livestock judging can become pretty stressful.” Pfeifer is a 10-year 4-H member and has been judging practically the entire time. Competitively, he began in the seventh grade.
For Everleigh Hayes, a 17-year-old senior at Calhoun High School, it is a family affair. Her older brother, Cassidy Hayes, judges livestock at Blinn College and has won many national titles. Everleigh has been judging livestock for nine years and plans to continue. She has already received many calls from college livestock judges and plans to continue at the collegiate level. She said her family has traveled as far as Louisville, KY, to a national livestock judging contest. “I have been to just about every county livestock judging contest in the state including many out of state,” she said.
C. J. Mabry is the newest member to the team. At the age of 18, he has only been judging for a little more than one year. Once known as the “Rabbit Boy” after raising grand champion rabbits three years in a row, Mabry decided to try something different, so he joined the livestock judging team. As far as judging, Mabry said, “It presents me with a challenge each and every time I set foot in a show barn. It makes me think outside the box.”
Mabry is a 2008 graduate of Calhoun High School and a freshman at Texas A&M University, College Station. His future judging plans are to be a member of the Texas A&M Livestock Judging Team in his junior year. Reflecting back on the past year, Mabry said, “I realize I’m not the ‘Rabbit Boy’ anymore, but a member of a livestock judging team on our way to nationals.”
All four members of the team boast about the skills they have learned from livestock judging. Not only have they all grown as individuals, judging has enhanced their confidence and speaking abilities, promoted making and analyzing quick decisions, and most importantly, accepting the fact that it is acceptable to not always be right. Whatever it may be, they realize that the choices they make will affect them eventually. Most importantly, they all reflect on the great experiences and the wonderful memories they have created through livestock judging that will carry them through the rest of their lives.
The team will depart for Denver, CO, on Wednesday, Jan. 7 and return home on Monday, Jan. 12.
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