Livestock judging is the art of evaluating livestock based on their physical traits and potential for production, but to those who practice it, it is much more than that. It is a discipline that teaches critical thinking, confidence, and animal evaluation all together. At Lewis Cass, Livestock judging has become a winning tradition, and the Lewis Cass judging team, consisting of McCoy Taylor, Matt Minnick, Lily Yax, and Lexi Gotshall, will compete at Nationals in Williamston, North Carolina, for the second year in a row.
Ag advisor, Mr. Plank explained how his team earned the opportunity to compete at the National competition in North Carolina by saying, “We placed eighth at the State Contest, and the top 10 teams get to move on to a National Contest.”
Senior and second vice-president, Matt Minnick was asked if the experience he obtained from last year would help him in this year’s competition, and he said, “Yes, most definitely, I can now succeed under the pressure of competing on a bigger stage because of my past experience from last year’s contest.” Matt will continue his livestock judging career at the collegiate level next fall and was asked what some of his individual goals will be as he continues on. Minnick said, “I would like to first win a national high school contest and then achieve high individual at a junior college national contest as an individual and as a team.” Mr. Plank was asked what some of his goals are for his team in this competition, and replied, “I hope that our team can continue where we left off last year and keep getting better for this spring. A top 5 or top 10 finish would be nice, but really, a National contest like this is more about experience, especially since three of the four team members will still be judging with us this Spring.”
Senior FFA president, Lily Yax, will be competing in her first National livestock judging contest and was asked what she looks forward to the most. She replied, “I’m most excited for new experiences and to get the chance to learn things I have never had the opportunity to experience. I am also excited for the Airbnb’s and the time spent with my team!” From my own experience, livestock judging is not just about evaluating livestock; it is much more. Livestock judging has brought me relationships with people I would have never met without these opportunities that livestock judging has given me. Livestock judging provides endless opportunities to learn from the best, meet new people, develop lifelong friendships, and acquire skills that will help you become a successful person overall.
Livestock judging is not an easy sport to succeed in. It requires hard work, dedication, and determination. It is late nights and early mornings evaluating livestock of all kinds. Learning how to talk to them and how to judge them. Livestock judging is not just an individual sport but a team sport, and requires individuals to work as a team. Livestock judging is a skill that will not just help you now in life, but also as you continue through adulthood and become a successful individual. Good luck to McCoy Taylor, Matt Minnick, Lily Yax, and Lexi Gotshall as they compete at Nationals next week!
