Three, two, one, time is in. Members hear these words as they prepare to judge livestock as accurately as possible. Participants have spent the last week stopping at farms, evaluating livestock to prepare for this very moment. Participants will judge ten classes and give four sets of reasons explaining why they placed them the way they did. Participants feel their heart beat fast and their stomach drop, and they strive to reach success at the national level.
Recently, the Lewis Cass FFA judging team, consisting of seniors Matt Minnick and Lilly Yax and junior Lexi Gotshall, experienced this. The team started their trip on Wednesday, October 29, as they headed toward Kentucky. The judging team’s first stop was Forsee Southdowns in Kentucky. At this farm, they evaluated sheep in hopes of accurately placing the sheep classes at the National Contest. From there, they continued on to North Carolina and evaluated cattle classes at Bravo Cattle to continue to prepare for the contest. The judging team continued to the North Carolina State Beef Unit and toured the facility, and judged some cattle classes again to prepare for the contest. Mr. Plank, Lewis Cass FFA advisor, added, “Livestock judging trips to National contests are a ton of fun because you stop at different farms along the way and judge and meet new people, see their facilities, and learn a little bit of background about their program. Sometimes, all of those experiences mean more than practicing the judging classes themselves. When we get on the road after a livestock stop, we usually discuss the livestock and talk about which one was our favorite animal or what the neatest thing we saw on the stop was. Some parts of the country have different types and quality of livestock than what we do in Indiana, so stopping on the way to the contest helps us determine what we are looking for.”
Lewis Cass FFA President, Lily Yax, was asked what her favorite part of the trip was and said, “My favorite part of the trip was hanging out with teammates and seeing the mountains. My favorite part of the contest was eating lunch.”
Finally, Saturday arrived, and the team had to put their work to the test. The judging team had a long day sorting through classes of cattle, sheep, swine, and goats. Members prepared sets of reasons on four of the ten questions and also answered questions about three of the ten livestock classes. Contest day was long and required lots of grit. The judging team placed 9th and placed higher than all the other Indiana teams competing. Second Vice President, Matt Minnick, had a great day and was third third-highest individual in the cattle portion, ninth overall individual in sheep, and thirteenth as an individual. Mr. Plank added, “Anytime we are in the top ten at a contest I am satisfied, but I did think we could do a little better but there were a couple tough classes that hurt our scores and the level of competition at National contests is always stiff since some of the teams are all star teams from states and our team was just three kids from Walton.”
All in all, competing in a national contest is an incredible experience. It teaches FFA judging teams skills they will use throughout their life and creates memories they will never forget. It makes members work hard, stay determined, and teaches them the importance of grit and perseverance. The Lewis Cass judging team shows these qualities, as this is their second national trip. Congratulations again to Matt Minnick, Lily Yax, and Lexi Gotshall on your success. Now go on to a three-peat!
