4-H’ers participate in state Livestock Judging contest in Covington

The Greene County 4-H Junior Team participated on March 16 in the Georgia 4-H State Livestock Judging contest at the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center in Covington.

Team members were Dylan Petit, Kingsley King, Clayton King, and Lyndsey Eley, and the team was coached by Monte Stephens.

Livestock judging equips participants with critical thinking skills as they select the best animals from classes of breeding and market cattle, lambs, and goats.

Contestants prepare by learning industry standards for each breed and gain knowledge through research, training sessions, group activities, and hands-on experiences.

Problem-solving, decision-making, and public speaking are other key elements of livestock judging.

The state event incorporates both individual and team competitions with opportunities to win on both levels. Seven junior teams and four senior teams participated in the contest. Junior teams are made up of youth from fourth through eighth grades, and senior teams are ninth through 12th grade 4-H’ers.

According to Georgia’s Department of Agriculture, animal agriculture is the largest sector of the agriculture industry and contributes more than $5.8 billion to the “farm gate value” of the state.

UGA faculty and industry experts contribute to the curriculum used to train 4-H’ers to judge livestock and help connect youth with pertinent applications of the skills they learn.

Greene County 4-H congratulates its competitors for doing an outstanding job competing at the State livestock judging contest.

If you are interested in your child participating in Livestock Judging or other 4-H programs, contact Becca Velasquez, the 4-H Agent, at the Greene County Extension Office at 706-453-2083.