• By April Bowman
• Posted Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Livestock Team Wins State Contest

The North Carolina 4-H Youth Livestock Program and the North Carolina State Fair hosted their annual livestock judging and skill-a-thon competition October 27th and 28th at the North Carolina State University Beef Educational Unit in Raleigh. Forsyth County 4-H’ers participated in the contests. On Saturday the young people reported at 7:30 AM to begin the Livestock Judging contest. They judged ten classes that each had four animals in them determining how to place them. The juniors (youth ages 13 and under) gave two sets of oral reasons on the market lamb and Angus heifer classes where they spent approximately three minutes explaining to an official explaining why they placed the animals that way. The seniors (ages 14-18) gave four sets of oral reasons on market lambs, Angus heifers, Gelbvieh heifers and market hogs. Both groups of young people also had to answer ten questions on market goats and breeding gilts (that’s pigs in laymen’s terms). Bryan Hartman will advance to the National competition in November at the North American International Livestock Expo in Louisville, Kentucky with the North Carolina 4-H State Team.

On Sunday, the young people again reported to the Beef Unit to compete in the Skill-a-thon contest. Everyone took a written test to determine their basic knowledge regarding livestock. The contestants were then sent to stations to identify cuts of meat, feed samples, breeds of livestock and livestock equipment. Teams then came back together to complete a team exercise.

The awards were sponsored by the NC Cattlemen’s Association, the NC State Fair and Show-Rite Feeds. The team was sponsored by Forsyth and Stokes County Farm Bureaus. Their sponsorship covered the cost of the young people’s hotel, registration and meals. The young people will compete in the Judging in January contest, which will also be held at the Beef Educational Unit at NC State University.