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4-H Livestock Judging 1012014 Mail-in TournamentMonth 1: Judging BasicsHost: Claire SponsellerUmatilla County 4-H Agent

Welcome to the first Umatilla County 4-H Livestock Judging mail-in tournament! I am Claire Sponseller, 4-H Livestock Agent for Umatilla County. This month we will begin with the basics of livestock judging. We will start by introducing the four steps to judging any class, and continue by focusing on what questions you must ask before judging a class, as well as how to fill out a judging card. We will then practice with 4 different classes. After each class we encourage you to stop and discuss each class experience and how final placings may have varied between each 4-H member. At the end of this months tournament, we will encourage you to do some studying on your own time to prepare for next months tournament: Swine! Good luck!1Livestock Judging is:Evaluating an animal against a common ideal.One persons opinion on that day!

Lets begin! What is livestock judging? Do any of you want to take a guess? Go ahead and click, but essentially you are evaluating an animal against one common ideal. Not a judges preferences, but usually their interpretation of industry standards. And remember, a perfect animal, the common ideal, or industry standards, however you want to phrase it, is constantly changing. We hope through this mail-in tournament to improve your knowledge and confidence to recognize and adapt to those changes. At the end of the day, remember it is one persons opinion on that day!2How to JudgeGather informationObservationComparisonConclusion

When you first begin to judge there are four steps: You first need to gather the information necessary to judge the class.Second you will need to observe the class,Compare the items/animals in the class,And come to a final conclusion on how you would place/judge the class. 3Step 1: Gathering InformationWhat type of class is it? Is this beef, sheep or swine?What will the class be used for?Is this class for market, feeder or breeding?

When you gather information, there are two critical questions you need to ask EVERY time. The first is What type of class is it? So when judging livestock, you need to know what species you are judging. Most often this is very obvious.The next question you need to ask is What will the class be used for? This may not always be apparent, so if it is not stated before the class, you will need to ask. Sometimes the same class of animals can be judged as market and breeding animals, but the final placing is often very different.4Step 2: ObservationStand backLook from ALL anglesNotice big/most prominent features firstTake notesThink of your ideal animal!

After you have determined what you are judging, you need to stand back and OBSERVE! The best observation is done from all angles; so make sure you stand at least 25 feet back and move around. You should pick out the most obvious features first on each animal such as size, thickness, and volume. Instincts are most often correct, so try to stick to with your first thoughts. And always take notes, it will especially help with oral reasons. Make sure to keep those notes brief otherwise you will spend the whole class writing when you should be judging, and your oral reasons reading when you should have them memorized. Observing is all about your ideal animal, so if you can explain why you judged the way you judged, you are on your way to success. 5Step 3: ComparisonIn the same class:Find the traits each animal has in commonFind differences between the animals

Now that you have gathered the necessary information, and you have observed the class, you need to compare. As mentioned before, you first begin looking at the major traits or characteristics between animals. Look at the traits that are most obvious and stand out. Find the traits that each animal has in common and then find the differences. 6Step 4: ConclusionDecide your placingChoose your top pairChoose your bottom pairThen choose your middle pairOnce you have decided your placing, fill out your judging card.You just placed your first class!

As you are looking at the major traits that are similar or different, you should be able to easily, well hopefully, pick out a top pair and a bottom pair. If there are four animals in a class, which animals do you like the most those will be your top pair. The other two animals, your least favorite, will be your bottom pair. Then out of the top pair and the bottom pair, rank the animals in those pairs. In your top pair, you have a favorite. That favorite is your first choice animal. Out of your bottom pair you have a least favorite, that is your last choice, or bottom ranked animal in the class. Those two decisions leave you with a middle pair which are already ranked! This will make more sense as we practice. Finally, once you have decided your class rank, fill out your judging card.

7Filling out your cardRemember when you fill out your judging card, place a large X in the box next to your final class placing. 4-H CloversCLASS 11234124313241342142314322134214323142341241324313124314232143241341234214123X41324213423143124321

Once you have placed your first class, you now need to fill out a judging card!

First and foremost you need to put your whole name on the card. First and last names, and they need to be legible that means someone else needs to read it who may not know who you are. In most contests if you dont include your whole name, or it cannot be read, you are disqualified.

Second, write what type of class it is above the class number on your judging card, i.e. class 1 is Market Hogs. This can usually be done when instructions are given at the beginning of the contest. So when you arrive at the ring, you can verify you are at the right class judging the correct type of animal.

When marking your final placing, make sure your X is next to how you want to rank your class. Use your top, middle, and bottom pairs to aid you. For example, if you chose 4 and 1 as your top pair, with 4 as your top choice, you know you will automatically look down at the numbers that start with a 4. Then as your bottom pair is 2 and 3, with 3 as your bottom choice, you need a number that ends with 3. That leaves you with 1 and 2 as your middle pair or 4 1 2 3 for your final class placing. That is where you should place your X.8Step 4: ConclusionOral ReasonsExpress opinions in clear, concise mannerBe accurate and consistent

The last step in livestock judging is oral reasons. Now dont panic! This isnt as hard as it seems. We will help you practice and it will be painless. There are some easy tricks to remember when giving oral reasons. First, keep your opinions or reasons short and sweet. They need to be clear so the judge understands what you are saying and they need to be concise. We dont want to hear the whole story of how you decided to place your animals. This also goes back to not reading your notes; when you read your notes, you tend to go more in depth than necessary. Another important thing to note when giving oral reasons is to be accurate and consistent. You need to know what you are talking about, so take the time to practice and familiarize yourself with what you are going to say. 9Before we get startedWhat are the first questions you should ask before you begin judging?What type of class is it?What will the class be used for?

We are going to have some practice classes. But before we do that you need to ask yourself two questions. What are they??? What type of class is it and what will the class be used for? You got it!10Lets Judge!Class 1:This is a class of 4-H Clovers4-H Clovers are used to help promote the 4-H program.

Here is your first class. It is a class of 4-H Clovers, which will be used to help promote the 4-H program. Have fun!11

4

1

23

Leaders please give members a set amount of time to judge. It could be 1 minute to 3 minutes, you be the judge! And there should be no talking!

12

43

4 is our top choice because it is a complete and accurate 4-H clover.1 is a 4-H clover, however it is missing a leaf, but is more acceptable than 2.2 is still shows some signs of the 4-H clover , but is more a 4-H clover than 33 is a nice clover, but it does not meet the criteria of a 4-H clover because it is lacking the four Hs and the 18 USC 707 label to make it an official 4-H clover. Therefore, we choose 4 1 2 3 as our final placing.

1

2Final placing: 4 1 2 3

How did you do?

The final placing for this class of 4-H clovers is 4 1 2 3. 4 is our top choice because it is a complete and accurate 4-H clover. 1 is a nice clover, however it is missing a leaf, but is more acceptable as a 4-H clover than 2. 2 still shows some signs of the 4-H clover, but is more a 4-H clover than 3. 3 is a nice clover, but it meets the least amount of the criteria for a 4-H clover, because it is lacking the four Hs and the 18 USC 707 label to make it an official clover. Therefore, we choose 4 1 2 3 as our final placing.

13Class 1 Follow-Up DiscussionWhat questions did you ask yourself?What does a 4-H clover look like? Did other 4-Hers have a different placing?Why and/or When would there be different placings?Perhaps it is because everyone has a different opinion!Would you rank Class 1 differently if you were judging clovers and not 4-H clovers?

This is a great time for some discussion amongst the group.

What questions did you ask yourself as you were choosing your pairs? Did some other members have a different placing? What were their reasons for doing so?

Remember a 4-H clover has to meet certain criteria. That is why the three 4-H clovers were on the top. All of them may not be official 4-H clovers, but they are more a 4-H clover than 4. Could you have argued a different placing? What if we had just said clovers, would your placing have been different?

14Lets Judge!Class 2:This is a class of hats.We are judging a class of hats for working outside.

Now that you have your first class under your belt, lets see how you do on these next ones. Remember to take notes and plan your oral reasons!

Your second class is a class of hats that will be used to work outside.152 cowboy hat

4winter hat

1hardhat

3 football helmet

Leaders, remember to give members a set amount of time to judge and that all should be quiet!162 cowboy hat

4winter hat

1hardhat

3 football helmet

The winter hat is our top choice, because it will hold up to the cold January weather.The cowboy hat is practical for eastern Oregon and it wears well during tough work, it just will not be as warm as the winter hat.The hardhat will not be warm, but it will protect from heavy items falling on our head. It is placed towards the bottom, because we do not expect heavy items to fall on our head when working. The football helmet is last, because it offers the least amount of protection to January weather and it is awkward to wear, but it is a nice color.Therefore, we choose 4 2 1 3 as our final placing. Final placing: 4 2 1 3

How did you do on class 2?

The final placing for the class of outdoor working hats is 4 2 1 3. The winter hat is or top choice because it will hold up to the cold January weather. The cowboy hat is practical for eastern Oregon, and it wears well during tough work, it just will not be as warm as the winter hat. The hardhat will not be warm, but it will protect from heavy items falling on our head. It is placed towards the bottom, because we do not expect heavy items to fall on our head when working. The football helmet is last, because it offers the least amount of protection to January weather and it is awkward to wear when working outside. It is a nice color though. Therefore, we choose 4 2 1 3 as our final placing.

These may be silly reasons, but it is sort of a silly class. Hopefully you can see the reasons behind why the class was placed the way it is. 17Class 2 Follow-Up DiscussionWhat questions did you ask yourself?What would I like to wear outside?Did other 4-Hers have a different placing?What were some of the questions they asked themselves?Could you see how other people came up with their final placings?Why or why not?Could you argue some of the points in our oral reasons?

Discussing this class, what questions did you have to ask yourself?

Did other 4-Hers have a different placing? What were their reasons?

Could you see how there might be different placings? Why or why not?

Yes, the reasons for the class might have been silly, but could you have argued a different placing from the oral reasons?

That is always something to keep in mind when giving oral reasons. They are your reasons, and you need to show why they justify how you placed your class. So in this class, you might be able to place the class differently, but all of the reasons given showed why the class was placed the way it was. 18Lets Judge!Class 3:This is a class of hats.We are judging a class of hats for sledding.

Next class another set of hats, but they are for sledding!192 cowboy hat

4winter hat

1hardhat

3 football helmet

Remember no talking! Use the time given to you!202 cowboy hat

4winter hat

1hardhat

3 football helmet

The winter hat is our top choice, because it offers the most protection from the snow and winter wind.The football helmet is our next choice, because if you sled like us, your head will need protection when sliding down steep, slick hills. However, the football helmet would be very uncomfortable to wear, especially when sledding with multiple people.The hardhat is our third choice, because it will offer protection when sledding into trees, but it may not stay on like the football helmet. The cowboy hat is our bottom choice, because our ears are exposed to winter weather and it will absorb the wetness of the snow, but it will stay on our head!Therefore, we choose 4 3 1 2 as our final placing. Final placing: 4 3 1 2

The final placing for this class of sledding hats is 4 3 1 2.

The winter hat is our top choice because it offers the most protection from the snow and winter wind. The football helmet is our next choice, because if you sled like us, your head will need protection when sliding down steep, slick hills. However, the football helmet would be very uncomfortable to wear, especially when sledding with multiple people. The hardhat is our third choice, because it will offer protection when sledding into trees, but it may not stay on all the way down the hill like the football helmet. The cowboy hat is our bottom choice, because our ears are exposed to winter weather and it will absorb the wetness of the snow, but it will stay on our head! Therefore, we choose 4 3 1 2 as our final placing.

21Class 3 Follow-Up DiscussionWhat questions did you ask yourself?What would I normally wear when sledding?Did other 4-Hers have a different placing?What were each 4-Hers reasoning for placing the class as they did? Did 4-Hers end up with similar or different final placings even if they had the same reasoning?Could you come up with a different final placing?Why or why not?

With class 3, did you notice the hats were the same as class 2. The difference was in the type of class. This shows how important it is to know what you are judging.

Again, lets discuss this class. What did you ask yourself when placing this class? There may be different class placings, so what were the different reasons for doing so? Were those reasons fair and just? If you were the judge, could you accept those reasons? 22Lets Judge!Class 4:This is a class of shoes.We are judging a class of shoes for working at fair clean-up.

Final class. We are judging shoes to wear at fair clean-up. 23

4High heels2 Muck boots

1Tennis shoes3 Flip flops

Shhhh!24The muck boots are a close first for working fair clean-up. They will be able to protect us from water, sawdust or anything else in the barn.The tennis shoes are ranked below muck boots, because they may not be able to protect from all barn elements (dirt and water), but they are more versatile for working in the exhibit halls, in addition to being more comfortable.Flip flops are next because they offer minimal protection from dirt and water and you can easily stub your toe wearing these. However, you will be able to last longer on your feet than in high heels. High heels may protect your toes, but they are not practical to work fair clean-up and be on your feet all day, especially when climbing ladders to hang exhibit hall decorations. Therefore, we choose 2 1 3 4 as our final placing. Final placing: 2 1 3 4

4High heels2 Muck boots

1Tennis shoes3 Flip flops

For this class of fair clean-up shoes, we placed the class 2 1 3 4. The muck boots are a close first for working fair clean-up. They will be able to protect us from water, sawdust or anything else in the barn. The tennis shoes are ranked below muck boots, because they may not be able to protect from all barn elements, especially dirt and water, but they are more versatile for working in the exhibit halls in addition to being more comfortable. Flip flops are next, because they offer minimal protection from dirt and water and you can easily stub your toe wearing these. However, you will be able to last longer on your feet than in high heels. High heels may protect your toes, but they are not practical to work fair clean-up and be on your feet all day, especially when climbing ladders to hang exhibit hall decorations. Therefore we choose 2 1 3 4 as our final placing.

25Class 4 Follow-Up DiscussionWas this an easy class to place? The type of class was pretty broad, would your placing change if the class was more specific to working in the exhibit hall on fair clean-up?Why or why not?Did other 4-Hers have a different placing?

Again ask yourself some questions and discuss them as a group. Was this an easy class to place? Were your top and bottom pairs easy to choose, but harder to rank? Since this was a pretty broad class to judge, would it have been easier or harder if this class was more specific? Say you had to judge shoes for working in the exhibit hall for fair clean-up? How would your placing and reasons change with the same shoes? Or would they?26Oral ReasonsPresent a logical, informative, exciting set of reasons that explain why you ranked the class the way you did.

You noticed that we wrote out our oral reasons for each class. What were some things that were consistent with each class? We always referred to what type of class it was: This class of working shoes. We never said number as in Number 1 is our first choice because We also described what 1 was cowboy hat. We tried to give a positive for each item in the class, and if possible and negative as well. You want to show why it was ranked where it was, particularly why it was ranked above or below the next item.

Remember when you give oral reasons, you are presenting a logical, informative, exciting set of reasons that explain why you ranked the class the way you did. 27Oral Reasons Include:Accuracy of your statementThoroughness of your explanationAbility to emphasize most important differences between two animals (top pair, middle pair, bottom pair)Diverse use of vocabulary (livestock, carcass, animal identification)A logical orderTerm variationAvoid mixing numbersCorrect grammarProper eye contactCorrect posturePaint a picture!

When giving oral reasons, or in our case written reasons, you need to look at each of these items and try to include them every time. Remember you need to be consistent! Especially when practicing!

Be accurateYou should be thorough in your explanation but concise Show important differences between two animals this is where knowing your top, middle, and bottom pair can helpUse vocabulary! This is such a critical point! You MUST be familiar with parts of your animals such as the leg, shank, top, shoulder, etc. But you also need to be able to identify what type of animal you are judging, such as the type of breed, what characteristics those breeds have, and if those are typical breeds for market or wool in case of sheep. You also need to know carcass data so wholesale and retail cuts. Animals have loins, which is a wholesale cut, but what retail cuts come from the loin. Vocabulary is so important judges know when you are making something up!Present your reasons in a logical order dont jump all over the place. Start from your top ranking animal, working your way down to your lowest choice. Use different words to describe each animal. Dont say the animal is finished each time, you could use that for one animal, but perhaps show the next animal is not quite as finished over the ribs, or they have less covering over their shoulders. Again dont mix your numbers. Your notes should help you know what animal was what number in the class.Use correct grammar! Think back to your English class!Make eye contact with your judge show them your confidence. And if you dont feel confident fake it! Dont let the judge know!And as in any interview use correct posture.

Oral reasons help paint a picture for another person to see why you placed the class the way you did. Everyone knows why they ranked a class the way they did, they just need to practice on how they verbalize those reasons to another person. 28Homework!Familiarize yourself with judging swine:Parts of the hogFavorable characteristics forMarket BreedingUndesirable characteristics for MarketBreeding

Thanks for participating in our first livestock judging mail-in tournament! Homework for the next mail-in: Terminology!

Familiarize yourself with the parts of a hog. What traits are acceptable for market and breeding hogs and what are less desirable?

Our next mail-in will focus on swine so take the time to work on judging terminology and in addition to the above swine characteristics.

Thanks for playing with us! Until next time!29