When Grace showed up to livestock judging practice for the first time, I instantly got a good vibe from this freckle-cheeked third grader. She just couldn’t stop smiling.
Later that evening of our first practice of the season, I asked all the juniors (3rd through 8th grade) to write down their goals for the season. The goals ranged from getting a 50 in a contest to a five-point plan for judging success.
But when I got to Grace’s goal, it stopped me in my tracks.
“To be amazing.”
I’ve read through a lot of judging goals over the years, but this was a first. In a world obsessed with winning, Grace reminded me of something even more important.
The Long Game of Livestock Judging
Looking at Grace, I saw the beginning of a journey I am currently watching my own son conclude. As he nears the end of his 4-H judging career, I’ve realized that my husband and I haven’t just been coaching him on how to rank a class of gilts; we’ve been coaching him on how to navigate life.
Maybe I am being overly sentimental as our son nears the end of his 4-H livestock judging experience. As I reflect back, I’m honored by the unique (and sometimes challenging) seat I’ve had to watch his progress. I remind myself that while the wins that can happen in livestock judging sure feel good and keep us going back for more, it’s really about something so much bigger.
The Intangible Advantage
It’s easy to pinpoint the skills kids learn from livestock judging such as decision-making, evaluation, attention to detail and critical thinking. But what is even more valuable is how livestock judging helps young people develop a mindset that doesn’t go away when the final card is turned in.
Here are three ways I’ve watched this “sport” build character.
1. Turning Disadvantages into Drive
One of my favorite examples of determination comes from a boy who had no livestock experience before he joined the team. No one could deny he was at a disadvantage because he didn’t have a show pig or a steer in the barn to go look at and study. Everything he was being taught was initially done by watching video classes during practice. I wondered if he would stick with it because he came from a different place than the other judges. I was pleasantly surprised to see how this disadvantage fueled his determination to learn and absorb as much as he could every practice. He’s now in his third year of judging and has been at the top of the pack all season. He reminds me to look at disadvantages as opportunities to grow. Livestock judging is a great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you have a million-dollar barn or a video screen; it only matters how much you are willing to “see.
2. Balancing Perspective with Belief
I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to the topic of humility. I find it challenging to build confidence and humility at the same time. But there’s no question that livestock judging teaches it, whether you want to learn it or not. As much as we want kids to walk up to a class or into the reasons room with as much confidence as possible, we also want them to remember judging livestock is subjective. We must be able to consider others’ perspectives and not just center in on our own. I’m grateful for how judging livestock provides a training ground to help students gain open-mindedness and a desire for continual learning. Judging forces a child to stand firm in their conviction while simultaneously acknowledging that an official might see the world differently. When their confidence can lie in their ability to learn versus their ability to always be right, something powerful happens.
3. The Slow Work of Success
The transition between being a junior who places classes and answers questions to being a senior who places classes and talks oral reasons is tough. It’s one thing to answer questions about a class; it’s another to stand in front of an official and present a 1.5-minute case for why you placed the class the way you did. It takes time to hone that skill. I remember how challenging it was for our son to go from winning the state contest as a junior to struggling through his first few contests giving oral reasons. Good placings mattered, but beginning oral reasons scores kept him out of the top group. We had to remind him that becoming skilled in the reasons room simply takes time. Seeing him achieve his goal of winning oral reasons in a contest this past year remind me that good things do come eventually if you allow yourself to be molded and shaped by the less-than-great moments that are sure to happen along the way.
The livestock industry doesn’t just need more high-point individuals, it needs more people with the mindset that judging builds. To every coach and parent feeling the weight of this task: Keep going. You aren’t just teaching them how to rank livestock. You are building the leaders our industry desperately needs. Focus on the character, and the results will take care of themselves.
I don’t know if “Amazing Grace” will win the state contest this year. But as I watch her smile through every missed placing and every tough set of questions, I realize she’s already achieved her goal. She is amazing—not because of her card, but because of her character. And that is something we need to talk about more often.
