A resurgence in Washington County 4-H livestock judging is exemplified by a team that is preparing to compete at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado this coming January.

The senior team of Carmen Sieren, Iris Peterson, Anna Nafziger, and Greta Sieren placed third at the State Livestock Judging Contest in Ames this summer, and due to a technicality for the second-place team, the girls had the choice to either compete in Denver or Kansas City, and each member was eager to pick Denver as it will be the first trip to the city for most of them. Livestock judging consists of analyzing beef cattle, sheep, swine and meat goats and measuring them against a standard. Nafziger shares how she has benefited from livestock judging, “Livestock judging has helped me see quality and know how to put it in place in my own animals that I want to show. So it’s helped me kind of identify quality and what a good animal is versus a bad animal.”

The team’s success is a result of the new volunteer coaching team of Brandon Freel, Dustin Ford, Ted Greiner, and Chad Younge who set goals a few years ago to motivate a new generation of 4-Her’s to get excited about this aspect of the livestock industry. Carmen shares how it feels to be representing Washington County on a national stage, “It means a lot to me just because it’s been something we’ve been working towards for a long time, and we were really close last year. We were off by three points to get to go anywhere, so it means a lot to us this year to get to go somewhere and compete at a national level. And at least some of us I think are planning to judge in college so that’s a good way to get our foot in the door.”

The senior team and other 4-H’ers interested in judging have met every other week since January to prepare for the spring and summer contests, for an activity that develops life skills in decision making, critical thinking, oral reasoning, self-confidence, and problem solving. Besides preparing for the contest, the Denver team is also fundraising to cover registration and travel expenses. Anyone who wishes to help sponsor their trip or learn more about the team can contact Amy Green at the Washington County Extension Office, 319-653-4811 or amygreen@iastate.edu.