28 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN June/July 2024 get students who begin judging in high school for the first time and have proven to do well on the state level. For Josie Sanders, Alliance FFA Chapter president, livestock judging is a family tradition. The high school junior has been competing in livestock judging since she was eight years old when she reached 4-H age but really started practicing when she was five years old when her older brother started judging. Her mom, Theresa, is one of the volunteer coaches. “Our close friends and neighbors also judge and help coach,” Sanders says. “We have all grown up judging together; we have a great 4-H family.” Along with winning the state FFA livestock judging contest this year, Josie and teammates won the 4-H livestock judging state contest in 2022 and went on to nationals. “I think what I’ve gotten the most out of livestock judging is confidence and talking,” Sanders shares. “I used to be super shy when I was younger, and practicing reasons and public speaking just completely changed my confidence in being able to explain my views and improve my flow of communicating.” As college coaches, both Roeber and French encourage youth to become involved in livestock judging from a young age and promote seeking out county Extension agents to find a team to compete. Opportunities Beyond High School Competing in livestock judging in high school offers great developmental skills, but college and career opportunities exist in earning scholarships and securing a future job. “At the collegiate level, these coaches are treating judging like a sport and there are scholarship opportunities depending on the junior college or university,” French says. “There’s a good handful of students who go to junior college and judge livestock competitively that probably don’t pay a whole lot of money getting the first couple of years of school under their belt. I think that’s a huge opportunity.” Roeber adds, depending on the school, scholarships can include assistance with tuition, room and board and books for college students. For competitions, travel, hotels and entry fees are typically covered. “It’s an opportunity for them to earn an education, compete at the collegiate level and not cost a lot from a competition standpoint,” Roeber says. It has also allowed many of his students to travel outside of Nebraska and see different areas of the country they otherwise might not. Skills to Use for a Lifetime While winning livestock judging contests can be fun, the skills these MORE THAN JUST LIVESTOCK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27
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