By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

WILMINGTON, Ohio — More than 1,000 high school students from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky converged at Roberts Arena in Wilmington, Ohio last week for the 53rd annual Livestock Judging Contest. At this contest the students hone their skills at judging swine, sheep, horses, beef, dairy cattle and plants with hopes of advancing to national competition next fall.

“This event is primarily for students who want to further their agriculture education,” said Harold Thirey, professor of animal sciences at Wilmington College. “It’s for those in rural or urban settings to help them develop skills in placing livestock. This is the largest livestock judging contest in Ohio and east of the Mississippi. It’s kind of unique to see 1,000 high school students all together doing something constructive and educational.”

There are 13 total stops during this contest, with concentration on general livestock (swine, beef, sheep), dairy, horses (including hay quality) and agronomy. The two-hour contest requires each student to judge the characteristics of each animal and complete a 50-question quiz.
“The students compete against each other, with awards to individuals and schools,” Thirey said.

The contest features Wilmington College students inside a pen with as many as 10 sheep, hogs or cows. On the rails of the enclosure, the high school students observe the animals and judge the quality characteristics of the animals in each class while the Aggies manipulate the animals around the pen, ensuring everyone gets a good view of each animal. And there’s one very strict rule – absolutely no talking at all.

Eric Haag, ag teacher at Wilmington High School, says 100 of the 1,000 students at his high school are enrolled in FFA. He sees great value in the judging contest.

“Roughly half of the students at our high school live on the farm. Even though many of the students evaluating livestock and may not go into a career dealing with animal sciences, they’re developing critical thinking skills they can apply to anything in life,” Haag said.

The inaugural livestock judging contest was held in 1959 at the college-owned Townsley-Fairley Farm in Wilmington. Large attendance forced the event to move to the Clinton County Fairgrounds. In the mid-1980s, the event was relocated to Roberts Arena, just east of the Wilmington city limits.

“During the first few years of the contest we gave away live animals as prizes,” Thirey said. ‘We presented the animal, and they opened the back door of the school bus, loaded it and down the road they went.”

But stricter school bus regulations about transporting animals was one reason that practice was ended, so trophies and ribbons became the norm.
The event is sponsored by the Wilmington College Aggies. It represents one of the distinct components of Wilmington College’s agriculture program, which, along with Ohio State University, is the only school in Ohio that offers bachelor’s degree curriculum in agriculture.

Many Aggie participants once participated in the livestock judging contest. Kalyn Moffett, a graduate of Hillsdale High School, is now a Wilmington College Aggie and was in attendance to help with the judging.  Moffett was crowned the 2010 Ohio Dairy Queen.

“It’s nice to see so many students interested in dairy, especially since dairy in Ohio is on a decline,” she said.

The Wilmington College Aggies is one of the largest organizations at Wilmington College. The organization focuses on education and leadership in the agriculture industry. The program at the college was established in 1948.