By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

WILMINGTON, Ohio — More than 1,000 high school students from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky converged on Roberts Arena in Wilmington for the 51st Livestock Judging Contest. Students were there to hone their skills at judging swine, sheep, horses, beef and dairy cattle 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 science at Wilmington College. “This helps them develop skills in placing livestock. This event allows the students to choose the best animal in the pen. It’s kind of unique to see 1,000 high school students all together doing something constructive and educational.”

The Wilmington College Aggies were host to the event, which is the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi.

“Many of the Wilmington College Aggies, at least half, judged in a livestock contest here while they were in FFA in high school,” Thirey added.

There are four divisions in the annual judging contest: general livestock (beef, sheep and swine), dairy, horses and agronomy. In the agronomy class there were four-person teams with each dealing with a farm management problem, one dealing with herbicide selection and economics issues.

The contest features Wilmington College Aggie members inside a pen with as many as eight 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.

Trophies and ribbons were awarded to the top judges. The top teams from these schools advance to the national judging competition in Indianapolis in October. Roughly 140 students from 35 states will compete for national honors next fall.

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, it was relocated to Roberts Arena just east of 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 halted, so trophies and ribbons became the norm.

“Our college students get to work with some high quality animals, and interact with sponsors, which might have some job networking applications, but the greatest satisfaction for the Aggies is simply putting on such a successful event for high school students,” Thirey said.

Animals used in the judging contest were loaned by farmers in and around Wilmington.