Aggie Team Highlight, NCTA Livestock Judging

By Malina Lindstrom, student writer

This week’s Aggie Team Highlight comes to us from Lauren Nichols, a Livestock Management major from Scottsbluff who is in her second year on the NCTA Livestock Judging Team.

What is NCTA Livestock Judging, and who are the members? How many students are on the teams?

The Livestock Judging team involves evaluating livestock and placing them in order from best to last. This is done by looking at all of the different characteristics each animal offers.

Our members include five sophomores: Avery Bermel, Bailey Johnson, Jose De La Cruz, Melody MacDonald, and Lauren Nichols. We also have six freshmen: Lexi Rice, Clayton Runkle, Cassidy Frey, Meghan Spahr, Olivia Nyberg and Audrey Brawner.

Any significant fact about the team?

I may be a little biased, but we are the best team at NCTA!

When and where does the team practice meet?

This semester we practice from 6:30 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. every Tuesday and Thursday. We compete in many livestock judging contests. This year we competed at a contest in Hutchinson, Kansas, and one in Grand Island. Usually we have a few more contests in the fall semester, however, because of COVID -19, a lot of these opportunities were canceled. This spring we are hoping to compete in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Valentine, Nebraska; a contest at Oklahoma State University, and hopefully a few others.

Who are the student leaders/ officers?

Lauren Nichols is our president and Lexi Rice is the treasurer.

Describe some of the activities and what they entail – competitions, service, education, fundraising, etc.

A typical college livestock judging contest consists of judging 12 classes of livestock and giving eight sets of reasons.

Our team also hosts a district contest on campus for the high school FFA chapters, which includes the NCTA team to run and officiate a competitive and challenging contest for surrounding FFA chapters. Also, being on the team, we arrive to school a few days before the semester starts to have the opportunity to travel and practice our skills on different types and classes of livestock.

Who is the coach?

Dr. Douglas Smith, associate professor of Animal Science and Agricultural Education, is our livestock judging coach.

What is a highlight of your participation?

A highlight of my involvement in Livestock Judging has been traveling on long trips with close friends that were made by being involved on the team. I wouldn’t trade the friendships I have made for anything.

How do students become a member of Livestock Judging, or who can they contact with questions?

Students can become a part of the team through enrolling in the academic course. Direct any questions to Dr. Smith.