Judges Look for Specifics at Livestock Competition
By Regina Elling

Douglas Chavez shows off his freshly bathed lambs; he will sell one at the Jr. Livestock Fair auction. Photo by Gail Martinez

Residents will be able to test their knowledge of livestock judging against some of the best when the Ramona Junior Fair comes to town Saturday, July 28 through Sunday, Aug. 5.

Livestock judging may look confusing or even sentimental to those unaware of the rules, but the exhibitors are well aware of what judges are looking for in competition.

Levi Gassaway has been judging livestock for five years. A former Ramona beef producer, he is also a recent U.C. Davis graduate, majoring in genetics with a minor in dairy and livestock. In addition, he has extensive experience showing livestock at the Ramona Junior Fair.

"Judges are looking for what the industry wants at the processing facility," he explains. "But the industry standards have to be housed in an attractive, balanced package."

"For example, the public wants pork that is leaner than ever before. Pork is now as lean as chicken. So judges will be looking for minimal back fat, length of body and other factors that affect the final product," he says.

For beef, industry standards are even more specific. "The animal can't be too large or too small," he says. "Americans want an 8- to 12-ounce portion of meat on their plates. Anything smaller or larger will be given a lower grade."

In the ring, however, judges also must look at the outside of the animal.

"It's up to the exhibitor to groom that animal to the best of their ability. There are all kinds of little tricks to make the animal look its best," Gassaway says. "And by learning to handle the animal well, they also help it to look the best that it can."

But exhibitors can't simply show up with a clean animal and expect to win. "They learn from their clubs how to pick the best animals from the beginning," he says. "And they must take care of them and feed them to win the entire time." Participants must also own their animals for a certain number of days prior to the show.

"The show here is also nice because the kids are required to wear uniforms," he says. "It just helps to level the playing field a bit."

Joe Weir is a serious competitor with his poultry and rabbits, and has assisted judges for years. He agrees with Gassaway that judges are looking for the final product, based on current industry standards.

"Poultry should dress out to between 4 and 6 pounds," he says. "Anything larger has to be deep-fried to cook. Hens should have big breasts for cooking and nice drumsticks."

Rabbits are also judged on consistency. "Basically, an ideal rabbit looks like a bowling ball with a head," he says.

As with the larger animals, it is the work the exhibitor does before the show that helps determine a winning animal.

"You have to own each kind of animal for a specified length of time before you can show it," he explains. "And they have to be well-fed and clean for weeks before the fair."

Chickens, for example, he says, "have to be really, really, really, white to win."

This year, Weir will be showing turkeys, a new category for the fair. And some of his friends like giving him some good-natured ribbing that showing his small animals isn't nearly as hard as say, halter-breaking a beef calf.

"You try washing a turkey every day for a month," he says with a laugh, showing his scratched-up arms. "It's a lot of hard work, but worth it."