The Livestock Judging team, as well as the Beef Skillathon partcipants traveled to Dallas to compete at the State Fair of Texas  in their respective contests. The judging team consists of seniors Clayton Stevenson, Sayler Beerwinkle, and Katy Jones, sophomores Slade Beerwinkle and Lynnsey Mahler, and freshman Braileigh Goe. The Beef Skillathon is an individual event,  and sophomore Emma Stevenson and 5th grader Jenna Stevenson represented SE in this event. 

Livestock Judging is an opinion contest, where the contestants have to do their best to judge the cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, and place them in the correct order. Beef Skillathon is a different kind of contest, where the participants are tested on their knowledge of the agriculture industry. Each of these contestants competed well at this state wide contest.  

“There’s a lot of anticipation before every contest,” Clayton Stevenson said. “We really didn’t know how the contest was going to go, but I was excited for it and ready to get it over with.”  

There were a total of 515 individuals and 166 total teams in the Livestock Judging contest. C. Stevenson placed 36th. 

“We had great success, our team got 47th, and there were a lot of teams there from other big schools,” C. Stevenson said. “We beat teams that went to state last year.” 

Principal Cindy Furr notices the difference that these practice contests will make for the spring contests.

“They get to go to a bigger venue than what we normally get around here,” Furr said. “They also get to compete against teams from all over the state, which makes a difference.”

Braileigh Goe also made the trip to Dallas to judge the livestock that was presented.

“Before the contest, I thought I might do a little better than the contest before because I’ve had a little practice,” Goe said. “After I saw the results, I realized that I needed more practice to do better at the next contests.”  

 The Stevenson sisters both did well in the Beef Skillathon portion, even though it is a tougher contest. 

“The first round is about identifying breeds, medicine, diseases, equipment, and EPD’s,” Emma Stevenson said. “Then there is a 50 question test, written by a college professor, that has anything to do with the cattle industry.” 

Points are earned for how well you do in each station and on the test. The top 10 kids in each age group make the finals, and then move on to hands-on stations. 

“Jenna made finals and was 8th in the junior division,” Emma Stevenson said. “I missed finals by one, and placed 11th in the senior division.” 

The Beef Skillathon contest is good preparation for future contests like the Commercial Steer Show in Houston. 

“I do really enjoy this contest,” E. Stevenson said. “It helps me prepare for the bigger contests, and it really expands my knowledge of the beef industry.” 

The Livestock Judging team uses these fall contests to practice for the contests that take place in the spring. 

“When you succeed and do great, you feel accomplished,” C. Stevenson said. “I’m really proud, and hopefully we will continue and grow throughout the year and eventually make it to state.” 

Furr sees good things coming from our ag programs.

“Lots of times, at state events, they have top-notch animals to judge,” Furr said. “So I think, if at all possible, it is something we need to continue.”