Faythe Fowler

Chinook Writer

The Casper College Livestock Judging Contest, hosted on Saturday, March 23, strives to be the premiere contest in this region to benefit 4H and Future Farmers of America students. Students come from all over the state to enter the contest to prepare for upcoming state and national-level contests.

Heath Hornecker, a faculty in CC’s Agricultural Department, strives to put on a well-organized, high-quality contest. 

“We hold the contest every year to provide a practice for all of the FFA and 4H teams who are training throughout Wyoming and the region,” said Hornecker. 

Hornecker explained that various people provide the cattle, and the college already purchased the pigs and lambs used for the contest. 

With so many students participating in this contest, organization is key. Between ensuring the participants are where they need to be and scoring cards accurately and efficiently, a lot goes into the behind-the-scenes of the contest. The tabulation room is one of the most critical components of the contest.

Anne Wood, also a faculty member in the college’s ag department, runs the behind-the-scenes tabulations. To ensure the integrity of the contest, students are not allowed in the scoring room, and cards are scored as soon as possible. Results and awards are presented shortly after, for all age divisions competing. 

The Torington-Lingle FFA advisor Jason Groene brings his team to this contest every year. 

“It’s tradition,” said Groene. “It’s a quality contest when we come. The guys always make sure it’s a really good experience for the kids, and it’s probably one of the most complete contests this time of year that we can get some practice before we head to state convention.” 

The Wyoming State FFA Judging Contest is held on April 11, and the CC contest serves as a good practice. 

On top of the adult’s help with the CC contest, Hornecker and Wood both agreed that this contest is student-run and led, and the CC ag students put in so much effort to ensure the event runs seamlessly. Hornecker said the students get up early and stay late so that everything is where it should be, papers are correct, animals are healthy, and the pavilion is clean. 

“I think it’s amazing how all of our students at CC pull together in the agriculture department to make sure we put on one of the most well-attended and well-organized events,” said Wood. 

This contest is a great event hosted by the CC Ag Department, and it shows the hard work and dedication of the Ag students at CC. The event also showcases what the CC Ag Department offers and ultimately serves as one of the most effective recruitment opportunities available. 

Hornecker said, “It’s a benefit to us because then we bring a lot of students onto campus, and we get to showcase and highlight a lot of our students and facilities and our programs, which we hope turns into a good recruiting tool.”