By Blake Jackson
Missouri 4-H had a strong showing at the 2024 North American International Livestock Exposition National 4-H Livestock Judging Contest held in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 19. The team from Clinton County earned a remarkable third-place finish out of 29 competing teams.
The team members Beau Ann Graves, Paisley Nelson, Payton Rodgers, Sam Jordan, and Jorja Ebert were coached by Shane Bedwell and Cody Sloan.
After all the hard work and dedication they put into preparing for the contest, it was a rewarding experience for the coaches to see the youths' efforts pay off on the national stage.
“Shane and I were honored to coach these five individuals,” said Sloan. “It was great to see all their hard work and dedication to the team be rewarded at Louisville. They’ve made us coaches proud, their parents and supporters proud, and Missouri 4-H proud.”
Maria Calvert, the University of Missouri Extension state 4-H agriculture educator, echoed these sentiments, saying, "We are incredibly proud of the youths’ dedication to livestock judging and their accomplishments at the national contest."
The national contest featured 11 judging classes four beef, three swine, three sheep, and one goat class, along with four sets of reasons on two beef classes, one swine class, and one sheep class, as well as questions on one class each of swine, sheep/goats, and beef.
Photo Credit: 4-h
Categories: Missouri, Livestock