Vermilion Parish livestock judging team wins state

GONZALES, La. – The Vermilion Parish livestock judging team will advance to the national livestock judging competition in Louisville, Kentucky, this fall after winning first place at the 2015 State 4-H and FFA Livestock Judging Contest held during the LSU AgCenter Livestock Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
The team included Brett Lee, Jade Herpin and Shelbi Picard. The overall individual winner was Yimmi Fontenot from Jefferson Davis Parish.
Finishing third was another Vermilion Parish team consisting of John Gordy (KHS), Seth Suire (KHS) and Victoria Frederick AHS).
A total of 50 high school students participated in the competition, where the students judged market goats, breeding ewes, market lambs, Braford steers, breeding gilts and market hogs.
LSU AgCenter beef and swine specialist Tim Page said the competition was a good opportunity for the youth to get experience and to win the trip to the national competition.
“In the past, we’ve had this competition as part of 4-H University at LSU in June,” Page said. “But it is really hard to get animals during the heat of the summer to put on a good competition for the kids. So for the past three years we’ve had it here at the state show.”
The contestants, who were chosen by their 4-H agents and FFA advisors, are often, but not always, involved in a livestock project at the show, Page said.
During the competition, the young judges take 12 minutes to score the four animals in each class, then move to the next class. They also give oral reasons on the breeding classes.
The eight-member LSU livestock judging team officiated at the contest and came up with the ranking of the animals. Page said.