• By April Bowman
• Posted Tuesday, November 3, 2015

NC State Fair Judging and Skillathon

The NC State Fair only lasts eleven days for most people. However, for participants of the State Fair Livestock Judging and Skillathon Contest they add two days to that. Most of them return to Raleigh after having already been in town for the livestock shows and exhibitions to try their hand at being the judge. On Saturday, October 31st, almost 150 young people from North Carolina and as far away as Indiana competed in judging sheep, swine, beef cattle, meat goats and giving oral reasons to defend their placing. When the results were announced, Hannah King of Walnut Cove emerged the top junior overall (youth ages 13 and under). Lynae Bowman of Germanton placed eighth overall, Anna Hill of King was eleventh and Allison Hartman of Walnut Cove was fourteenth. Their team placed second overall, only fourteen points behind the champions. Michelle Hartman of Walnut Cove also participated in the contest for the first time ever!

Forsyth/Stokes team members also took home the top spots in the senior (ages 14-18) contest. Kate Hice of Pleasant Garden was first overall and Brandon Hartman of Walnut Cove was second overall. Kate and Brandon will both be part of the North Carolina 4-H team that will represent North Carolina at the National Livestock Judging Competition the middle of November in Louisville, Kentucky at the North American International Livestock Exposition.

The team is coached by April Bowman, Forsyth County Extension Agent for Livestock, Forages and 4-H. The youth returned on Sunday to participate in the Skillathon competition, where they took a written test on their livestock knowledge, identified cuts of meat, breeds of animals, and livestock equipment, placed a class of four hay samples as well as participated in quality assurance and reading medication labels. Kate Hice emerged as the 7th place high overall senior, Hannah King placed third overall and the junior team was third overall, only one point behind second and 3.6 points away from first.

The team would like to thank Stokes and Forsyth County Farm Bureau, Performance Livestock Feeds and Alpha Graphics Winston-Salem for their sponsorship.