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2016 LOGAN COUNTY FAIR
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS July 29 - August 6, 2016 Page 11
The youngster said he had performed that task the
night before show day. The judge advised him that
this year, he should dig those potatoes several days
ahead of time, to allow the skins to dry and harden.
That was a lesson learned for the youngster, who will
no doubt dig those taters earlier this year.
In the soybean category, the judge asked a young man
what he had done to grow his top honor
soybean plant. The boy explained that he
had gone out to dad’s soybean field, and
marked an area that would be his. Each day,
he checked his plants. When the weather
was hot and dry, he carried water to them
(irrigation). When the ground was hard, he
hoed around his plants (aeration). He also
kept an eye open for weeds and insects that
would deter the growth of his special plants.
While no farmer can water each plant
individually, the methods the young man
was putting into practice are the same as
what a farmer puts into a crop each year. He
had learned that to have a good crop there
needed to be good management practices in
the field. And, like dad the farmer, he knew
and understood that raising a crop does not
equate to putting seed in the soil and coming
back in the fall and reaping the reward. Farming takes
work.
The judges, who sign up to study these exhibits and
issue ribbons of various colors, do not take their task
lightly. The information the judges give, and what
they observe and point out to these youngsters will
influence their growth as a 4-H member, and also in
their growth to adulthood and future careers.
In the livestock barns, the judges selected to come to
Logan County are typically not local. They have no
knowledge of family names, or how many generations
the child before them represents in Logan County.
Their task is to look at the individual kid and animal
and evaluate how well the two have performed in the
months leading up to the fair.
In the beef cattle judging, for example, judges are
often people who own or work on a beef cattle farm.
They are also often ones who have attended college
and been part of a livestock judging team. They
know how to evaluate an animal and how to convey
their thoughts out loud to the youngsters showing the
animals.
During the judging, they will walk around and around
the animal looking for qualities that make that animal
a blue ribbon winner. They may ask questions about
records the kids have kept throughout the months.
When they are finished, the judges often will spend
several minutes with a microphone in hand, speaking
about the strengths and weaknesses of each animal.
These strengths and weaknesses are a learning
opportunity for the kids. They listen intently, not
only to what the judge says about their animal, but
also what he or she says about the others. They take
a mental note of what they need to do better next year
because the reality of the situation is that these kids
and animals are not competing against each other,
they are competing, at this point at least, against
themselves.
Most 4-H entries are judged on two levels. First, there
is the “Dutch style” judging. In this style, the entry is
being measured only for its own qualities and is not
being compared to anyone else. In the animal barns,
for example, there can be a half-dozen top quality
sheep that will all earn blue ribbons. There will also
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