County 4-H seniors qualify for elite judging event
Anderson County 4H students Briley Gray, holding the lamb Shrek, and Baylee Brown spoke to the Anderson County Commission about their Senior High Livestock Judging team on Jan. 20. Their team plans to go to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in Texas. (photo:Ben Pounds )
That event will take place in March this year, Breeana Stafford, a 4-H agent with the University of Tennessee Extension Institute of Agriculture, said.
“This is an elite-level competition and an experience they have earned,” Stafford said of the high school seniors in the program.
She discussed the competition and encouraged people to donate at the Tuesday, Jan. 20, County Commission meeting.
Speaking alongside her were Baylee Brown and Briley Gray. Joining the three of them but only bleating once was a lamb named Shrek.
Gray called the competition “one of the largest, most-competitive and most-prestigious livestock events in the nation.”
“While in Texas we will also visit multiple farms, ranches, purebred operations and commercial livestock facilities to learn directly from top-tier producers, expanding our agricultural understanding and career pathways beyond what we can experience locally,” Brown said.
“These youth plus eight others have worked tremendously hard throughout their 4-H careers, which started in fourth grade,” Stafford said.
She described the trip as developing “career-ready skills in agriculture, communications, leadership and critical thinking.”
She said 4-H students who judge livestock have higher college enrollment and agricultural-career persistence rates.
To give donations, make out checks UT Extension-Anderson County. Memo: Senior High Livestock Judging Trip – Houston. Mailing address: Anderson County 4-H, 100 N. Main St. Room 213, Clinton, TN, 37716.
Reach the office by phone at 865-457-6246.
