Congratulations..Grant County 4H Livestock Judging Team

Never when I joined the Grant County 4-H Livestock Judging Team did I ever imagine it would present me the opportunities that it has.

Most recently we were invited to judge in Edinburgh, Scotland at the Royal Highland Show, and what an opportunity that was!! Our journey began with a 12-hour plane ride. We landed in Glasgow, Scotland, where we met up with the other teams from throughout the United States. At that point none of us knew what a close group of friends we would be by the end of the trip.

We then loaded the tour buses and  headed toward our hotel in Livingston. We also took some farm tours. The first place we toured was an Agricultural Museum and farm where they kept antique equipment.  This farm was there for the public to visit and learn about. The second place we visited was a farm where they raised beef and sheep. This farm raised registered Luing cattle, (which are Shorthorn and Scottish Highlander cross cattle) and a commercial herd in which they bred the Luing females to Charolais bulls for a larger carcass. We were shown their facilities and some of their cattle on pasture. In the winter their cattle must be raised in confinement on cement because the ground is so wet that they will ruin the soil and pastures and the manure must be stored through the winter because it cannot be spread on top of the snow for run off precautions. It was an extremely informative tour. We had a group supper and called it a night after a long day full of travel.

Day two of the trip we drove to Edinburgh and took a bus tour of the city. We then went to the Royal Highland and were given a quick overview of what the contest would be like and what to look for in the animals. Which is quite different compared to here!!

Day three was the competition!! It was an early morning, we ate breakfast and headed to the show where we were assigned groups and went to the contest. Teams are composed of two people and you can only judge one species. Brian I chose to judge sheep, while Amanda and Kelli judged cattle. We judged four classes and gave two sets of reasons. We were given four minutes per class to evaluate and handle the animals and take the few notes we had time too. After the contest we were left to explore the show and grounds, a few of the items we visited were the Queen’s Scottish Highlander Cattle, the sheep shearing competition, the unveiling of the 8360R Series John Deere Tractor, and many other unique stands. We finished up the day with an awards banquet, Brian and I were second high in the sheep judging competition!!

Day four we packed up and loaded the coaches and headed to  England. We saw many rural villages and farms as we made our way across Scotland. Before we went to the hotel we stopped and toured a dairy farm where their cows were fed a ration with a mix of potatoes not suitable to be sold in a produce stand. They milked in a swing 8 herringbone parlor. Some of the builings and barns were over 250 years old and still well kept and very functional! That evening we attended a hog roast supper. The hospitality of the European families was incredible, we felt as if we were at home. After the barbeque we went to the hotel and the next day we continued into London.

I would like to thank everyone who helped us to make this trip possible, whether you donated to our trip, or welcomed us to your farm to practice throughout the years. If you would like to know more about our stay in Scotland, feel free to ask me or my teammates at the fair.

Shea