“No. These are not heifers,” John Callaway told a nervous 4-H’er
after an obvious slip of the tongue.
“These are ewes,” John said with a laugh. “A heifer is a young
female cow. A ewe is a female sheep. You’ve got to know the
difference, and you’ve got to call it what it is.”
The 4-H’er was a member of the Heard County 4-H livestock judging
team. I asked John to help me coach the team, which is the first
one Heard County has had in a long, long time. There are nine on
the team. The youngest is a fifth-grader and the oldest an
eighth-grader.
We were up in Carroll County judging a class of sheep for the
first time.
By the way, John is a retired county agent. He and his wife
Marsha moved back to the family farm not too long ago.
How Do You Spell ‘Ewe’?
“How do you spell ‘ewe’?” one 4-H’er asked.
“Well, I’ll tell you how it is NOT spelled,” I said. “It’s not
spelled Y-O-U!”
Livestock judging teaches 4-H’ers statewide the principles and
methods of evaluating live animals. They compare them to the
ideal animal of a species, whether it’s cattle, hogs, or
sheep.
Of course, there is no ‘ideal’ or ‘perfect’ animal. But they look
at the differences among the animals and select the one animal
that can best do its job.
Used Daily on Farm
Livestock judging is used daily by all livestock farmers in
selecting herd sires and replacement females, designing a good
breeding program and determining when livestock are ready for
market.
It’s impossible to be a good livestock farmer without first being
a good livestock judge.
There are many benefits to competing on a livestock judging team.
And the benefits may not have anything to do with livestock.
Logical Reasoning
The team members will learn how to make accurate decisions and
defend those decisions with logical reasoning. Presenting reasons
orally will train the members to think on their feet and to
become more effective speakers. They will become more confident
in themselves.
So even if the 4-H’ers never raise livestock, they will have
learned valuable skills they can put to use in other
enterprises.
But first, they have to make sure they call a heifer a heifer and
a ewe a ewe.
