Judging Team Members Reflection on the Value of Livestock, Horse, Meats, and Wool Judging Programs

Youth livestock programs provide intangible benefits through life skill development

“…The ability to verbally defend a decision with accuracy was the skill most influenced by participation in the program. This concurs with McCann’s (1992) findings on the development of necessary life skills. The ability to verbally defend a decision is developed by the exercise of presenting oral reasons multiple times to effectively describe the thought process used by the participant in placing the class of livestock.…”

“… McCann and McCann (1992) said the livestock judging activity provides youth who have an interest in the livestock industry with the opportunity to develop necessary life skills for their futures and their careers. They also stated that through the training process before competition, livestock judging participants develop the most skills (compared with the amount of skills they learn during the actual judging competition).…”

The Influence of 4-H Judging Team Participation on Career Life Skills Development

“…Research has shown that 4-H, 4-H judging teams, and similar activities positively impact the development of life skills (Boyd, Herring, & Briers, 1992;Ladewig & Thomas, 1987;Lerner & Lerner, 2013;McCann & McCann, 1992;Rusk, Martin, Talbert, & Balschweid, 2002). Further investigation is necessary, however, to determine the perceived importance of the life skills learned in conjunction with 4-H judging teams.…”

“…A review of literature found that numerous research studies pertaining to life skill development in youth have used various lists of life skills. Among the life skills typically examined in studies are leadership (Astroth, 1996;Garton, Miltenberger, & Pruett, 2007;Seevers & Dormody, 1995;Singletary, Smith, & Evans, 2006;Walker, 2003), communication skills (Boyd, Herring, & Briers, 1992;Fitzpatrick, Gagne, Jones, Lobley, & Phelps, 2005;Guthrie, 1997;McCann & McCann, 1992;Shurson & Lattner, 1991;Woloshuk, Kerns, & Pennington, 1994), self-confidence (Armstrong, 2010;Fox, Schroeder, & Lodl, 2003;Guthrie, 1997;McCann & McCann, 1992;Rusk, Summerlot-Early, Machtmes, Talbert, & Balschweid, 2003), and decision making (Guthrie, 1997;McCann & McCann, 1992;Potter & Mulroy, 1994;Rusk et al, 2003). Much less common was literature that connected the development of life skills to their applications later on, such as in a job or career.…”

“…The life skills learned carry over to future education and occupational performance. Furthermore, the existence of judging teams at a collegiate level may influence potential students in deciding whether or not to attend a particular school (McCann & McCann, 1992).…”