Glenn Toby's Assignment 4-H Livestock & Consumer Meats Judging Program by James B. Nesseth

Introduction

The 4-H Livestock & Consumer Meats Judging Program is a traditional youth development program that has been offered and utilized by 4-H members in Jackson County intensively for many years. It is a competitive program where classes of livestock, meat cuts, wholesale cuts, questions, written and/or oral reasons are presented and evaluated. Each class is scored based on its difficulty and how each individual lined up the class from best to worst. The results from these classes are tabulated with highest scores receiving recognition. This method is very effective in measuring skill levels for performance knowledge. The program's strengths are building decision-making skills along with prioritization, organization, self-confidence, written and speaking skills. However, it can be a very effective vehicle to help develop a process of learning that includes experiential, service and project-based learning.

Program

Ten 4-H members will be competing in the National 4-H General Livestock Judging Contest and 4-H Consumer Meats Judging Contest in conjunction with the National Western Livestock Show in Denver, Colorado. Five members will be on each team with four members competing in the competition. The General Livestock contest is held on the National Western grounds in Denver while the Meats contest is held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

These 4-H members will have the opportunity to fly from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Denver, Colorado Airport, lease a van and stay with other 4-H members from different states at a hotel that is hosting the Western 4-H Roundup Conference, which the judging contests are a part of.

Prior to this contest, the 4-H members practiced situations that would be similar to contest situations and make them more competitive but also provides an opportunity to interact with producers, store owners, meat department managers, and other industry players.

During the conference these 4-H members had the opportunity to meet other 4-H members from both similar and different backgrounds to reflect and exchange thoughts on their experiences from this program. Some of these students were from non-farm backgrounds and were inquisitive about the judging program and agriculture in general.

It is my belief that traditional youth programs like livestock and meat judging teams have been utilizing components of Experiential, Service, and Project-Based Learning long before they were identified as such. By utilizing these components, an educational process has been developed and will stimulate critical reflection when students are exposed to certain situations.

Experiential Learning

The judging program is a vehicle that stimulates a student to think about different production, marketing, food safety, and consumer issues. It hopefully prepares them to tell agriculture story and how it fits into the food chain. This program gives students the personal experiences with livestock and livestock end products so they can understand the complexity and importance it plays in people's livelihood. Livestock and meats judging rely on repetition and a high number of experiences to help develop skills. Every class that is evaluated has a different twist to which it forces a student to reflect and prioritize before making a decision. It also allows students to think and reflect about how interdependent issues are in agriculture. New technology, public policy, government programs, consumer demand and other facets greatly influence everyday decisions by people in the food chain.

Participating Extension Educators believe students will be stimulated to reflect on the situations given to them and help to develop a higher mental capacity and curiosity to learn more in any area.

Service Learning

Service-based learning is also utilized in judging program by involving active learning. Lessons and classes usually take place on individual farms, livestock marketing facilities, universities, retail stores, packing plants, and also in the classroom. Many judging practices provide opportunities to exchange information with players in the food chain. If students have the maturity and personality they can engage in discussion with stakeholders in the food chain and draw lessons from their experiences. Service-based learning encourages teamwork, positive reinforcement, leadership, mentorship and organizational skills. It is our belief the judging team program and trips to Western 4-H Roundup provide both the incentive and vehicle for service-based learning to occur. Then service-based learning can be the base for students to prepare themselves for service projects in their communities.

Clark, Will, and Vince discussed the five basic components to effective Service Learning and shared that with the co-hort with helped me frame the judging program.

7 Preparation - critical evaluation of livestock and retail meat cuts through resource manuals. 7 Action - actual judging classes and interactions with stakeholders 7 Reflection - discussions with other 4-H'ers with different backgrounds and/or stakeholders about pertinent issues 7 Recognition - competitive events and public awareness through media 7 Reciprocity - educating themselves and the people who are helping them by stimulating critical reflection.

Project-Based Learning

The judging program most likely fits project-based learning best. It allows students to focus in a specific area and provides an opportunity to explore an issue more in-depth. Past students have taken careers in food science research, production agriculture, journalism, education, marketing, etc. It has allowed students to develop a much larger perspective in terms of structure of agriculture and how it affects us socially and economically. Students can take this program and deal with the content in a way that interests them and is relevant to them by drawing on their own experiences, interests, and available resources.

Project-Based Learning is also the most effective in developing live skills, like problem solving, decision-making, organizational and communication. The activities all have a purpose such as performance classes, which incorporate data from genetic information or consumer focused classes dealing with costs/serving of meat cuts. From these classes, students must analyze data, evaluate animals or meat cuts, and identify priorities in a scenario or problem solving type class. Following are two examples.

Example reasons from a meats class of Beef Loin Top Loin Steaks. Placing of 3-4-1-2 and Cuts 3-1-3.

3 placed over 4 because of a decided advantage in muscling. 3 possessed an especially larger eye. Also, 3 exhibited a higher degree of marbling. I concede that 4 manifested slightly less fat over the eye as well as a smaller tail area.

4 place over 1 because of trimness. 4 possessed less fat over the eye and less fat in the cavity area. Also, 4 revealed finer textured marbling. I grant that 1 exhibited a higher degree of marbling in a slightly larger eye.

1 placed over 2 primarily because of quality. I revealed a brighter cherry red colored lean, a higher degree of marbling and a whiter fat. Also, 1 possessed a larger eye and a smaller tail area. I admit that 2 possessed less fat in the cavity area.

2 place last even though it revealed little trimmable fat in the cavity area. 2 lacked muscling as evidenced by a small eye. Further, 2 displayed a dull colored lean and fat which was off-white in color.

Example situation for Simmental Bull Calves

Situation: Rank these bulls as they would be used in a two-way rotational crossbreeding system. The other breed in the system is Angus, and feed resources are above average. Steers and cull heifers are marketed after being backgrounded for ninety days. Moderation in frame is desired (the Simmental-sired calves can then be commingled with the Angus-sired calves in uniform load lots). Replacement females are retained from both the Angus and Simmental sired heifers.

Genetic Evaluations

Birth Weaning Yearling Birth Weight Weight Weight Milk No. Date EPD EPD EPD EPD

1 3/02/98 +4 +40 +59 +7 2 2/14/98 +3 +36 +57 +8 3 1/21/98 +3 +45 +73 +7 4 1/03/98 +4 +36 +54 +7 Breed Avg EPD's: +3.3 +34 +52 +8

Project-Based Learning is best utilized in the 4-H motto "Learning by Doing". According to the learning pyramid, the best retention rate is obtained by teaching students or teachers subject matter and then presenting a situation where immediate use of the learning is utilized. The judging program offers decision-making opportunities for both individual and team activities. Compromise, communication, prioritization, assertiveness and other skills need to be developed in order to function successfully. Project-Based Learning also allows students to explain or defend their positions or decisions in the judging program. These students experience the difference between subjective and objective decision-making. This awareness helps them become more in tune with current trends, issues, and concerns on various subject matter.

Bottom line results in Experiential, Service, and Project-Based Learning is the student's ability to develop a learning process where they can both experience and learn. This helps them not only in school, but helps them develop skills for productive work and as Will, Clark, and Vince have stated in their papers, their skills will integrate them into life long learning.

It is my goal to develop educational programs at the adult level that will open more discussion and hands-on teaching methods. Practicing or simulating the real experience without question will have a greater retention level and impact to my clientele.

Incidentally, the General Livestock Team placed 9th overall, out of 24 teams. They were 2nd in sheep and 4th in oral reasons. We had 9th and 11th place individuals overall. The Meats Team placed 7th overall, 4th in placing, and we had one individual that placed 3rd overall. Texas had high team in both the General Livestock and Meats Contests. A total of 24 teams competed in the General Livestock Contest and 14 teams competed in the Meats Contest at the National Western 4-H Roundup Conference.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Answers

Jim,

Enjoyed your article. When we really stop to evaluate the learning that takes place at 4-H events - like judging contests - it is incredible! Some times as educators we do an event so many times that it becomes so routine for us that we forget the impact it has on the participants.

Joyce

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000