N.D. Leaders Experience 4-H Livestock Showmanship

Several state leaders got a first-hand look into the world of 4-H livestock showmanship as they tried their hand at showing livestock, with 4-H youth as judges, at this year’s North Dakota State Fair in Minot.

As part of the North Dakota Leaders 4-H Showmanship Contest, a leader was paired with each of the 24 4-H’ers who won champion or reserve champion at the intermediate and senior level in showmanship for six livestock species at the State Fair. The youth gave their leader tips on how to show a specific species of livestock, then the 4-H’ers served as the judges for the leaders’ showmanship efforts.

The event was designed to showcase 4-H youth and their skills and provide an opportunity for youth to network with public leaders.

The 4-H’ers liked North Dakota’s first-of-its-kind event.

“It’s a good opportunity to share knowledge and learn how to teach others,” says Morton County 4-H’er Baily Kunz.

“Hopefully, they learned a lot from the experience,” says Caleb Schwab, a 4-H member from Ransom County. “There’s more to learn about 4-H than what I could teach them in the time we had together.”

The state leaders who took first place in the event were:

  • Beef – Minot Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Stephanie Schoenrock
  • Dairy – Rep. Dennis Johnson, District 15, Devils Lake
  • Dairy goats – Sen. Rich Wardner, District 37, Dickinson
  • Meat goats – State Fair Director Mark Schaunaman
  • Sheep – State Board of Agricultural Research and Education Chairman Mark Birdsall, Berthold
  • Swine – Commissioner of Agriculture Doug Goehring

“It went over big,” says Kurt Froelich, the Extension agent for Stark and Billings counties who initiated the event. “It just turned out beyond my dreams.”

NDSU Extension, the North Dakota 4-H Foundation and the North Dakota State Fair sponsored the event.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Leigh Ann Skurupey, 701-231-6658, leighann.skurupey@ndsu.edu
Kurt Froelich, 701-456-7665, kurt.froelich@ndsu.edu

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