What's not to judge?: Livestock and poultry judges share what they're looking for in county fair competitions

Jun. 19—With the Yuba-Sutter Fair quickly approaching and as the annual festivities begin to ramp up, those who grew up outside the world of agriculture might be left with a few questions.

Most visitors enjoy perusing the barns and getting to learn more about their favorite farm animals, but few realize the meaning and reason behind some of those colored ribbons they see adorning the pens.

To get a little more clarity on these traditions, the Appeal reached out to Dave Dillabo, the CEO and manager of the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds & Event Center. Dillabo is an experienced judge and cattle raiser who works to organize the county fair each year. In addition to his expertise, Dillabo connected the Appeal to a handful of livestock and poultry judges from across the country to share their knowledge with the public.

In general, the livestock categories can be broken down into cattle, swine, sheep and goats. Then comes poultry, which includes chickens, ducks, and turkeys.

Competitions at the county fair level are geared toward the youth so they can learn more about the marketability of their animals. Most often these kids register with a club such as 4-H, FFA, or Grange, but there's also a category for independents. Participation in these shows is often viewed as a right of passage and works to develop a sense of comradery amongst participants.

"When judging a fair, you're not doing it for the money, you're lucky to break even by the time you get done with the traveling," said Dillabo. "But it's really fun to be able to work with the kids and see how they progress as they gain more and more experience. That's why we do what we do, it's because we were there back in our younger days and honestly, we wouldn't be where we are today in our profession and careers if we didn't have that experience in the show ring working with the judges and learning from them. So really, it's about giving back to everyone who helped you in the past."

Cattle

As a cattle raiser himself, judging these creatures has become second nature for Dillabo. When evaluating a market cattle or steer (a castrated male), Dillabo explained that the judges are mostly focused on the animal's muscle mass and conformation. Conformation refers to the animal's body structure, posture, and gait while muscle or leanness represents the optimal distribution of meat and fat to obtain the best possible cuts.

"What's really important is that they have enough fat thickness," explained Dillabo. "Basically, you're able to handle the steer and put your fingers over the ribs to see how much fat thickness and how much fat cover they have over their rib cage. That will give you an indication of how fat the steer is inside, which will allow a judge to make a pretty good estimation in terms of how much marbling a steer has and if it's fat enough to make a quality product when it's processed."

While it is not uncommon to see highly groomed, fluffy, and blown dry calves at the fair, Dillabo said their prettiness rarely has an effect on the ultimate judging outcomes.

Traditionally, the cattle show had two primary categories: animals to be harvested or animals to be resold. However, this year the fair will be adding a third "live pick up" option for buyers to purchase an animal and take home for their own purposes.

Swine

Lee Rincker is an experienced judge from Illinois who will be returning to Yuba City to participate in the fair's largest animal event, its swine show. The swine show is broken into three different divisions: market hog, breeding gilt, and showmanship.

"The market hog show could best be described as a 'terminal show,' so the focus is on the consumer," said Rincker. "Entries can include both barrows, which are castrated males, and gilts, females who have not been bred yet."

The judging priorities for a market hog are similar to that of cattle and other livestock. A focus is set on its muscle, width, leanness, and volume which applies to an animal's overall "carcass traits."

For the breeding gilt show, more attention is paid to the animal's ability to raise piglets and become a productive sow.

"On a breeding gilt we want some of the same criteria we would look at on a market hog, but we're thinking about her as a breeding female so longevity is something that's pretty important," explained Rincker. "Structure becomes more valuable as does her fleshing ability."

Finally, the showmanship competition is solely based on a young person's ability to show their pig off. Different techniques can be used in the ring to help catch a judge's attention including eye contact, keeping the animal in good view, and maintaining an adequate amount of space between other competitors.

"Many times it comes down to whether or not the animal wants to cooperate," laughed Rincker.

"California county fairs to me are some of the absolute best because I think just because of that experience those young people get and the sponsorship and the amount of detail and organization that goes into these shows is very good."

Poultry

Poultry competitions fall into a world all their own and come with an arguably more complicated set of judging criteria. To put it simply, judging birds is not for the birds. Eric Kutch from Jamestown, California, will be returning this year to judge the market turkeys. Again, however, his expertise has quite the wingspan. Kutch has been judging birds for 23 years now and is associated with both the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association. The prior is considered the oldest poultry organization in North America and will be celebrating its 150-year anniversary this coming November.

Becoming a certified judge for either of these organizations requires a long and time-consuming commitment. Each group has a two-year licensing program, followed by an apprenticeship and both written and oral exams and testing.

"It's quite involved and as a matter of fact most people end up quitting halfway through," laughed Kutch.

Most county fairs have categories for exhibition birds, waterfowl, market chickens, and market turkeys. Exhibition birds are treated similar to dog shows where each breed is judged based on a set of breed standards.

"At the professional shows, some of these birds can go for hundreds if not thousands of dollars," added Kutch.

Last year, Kutch estimated that he had about 100 turkeys to judge, an escapade which took up the entire day. Each turkey must first pass a certain weight criteria, which is usually set between 16-18 pounds. Next comes cleanliness and examination of the body for any bruises, cuts, or hematomas that would result in disqualification.

"A lot of these turkeys the kids handle a little rough, and they get these bruises and hematomas under the wing," said Kutch. "Market turkeys grow very fast and they're joints are very weak, so if they're not handled gently, they can easily become injured."

When it comes to the body, judges again compare both the width and length of the animal for overall carcass quality.

"You kind of want a blocky type bird," explained Kutch. "I make a joke to the kids like, 'I want Spongebob Squarepants,' you never actually get a square bird, but the idea is you want a wide breast compared to the length."