The best and brightest among farm kids are often found at an event like the Calgary Stampede’s international youth livestock judging competition.
The event for young people between the ages of 9 and 20 gives them an opportunity to learn more about judging cattle, sheep and horses, as well develop their social skills through oral presentations. It is also the richest youth show of its kind in Canada, with $26,500 in scholarship money and other prizes on offer.
The young people must exhibit their showmanship with a variety of species, judge beef and dairy cattle, heavy horses and sheep, provide written marketing plans and participate in interviews to show their knowledge.
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This year only Canadians participated and most were from Alberta.
For two 17 year olds, this is an enticing event where they have won scholarships in the past and gained lasting friendships.
Danny Hertz of Duchess, Alta., is a longtime showman and winner at past events. His parents, Rick and Mary Hertz, own Ivy Livestock, a purebred Limousin ranch where showing cattle dominates the summer.
“It’s one of the highlights of our summer,” said Danny, who is also a 4-H ambassador and an executive with the national and provincial junior Limousin clubs.
“We are pretty lucky in that our dad is pretty dedicated to letting us show in the summer,” he said.
Hertz and his two brothers have a friendly competition going when they show cattle and they get full encouragement from their parents. This year his brother Tyson beat him by a few points to win the overall senior championship.
Last year Danny won $2,000 in scholarship money at this event. He’s going to need it to supplement his education at Queen’s University this fall where he plans to study finance with the goal of becoming an investment banker.
He is also the recipient of a $75,000 scholarship called the Loran Award through the Canadian Merit Scholarship program. He was one of 30 winners among the more than 4,000 who applied. He was selected after six interviews and a resume outlining his volunteer work and community commitment, as well as high grades. While he may be far from home, the ranch will never leave him.
“I enjoy agriculture and everything it has to offer, but I will venture out for a few years,” he said.
Amanda High of Fort Macleod, Alta., is also leaving home this year to study hair design in Calgary.
She won $1,000 at this event last year and as a 4-H ambassador and active member of the show circuit, she is keen to continue working with her purebred red Angus cattle.
“The money is a good incentive but I like doing the judging and the marketing,” she said.
This year she was reserve champion in the seniors’ marketing competition. Danny Hertz was the grand champion marketer.
The program has offered High more than money. She won a trip to the National Western Stock Show in Denver and has learned marketing skills that she hopes to turn into a future career.
The show circuit can be time consuming.
“This is my third show in the last week and a half,” she said.
As president of the junior Angus association, she is also committed to working on the large youth show being held in Calgary later this month, which is a dry run for the world congress coming next year. She is among a handful of older girls participating.
“People think it is something they don’t want to do but it’s something I really enjoy. It takes up my whole summer,” she said.
Overall champion awards included: juniors champion: Taylor Giles, Cochrane, Alta., reserve Kylie Hebbes, Strathmore, Alta.; intermediates champion, Michael Haeni, Didsbury, Alta., reserve, John Murphy, Wetaskiwin, Alta.; seniors champion: Tyson Hertz, reserve Danny Hertz, both of Duchess. Awards were also presented for marketing presentations, multi species judging, showmanship and personal interviews.
