REGINA – Zach Johnson had a good day Nov. 25. He and 49 other 4-H
participants at the International
4-H Judging Seminar left the Canadian Western Agribition barns behind
and drove north of Regina to Roy Leitch’s sheep feedlot.
The 19 year old from Torrington, Wyoming, admits his skills at
evaluating some other livestock are not as polished as some of the
other junior judges he was competing against. But when it comes to
sheep, he knows them “cold.”
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“I got them right,” he said.
Back in the United States, Johnson’s family lambs out 500 ewes each
spring as well as raising some beef cattle. It was the first time
Johnson and most of the other six 4-H competitors from Wyoming had been
to Canada.
“Saskatchewan is a lot like home. The wheat strips and the farms are
pretty similar. A little colder but about the same except we’ve got a
couple of feet of snow.”
What wasn’t like home was some of the judging criteria at the Canadian
event.
“The llama thing just blew us away. We couldn’t believe we’d be judging
those things. We thought they were kidding. But it went well and we
learned something. In Canada, you also judge horses. We don’t judge
them in competition at home, but it’s all about learning something new
and we did,” he said.
“At our state contest, at our state fair, our team was fourth in the
state of Wyoming. Next year the top individuals not attending a U.S.
national championship will attend Agribition. But this is my last year
because I’m 19,” said the 11-year 4-H veteran.
Johnson placed in the middle of the judging pack when all the scoring
was complete, but said the experience and the practice judging are the
important things.
“You never give up a chance to judge. It pays off.”
Johnson would know. He is attending Casper College in Casper, Wyo., on
a livestock judging scholarship.
After completing a two-year associate degree in science, he plans to
work on a four-year degree in agriculture.
“Then I just want to return back to the farm and do what I love to do.
Raise livestock,” he said.
“I expect I’ll always be involved in 4-H. Even though I’m done this
year, my folks are both leaders and I have a little sister still in it,
so I expect I’ll get the rope tossed over me right away to be a leader.”
Johnson said prospects for a young person seeking a career as an
agricultural producer “are tough but achievable in the United States.
It doesn’t sound like that is nearly as possible up here in Canada.
“You sure wouldn’t know it from shows like this one though. This is a
big, enthusiastic show with a lot of great stock and producers.”
