General Livestock Judging

Teams and Eligibility

1. Entries - All teams should be registered on or before the official NACTA registration deadline. Number and names of all candidates that the coach expects to bring to the contest must be provided on an entry roster in advance. Each official team will consist of five members with all five scores constituting the team total. Individuals may compete and will be eligible for individual awards. Official team members must be identified in advance. Each school may enter only one official team, but additional individual numbers will not be limited. Additional individual contestants will compete for individual awards and pay the full registration fee. The final official team selections must be verified at the coaches meeting. Substitutions may occur contest morning, but no new contestants may be added.

2. Competition is open to all contestants deemed eligible by their respective institution and NACTA contest guidelines.

Divisions are as follows:

Two year and four-year teams will judge the same classes. Separate awards will be made for both team and overall individuals in each division.

3. Eligibility - All contestants must be currently enrolled in a two-year or a four-year institution and pursuing an undergraduate degree. A competing individual may not compete in this contest if he/she has participated as a scored, official contestant in a national NACTA Livestock Judging contest in any previous year in the same division. If he/she previously competed in the two-year college division, he/she may compete once more in the four-year college division.

4. Twelve classes of livestock will be judged. If suitable classes are available, the cattle classes will consist of any combination of females, bulls and market steers. The cattle may be on halter or loose in pens. The hogs, sheep and goats will consist of any combination of market and breeding classes. Market Lambs/Goats will be in racks. Breeding sheep and does will be loose in pens.

5. Performance data and a scenario will be provided on multiple breeding classes. The performance classes may also be selected as reasons classes.

6. Oral reasons will be given on a total of 8 classes in both divisions. The best reasons classes will be decided by the official committee, but will most likely consist of 4 cattle, 2 hogs and 2 sheep/goats.

7. Contestants will be given 12 minutes to place each class and 2 minutes to give each set of oral reasons.

8. Typical contest scoring and tie breaking methods will be in use.

9. Final class details will be made available at the coaches meeting.

10. No communication with contestants or anyone else except superintendents will be permitted once the contest has started. Coaches may not communicate with a team or individuals until the contest is finished. No cell phones, text messaging, or conferring during the contest will be allowed. Contestants observed in violation of this WILL be disqualified from the competition.