Livestock Judging 101

During this class we will focus on the basics of how to evaluate meat production animals to create a strong breading program in the top six meat production species in the USA. The instructor will be using videos, games, and other learning tools to instruct students on how meat production animals are judged during the first half of the week and during the second half of the week students will work in teams to evaluate animals on their own which they will share with the class and allow for students and instructor to respond to their evaluations and continue to grow their knowledge about these animal species.

Days:
Monday - Learn about major meat production breeds of the weekly species and their general characteristics.
Tuesday - Learn about major anatomy requirements for the weekly species and how to evaluate them.
Wednesday - Practice evaluating animals from the weekly species with instructor help.
Thursday - Work in groups of 2-3 students to evaluate an animal (or group of animals) from the weekly species based on images, age/weight, and ultrasound information.
Friday - Respond to other groups evaluations to increase our knowledge of a good meat production animal.

Weeks:
1 - Beef
2 - Hog
3 - Lamb
4 - Goat
5 - Rabbit
6 - Chicken