Several state leaders got a first-hand look into the world of 4-H livestock showmanship today as they tried their hand at showing livestock, with 4-H youth as judges, at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot.

Just prior to the North Dakota Leaders 4-H Showmanship Contest, a leader was paired with each of the 24 4-H’ers who won champion or reserve champion at the intermediate and senior level in showmanship for six livestock species at the State Fair this week. The youth gave their leader tips on how to show a specific species of livestock, then the 4-H’ers served as the judges for the leaders’ efforts.

The 4-H’ers liked North Dakota’s first-of-its-kind event.

“It’s a good opportunity to share knowledge and learn how to teach others,” says Morton County 4-H’er Baily Kunz. 

“Hopefully, they learned a lot from the experience,” says Caleb Schwab, a 4-H member from Ransom County. “There’s more to learn about 4-H than what I could teach them in the time we had together.”

The state leaders who took first place in the event were:

• Beef - Minot Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Stephanie Schoenrock, who was tutored by Molly Hansen, 13, of Foster County
• Dairy - Rep. Dennis Johnson, District 15, Devils Lake, who was tutored by Sigryn Henke, 13, of Mercer County
• Dairy goats - Sen. Rich Wardner, District 37, Dickinson, who was tutored by Rylie Dohrmann, 17, Stark-Billings counties
• Meat goats - State Fair Director Mark Schaunaman, who was tutored by Charlotte Wilson, 13, McLean County
• Sheep - State Board of Agricultural Research and Education Chairman Mark Birdsall, Berthold, who was tutored by Taylor Cattin, 16, Ward County
• Swine - Commissioner of Agriculture Doug Goehring, who was tutored by Paige Zimprich, 14, Ransom County

NDSU Extension, the North Dakota 4-H Foundation and the North Dakota State Fair sponsored the event. Travis Hoffman and Jeff “Tigger” Erhardt served as announcers for the contest.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - July 30, 2021

Source: Leigh Ann Skurupey, 701-231-6658, leighann.skurupey@ndsu.edu

Source: Kurt Froelich, 701-456-7665, kurt.froelich@ndsu.edu

Editor: Ellen Crawford, 701-231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu