A livestock judge's job is a tough one in Houston -- to determine just the right degree of structure, balance, feathering, coat and conformation. Minute degrees of variation in one of these areas could mean the difference between a Grand Champion and a great disappointment to the youngsters who bring their animals to the Houston Livestock Show. The men and women who make these decisions are the best in the industry. Houston Livestock Show judges have not only traveled around the world to select prime animals at some of the most prestigious global breed competitions, but they also have handed out blue ribbons at small county fairs across Texas and the Midwest. Choosing the almost 70 livestock judges and 25 horse judges to grade the animals at the Houston Livestock Show is done a year or more in advance, according to John Sykes, assistant general manager, Agricultural Exhibits and Competition Department. Once the job has been accepted, junior market show judges are not allowed to work an event in Texas until the time of the Show. "We take recommendations from animal industry committees, as well as county extension agents, animal scientists and high school agricultural science teachers, who have their own committee and make their own recommendations," Sykes said. "We only hire judges with plenty of experience who have a track record for fairness and consistency," said Sykes, who added that integrity is just as important as capability when it comes to the qualifications of a judge. Men and women who interact well with youth are also top candidates. "They need to be able to communicate with those young people as openly as they can with their own families," said Sykes. Cattle judge Cheryl Fulkerson started judging 4-H livestock events when she was 9 years old. Two years later she assisted her hearing-impaired father in judging beef competitions. While her father used sign language, Fulkerson verbalized his reasons. When she was 18, she began judging competitions on her own. Fulkerson, who has a bachelor's degree in agricultural industries management from Colorado State University, as well as a master's of business administration and a doctorate from Oklahoma State University, said, "One of the hardest things about judging is being 'on' every minute of the day. You have to start at eight in the morning and be just as fresh, sharp and objective at eight that night." "I always keep the kids in mind when judging. You have to be sure to spend as much time evaluating the lower placings as the top ones. Those kids have spent so much time raising this animal that they all deserve a fair look. I always try to remember that youngster at the bottom who needs a kind word of encouragement," said another judge, Jim Williams, a Texas A&M University graduate and a purebred cattle breeder. "I think the judges have to really keep in mind that we're doing it for the kids, and we have to make our relationship with them as positive as we can," said Steve Nichols, who started judging barrows on his college livestock team and who also has been coming to Houston for 25 years. A county extension agent who has a degree in animal science with an emphasis on swine production, Nichols said the perfect pig is lean in muscle and structurally correct. There's not much muscle to judge when it comes to Sam Rizzo's category. A retired school teacher, Rizzo started judging rabbits when he was just a kid. Shape, color, size and a healthy coat are some of the qualities he looks for when picking winners in Houston. "Each rabbit is the same as any other livestock: there is a standard of perfection for each breed and you have to decide which comes closest to its own standard with no disqualifications such as crooked legs, bad teeth or bad eyes," said Rizzo, who raises New Zealand rabbits. Colorado native Nevil Speer, making his first trip to Houston in 1998 to judge heifers, is ready to tackle the challenge ahead. An animal science teacher with a specialty in beef production, he has judged professionally since 1987. He also has been a member and coach of his collegiate livestock judging team. "It's a real honor to be asked to judge in Houston, and I'm very excited. I'm looking forward to this opportunity because I've been a spectator and definitely know what I have to expect and the challenge ahead. The very elite will be in Houston, and in my mind it will come down to minute degrees of perfection," said Speer. When it comes to lambs, Oklahoma native Larry Shell is one of the judges who has to distinguish that slight difference that makes a champion. An agricultural science teacher since 1970, Shell started judging almost 20 years ago and has made three trips to Houston to pick the best sheep.
About lamb selection, Shell said, "When you're in Houston, you have so many quality head that you begin by just looking for sheep that have a good profile and a good touch, or muscle tone. After that, you want some length and muscle in the leg combined with a sheep that's stylish and balanced and real pretty. When you find one that meets the eye and the hand, you have a good sheep." For poultry, Houston native Bill Cawley has been tackling the judging challenge since 1952. He can remember selecting the top turkeys and broilers downtown in the Sam Houston Coliseum when the Show was still called the Houston Fat Stock Show. A lot has changed in the decades since he started, but one thing remains the same: "When you talk about Houston, you are talking the Super Bowl of poultry events." Cawley said there's probably not a small town with a county fair across the United States he hasn't worked. Judging the junior poultry show means determining which birds are going to offer the best meat. "The first thing you've got to check is the breast. If the breast is not well fleshed-out, you might as well go on to something else. Once you've got the birds with the best breasts, you move on to the thighs," Cawley said. "A judge has to visualize what that bird is going to look like when it's dressed out and all those feathers are gone, especially with turkeys. Is it going to look good on the platter?" In Houston, chickens are judged in pens of three, and they must match in both uniformity and size, while turkeys are judged separately like other livestock. Today, Cawley judges only five or so shows each year, "I told them I was going to quit when kids started coming up and saying, 'Oh, you judged my granddaddy's show.' " Combining the state of Texas' best junior exhibitors with the most talented judges from throughout the United States is one of the reasons why the Houston Livestock Show ranks as the best of the best.
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