Visit us online at:http://qualitycounts.tamu.edu/

GOLD!!!

Texas is #1

• Opportunities for Youth to Exhibit Livestock– County Shows– Fairs– Major Shows

• Prize Money

• Premium Auction Sales

• Scholarship Support

• Volunteer Support

Word Description

Animal Projects Youth should understand that livestock projects are a part of the food supply continuum.

Education Adults involved in junior livestock programs need to emphasize the educational aspect (including the

eight core concepts of QC).

Nurturing This includes adults having an understanding of positive youth reinforcement.

Team Work Adults should be teaching team work through family communications, youth helping other youth at

showmanship clinics, and relationship with their CEA or AST.

Other Opportunities

Adults should be motivating youth to do more than just exhibiting livestock (skill-a-thons, method demos,

livestock judging, etc.).

Volunteer Responsibility

Adults need to embrace their responsibility to help create a positive educational experience for youth.

GOLD!!!

• Adults should further explain the meat industry and emphasize how handling of livestock could impact meat primals / cuts, food quality assurance, etc.

Market Livestock

Total Entry Numbers

Market Swine: 32,751

Meat Goats: 23,817

Market Lamb: 11,323

Market Steers: 8,435

TOTAL:TOTAL: 76,32676,326

Market Livestock

• Factors affecting dressing percent:– Stomach content, muscling, hide weight and

thickness, fat thickness, horns, fleece, fat thickness

• A brief history of how consumers impact livestock in the show ring.

Market Livestock

Education• Adults involved in junior livestock programs

should emphasize the eight core concepts of Quality Counts. – Six Pillars of Character– Purpose of 4-H / FFA– Purpose of Livestock projects– Making decisions / goal setting– Impact of livestock projects on red meat industry– Responsibilities of producing a safe product– Medication use / reading and following labels– Animal care and well-being

The Character ConnectionDaily Management

Feeding, Shelter, Daily Care, Medication, Exercise, etc.

THE PROJECT

SUBJECT MATTER

THE STUDENT

Character and Life Skill Development

Responsibility, Respect, Work Ethic, etc.

Day to Day Contact

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Education

• Adults should have an understanding of:

– understanding ages and stages of youth

– positive reinforcement

– building confidence in youth

– goal setting

Nurturing

Erikson’s Stages of Development• Oral- Sensory

• Muscular Locomotor

• Latency

• Adolescence

• Young Adulthood

• Middle Adulthood

• Maturity

Nurturing

Positive ReinforcementReinforcement should involve emphasizing

the positive things youth are doing first, then follow up with things they can continue to work on. – “Jenny you swept up the isles in the barn well,

but the pens could use some more cleaning.”

– “Christy your showmanship skills have improved greatly, but there are still a few things we can work on to make them better.”

Nurturing

Example Goal Statements• I practice showing my steer 4 times a week.• I brushed my pig X times per week.• I cleaned the goat stall X times per week.• I will help my younger sister feed her sheep.• I am going to go back for showmanship this

year.• I will lead a showmanship clinic this year for

my county/chapter.

Nurturing

• Adults should be teaching team work through family communications (coordinating schedules), youth helping other youth at showmanship clinics, and additional methods youth can teach other youth.

Team Work

COMMUNICATION

• TEAM - a number of persons associated together in work or activity

• Groups with strong synergy have unique characteristics such as – Shared leadership roles among members– Individual accountability– Agreed-upon purposes and/or goals– Collective work products– Active problem-solving

Team Work

Five Stage Model of Development

Team Work

• Forming - The project(s) has arrived and everyone is excited! At this point, everyone is standing around the pen admiring the livestock project. The leader is pointing and telling others where the feed is and is making sure everyone has an understanding of what is going on.

• Storming - All of a sudden, everyone realizes this project(s) may be more work than originally thought. All team members start to become frustrated with their own roles and what everyone else is doing as well.

• Norming - This is when the leader should bring all team members to discuss what is happening with the projects. This is typically the time where everyone begins to see that they must work together for the team to effectively work.

• Performing - This is the time where the team is following the outline and carrying out the task.

• Adjourning - Its SHOWTIME! The end of the project year usually means exhibition of the project at a livestock show.

Team Work

Opportunities

• Adults should be teaching more than just exhibiting livestock. They should know of other opportunities available to youth. This includes scholarships, livestock, meats, and wool judging/youth livestock camps, tours, skillathons, etc.

• College Interests

• Career Options

Opportunities

• Beef Quiz Bowl • Method

Demonstrations• Texas 4-H Goat

Camp • Goat and Lamb

Camps • Texas Sheep And

Goat Youth Leadership Workshop

• Sheep Skillathon• Texas Pork

Producers Association Pork Leadership Tour

• Livestock Judging• Wool Judging Contest• Meats Judging

Responsibility

• Adults need to embrace the fact that it is their responsibility to help create a positive educational experience for youth showing livestock.

• This includes emphasizing the responsibility that all producers have towards producing a safe and wholesome product.

Sportsmanship Gamesmanship

Picking up a show stick someone drops in the ring

Jabbing someone else’s animal in the show ring

Teaching a younger exhibitor how to clip and fit a steer.

Being dishonest about an animal’s age when registering

Opening a gate for someone who has had a pig penned.

Showing an animal in the wrong breed or division

Letting another exhibitor borrow a brush.

Telling the judge that your animal weighs a different amount than the card says

Taking leadership of the county/ chapter showmanship training to help others

Blocking the judge’s view of another animal in the class.

Responsibility

• Diligence. It is hardly unethical to make mistakes or be less than “excellent, “ but there is a moral obligation to do one’s best, to be diligent, reliable, careful, prepared and informed.

• Perseverance. Responsible people finish what they start, overcoming rather than surrendering to obstacles and excuses.

• Continuous Improvement. Responsible people look for ways to do their work better. (Josephson, 1996, p. 14)

Responsibility

Doing Your Best and Striving for Excellence

• Providing Educational Resources for Youth– Adult leaders assisting youth in raising livestock projects

must provide educational resources in order for them to have a better appreciation and understanding for agriculture.

– It is the responsibility of the County Extension Agent and Ag. Science Teacher to share all available resources to youth.

• Animal Welfare and Food Safety– Adult leaders involved with youth have a responsibility for

teaching youth about accountability related to raising livestock projects.

– Adult leaders should emphasize to youth that livestock projects require commitments from youth that must be upheld.

Responsibility

• The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence. John F. Kennedy

• Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected. Steve Jobs

• The Quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. Vincent T. Lombardi

• “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Will Rogers

• “You can tell when you’re on the right road-it’s uphill.” Anonymous• “If you aim at nothing, you’re sure to hit it.” Anonymous• “The sign on the door of opportunity says ‘Push!” Anonymous• “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit

there.” Anonymous

Responsibility

Are you in the stands or in the huddle?

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What color is a yield sign?