Things that judges actually have the guts to say......

[cowz]

This thread is kind of an offshoot of the Cattle Terms thread previosly posted.

Hey, I really enjoyed reading sjcattleco's post about the guy who said that a bloodline would do "Valuable Damage".  What a crack up!!

My favorite judge (or in truth, my least favorite in all time!)  was one at the Colorado State Fair last year that used "free and easy" to describe every pair of heifers he had to talk.  Now even a teenager could come up at least 5 different ways to describe how she traveled.  He even used "free and easy" to describe bone structure. (It was also used to describe a heifers whose pasterns popped loud enough for us all to hear! )  All told I think I heard "free and easy" at least 200 times that afternoon.  Minnesota can be proud!

 

[genes]

You mean the guts to say things that should be said more often and aren't like "this heifer is overconditioned"

 

[red]

I've been to shows where the judge has also used the same excuse of everything. Structuraly incorrect is usually used the biggest amount of the times.
My favorite is still the judge that said my big red cow just wasn't brood cow material. She went on the win the State fair junior show, was reserve to a $40,000 heifer in the open & won NAILE. Now, if he had said she wasn't jackpot show material, I'd agreed with him. He came up to me at Louisville after he won & said for me to just get it over- he knew i was going to never let him live it down. (lol)
Another judge told us our red/white bull just wan't going to amount to anything as a bull. Huh? He was about 6 months old at the time. Guy saw his calves later on & commented to me how much he liked them. I told him they were out of a bull that wouldn't amount to much.
Green, is another term that can get overused. Sometimes green in my opinion means the correct age & not 6 months older than what's on the papers.
Good thread Cowz!!


Red
Red (welcome)

 

[sjcattleco]

I am have a few that stick out... kinda like a greatest hits


First the positive

Jimmy Williams at the OSF about 1998  I think... A girl about 23- 24 was showing a horn heifer and repeatedly pull her out of line and had her out in the ring 6-8 feet covering up the little kid showing behind her.. Jimmy stops the show grabs the mic and procedes to tell her that the OSF hired Jimmy Williams from whereever Texas to judge the show and by god he thought he could get it done and he did not need her to cover up that kid and pull her heifer out for him to see it and if she did not get her back into line he would send her out. All his right in front of the entire crowd!!!  WE all just stood there mouths open and then a huge applause!!!  He gained a little respect from me that day...


Now the negative

Wayne Co Wooster Oh 1994 Kenny Guens judged the steer show.....

big steer show but only about 3 calves really in the hunt but  one of the 3 was really good that day.... You could tell that steer knew that today was the day.... Anyway  at the final drive Guens  grabs the mic and starts on his soap box out the Ohio State Fair and all the Chlenbuterol crap that had transpired that year...His statement was I in light of what happend he was going to pick this steer .... And he slaps this frame 8 unfinished ugly red steer that you could see every rib and makes him champion!!! you could have heard a pin drop and one of the dads was going to go after him!!!! Needless to say the Fairboard whisked him away and I know that he probably better never return to Wooster again...

A third one is

I heard a judge pick one calf over another because the kid showing it was older and it was his last year and the little 9- 10 yr old kid had lots of time left!!!  Now you can do that as a judge but keep it to yourself...

 

[DL]

I am have a few that stick out... kinda like a greatest hits


First the positive

Jimmy Williams at the OSF about 1998  I think... A girl about 23- 24 was showing a horn heifer and repeatedly pull her out of line and had her out in the ring 6-8 feet covering up the little kid showing behind her.. Jimmy stops the show grabs the mic and procedes to tell her that the OSF hired Jimmy Williams from whereever Texas to judge the show and by god he thought he could get it done and he did not need her to cover up that kid and pull her heifer out for him to see it and if she did not get her back into line he would send her out. All his right in front of the entire crowd!!!  WE all just stood there mouths open and then a huge applause!!!  He gained a little respect from me that day...


Now the negative

Wayne Co Wooster Oh 1994 Kenny Guens judged the steer show.....

big steer show but only about 3 calves really in the hunt but  one of the 3 was really good that day.... You could tell that steer knew that today was the day.... Anyway  at the final drive Guens  grabs the mic and starts on his soap box out the Ohio State Fair and all the Chlenbuterol crap that had transpired that year...His statement was I in light of what happend he was going to pick this steer .... And he slaps this frame 8 unfinished ugly red steer that you could see every rib and makes him champion!!! you could have heard a pin drop and one of the dads was going to go after him!!!! Needless to say the Fairboard whisked him away and I know that he probably better never return to Wooster again...

A third one is

I heard a judge pick one calf over another because the kid showing it was older and it was his last year and the little 9- 10 yr old kid had lots of time left!!!  Now you can do that as a judge but keep it to yourself...

Good ones SJ - and to that I would add "Some people judge cattle, some play politics - I prefer the former! ;D ;D ;D

 

[red]

wow SJ, great examples! We have a family that loves to do the set up their steer out of line about 2-3 feet hortizontal in front of everyone elses. Drives me crazy when they do it. Have to commend a judge for pointing it out!
I've also seen judges pick a cute kid over a more experience showman just because " the kid smiled so nicely". Once again, if your going to base you reasons on that, keep it to yourself.
All in all, we've pretty much averaged out w/ judges on the good & the bad. My biggest complaint though is whining afterwards about the show was rigged, judge was blind or even worse. I have to give them credit, it's a thankless job. you're never going to make everyone happy. Usually just 1 or 2 people!

Red (welcome)

 

[sjcattleco]

Well I will tell one on myself...

I judged this little fall preview show in Morgan Co.  twice The first time I did it was the first show I ever judged... I was nervous  a tick scared actually and wife said that a time or two that I rambled too much LOL imagine that....  anyway 2 yrs later they asked me back so I figured that I did not do such a bad job and by then I had alot more confidence and I actually could enjoy it a little... It really is not as much fun as you would think it would be....Any way this family shows limis... I hate limis... They had crappy little heifers that were "green" and not my type of cattle...anyway for the County B/R show they were last and next to last... No doubt they needed to be there... then in the open show not 10 minutes later they were back in the ring in a much bigger class and again they were last and next to last... Only thing was this time I switched them... Ohh man the dad was a real jerk ... After the show he comes up and starts to rip me about it... I calmly asked his name... told him I did not like limis... now I don't like him so it would be wise not to show under me again and that there is alot of difference between 1st and 2nd but not alot between last and next to last.... He really did not have much to say... Funny thing was it was a hit with the other guys in the county!!!

 

[Gypsy]

Had a judge tell my daughter "that there is no way that her heifer could ever beat the heifer standing next to her" (probably he should have said "in my opinion").  Because, my daughters heifer had already beat that heifer TWICE. (clapping)

 

[Show Heifer]

My all time favorite: I placed second in a class of 11 heifers (I was absolutely tickled pink) until his reasons....
"This heifer we have in second is more free in her movement, and more structurely correct. She is more feminine in her head and has more natural thickness. I grant she isn't as fat as the first place heifer, and she just doesn't have the panache the first heifer has."  Panache? What the heck is THAT????
I later found out it probably translates into "The farm in first bought a bull from me that we now own in partnership and this heifer is sired by him."
Like I said, I was tickled with second until that darn excuse!!! ???
Oh well, my heifer outsold theres anyway!!!  (clapping)

 

[genes]

Noun

Singular
panache


Plural
panaches

panache (plural panaches)

  1. an ornamental plume on a helmet
  2. flamboyant, energetic style or action; dash; verve




So did the heifer ahead of you have a really big fancy top knot, or was she running around the ring with great energy?    (lol)    I would have even started to get ticked at the fat comment....there are way too many overfat heifers out there as is...no need to encourage people.

 

[red]

Show Hef, you got the last laugh! (lol)

 

[knabe]

I'm confused, was it a market heifer class, and why is it so hard to get heifers fat at the feed bunk 

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to many fat heifers with stiff pasterns that can't walk in their tracks and look like two different size pulleys, one of them lobsided.

 

[DL]

I'm confused, was it a market heifer class, and why is it so hard to get heifers fat at the feed bunk 

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to many fat heifers with stiff pasterns that can't walk in their tracks and look like two different size pulleys, one of them lobsided.

ok knabe - check out Sunflower (http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/index.php?topic=560.15) not fat....can walk....probably nicer personality than the person who bred and owns her! (better lookin' too!)  ;D

 

[red]

fat overconditioned heifers- now that is my pet peeve!
Give me a heifer that's a little green any day. no wonder most of these show heifers never breed or die having their calves. Way too much emphasis put on fat.

Chill pill for Red

 

[knabe]

ha, you know i want fotunella.  i like the definition

 

[DL]

ha, you know i want fotunella.  i like the definition

Hey kanbe
Don't tell me you name your cows after fruit trees?!

fortunella (noun) =  small genus of shrubs native to south China producing small ovoid fruits resembling oranges: includes kumquats
(remember it was China that gave us the tainted wheat gluten that is killing pets - why do we buy wheat gluten from China? Can't we support our own farmers?)

 

[knabe]

not yet, i haven't done any naming, but you gave me an idea, but without duplication, even though i have a pair of duplicates who are not duplicates

 

[LinZ]

I understand about cruddy reasonings.. The judge at our state show placed by heifer 3rd behind 2 cow/calf prs showing in the same class but over a month older than her..I had bred my heifer to where she'd calve about a month after the show since I didn't want her calving during our spring shows and bring a march 28th heifer I didn't want to breed her early enough to calve Dec/Jan...when he got on the mic to talk he said this about my heifer...the heifer is right on target for where she should be. Nice udder developement, very sound structure, she has by far the most capacity, spring of rib/depth of the class, very nice extended front end..walks off the best in the class....flashy baldy & great well trained hair,  she just doesnt have enough eye appeal.

We did have a showmanship judge one year that didn't want you standing away from the calf at all..didn't want you to use your showstick, didn't want you to have a scotch comb, didn't want you to look at him hardly at all, and wanted your lead on your showhalter long enough to where it had to be held in both hands.