4-H is America’s largest youth development organization. Its hands-on approach has been proven to foster life skills like confidence and independence as members learn by doing.
For proof, look no further than the livestock judging team from Placer County, just north of Sacramento. The Ophir 4-H Club team started from scratch just five years ago and won the 4-H state championship in both 2023 and 2024. Most of the members were too young in 2023 to compete in the national competitions, but the 2024 team passed the age test and headed to the National Western Roundup in Denver, Colo., this January to take on teams from all over the country.
“We started (the team) when we realized that not many 4-H kids were doing judging in California,” said team coach Liza Stefani, who along with her husband, Jonathan, has been a 4-H volunteer for more than 20 years. “FFA is heavily involved in competitions, but you have to go to a school with an FFA program and several of our kids don’t. 4-H allows kids to participate who otherwise wouldn’t have access to do so.”
Junior Moriah Marshall is an original team member. She recalls that the team came together quickly.
“Liza called us up a week before a contest and asked if I wanted to do it with her son, Joey. I said sure, we watched two videos and then did the contest. We didn’t do that bad – we did better than some of the older kids. But looking at my scores then compared to 2024 is crazy. None of us knew what reasons were,” Moriah said.
“Now I can look at a class of livestock and know what I see and come up with a set of reasons. It’s more fun now that we actually know something.”
Livestock judging consists of two primary components – placing (or ranking) a group of animals and orally justifying your decision, or as it’s commonly known, giving reasons.
Joey Stefani said he first started judging because his parents were launching the program but found he really liked it.
“When I found out that I could raise animals and do speaking contests, I stuck with it,” he said. “I wanted to get better at picking out animals to raise, and I also like the competitive aspect of the public speaking and the leadership involved.”
Ella Miller, a high school senior, joined the team after another girl transitioned out of 4-H. Now in her eighth year in 4-H, she was interested in judging to raise her market lambs better and select the best animal to show. It apparently paid off as her market lamb placed third overall at the Gold Country Fair last year.
Miller said teams are typically split up into groups and have 10-15 minutes to judge each pen of four animals, pigs or cattle, for market or breeding. Groups normally judge between seven and 10 pens, and after each judge fills out an evaluation, they take notes for the oral presentations.
“For 30 minutes, you give your reasons and explain to your judge – who typically is someone who bought one of the animals – why you placed each class the way you did. You have to memorize your reasons and can’t look at notes,” she said.
The team’s fourth member is Gabriel Kitchen.
Tiffany Lionudakis, Senior Relationship Manager with American AgCredit, said the Placer County team reflects the important values youth learn in 4-H.
“They develop public speaking skills and leadership skills that are invaluable in life,” Lionudakis said. “In addition to judging, some members have the opportunity to raise and market livestock. Raising project animals allows them to learn how to manage time and money at a young age – with some students completing their first income and expense statement as early as 9 years old. Those financial skills are critical, and with skills like these, it’s no wonder 4-H alumni are true leaders.”
Moriah, Elsa and Joey also plan on pursuing careers in ag-related fields. Moriah wants to become a cloven-hoof animal veterinarian, Ella is considering being a vet or studying embryology and Joey is thinking about ag mechanics – or even becoming a professional livestock judge.
Kevin Ralph, AgWest Farm Credit’s California President, said it’s important that young people pursue careers in California agriculture.
“Farm Credit proudly supports organizations like 4-H that help shape the next generation of leaders as they develop industry expertise, leadership competencies and advocacy skills,” Ralph said. “It’s encouraging that outstanding youth like the members of the Placer County team will help keep California agriculture a world leader for decades to come.”
Farm Credit associations AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit and Fresno Madera Farm Credit sponsor California 4-H. The organizations are part of the nationwide Farm Credit System – the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture.
Liza Stefani said the public speaking part of the competition is crucial and contestants must have the ability to think on their feet, adapt and change. She noted that one junior team member at a competition completely forgot what he was going to say.
“He said he just made it up as he went and actually scored one of the highest scores on the team for that section because he was as confident as he could be. You just fake it ‘till you make it sometimes,” she said.
The team members were glad to have had the experience of competing in one of 4-H’s three national competitions. Liza Stefani said it was a great learning experience – which was what everyone had expected from the event in January – one of three national 4-H competions.
“The kids did great at nationals. They came in 25th, which, of course, is not what they would’ve hoped for, but they learned a lot. It was a very steep competition,” she said. And because of the successes the team has had, last year they added a junior team that shows great progress.
While the team loves raising animals, it’s never easy to say goodbye to one they have raised and trained for several years. But Joey sees a practical side as well.
“It is really hard to sell them. Especially the first few days, it’s really difficult to know they are gone – you miss working with them. But after a few weeks, when you get your money for selling them, that’s when you start to feel better. And knowing you’re feeding families is good as well,” he said.
About Farm Credit:
AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit and Fresno Madera Farm Credit are cooperatively owned lending institutions providing agriculture and rural communities with a dependable source of credit. For more than 100 years, the Farm Credit System has specialized in financing farmers, ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives, rural utilities and agribusinesses. Farm Credit offers a broad range of loan products and financial services, including long-term real estate loans, operating lines of credit, equipment and facility loans, cash management and appraisal and leasing services…everything a “growing” business needs. For more information, visit www.farmcreditalliance.com
About the California 4-H Program:
The University of California 4-H Youth Development Program promotes hands-on, experiential learning for all youth ages 5-19. We provide meaningful opportunities for youth and adults to work together to create sustainable community change in the areas of Civic Engagement, Leadership, Healthy Living and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Our 4-H programs are delivered locally through the county University of California Cooperative Extension offices, where youth participate in 4-H through clubs, schools, military clubs, camps and more. Each year, approximately 100,000 youth and over 10,000 volunteers participate in the California 4-H Youth Development Program.