Throughout the month of March, twelve Marshall County 4-H'ers competed at the 2007 Tennessee Beef Agribition and the 2007 Central Region Livestock Judging Contest held at the Tennessee Livestock Center on the Middle Tennessee State University Campus in Murfreesboro. More than 260 youth from across the state contended in the competitions.

Livestock judging consists of carefully analyzing animals and measuring them against a standard that is commonly accepted as being ideal. Livestock judging also has been defined as a study of the relationship between an animal's form and function.

Tennessee Beef Agribition participants included the following: Senior Team Member - Connie Nichols; Junior High members - Caleb Whaley, Joe Taylor and Andrew Jordan; Junior Team A - Khyle Jones, Benjamin Jordan and Kaitlyn Rogers; Junior Team B - Tygr Taylor, Samantha Reese and Sophie Raffo. Junior Team A was awarded the third overall high team with Rogers being the fifth high individual. The Junior Team B was recognized as the ninth overall team with Reese being the 10th high individual. Nichols was in the top fifteen of the senior division.

At the Central Region Livestock Judging Contest, Marshall County was represented by Samantha Reese, Tygr Taylor, Ben Jordan, Khyle Jones, Sophie Raffo, Andrew Jordan, Connie Nichols, Caleb Whaley, Justin Barron and Blake Everett. The Junior Team was the second high team in the contest. Reese was the fifth high Junior individual, Raffo was the tenth high Junior individual and Taylor was the eleventh high Junior individual. The Senior Team was in the top fifteen. Team members evaluated seven classes that consisted of breeding and market beef, sheep, swine and goats. The teams were coached by John Reese and Meredith Collins.

There are numerous benefits to gain from competing on a livestock evaluation team. In the course of training and competition youth are given the opportunity to interact with leaders of the livestock industry. Youth develop a keen sense of judgment and confidence to make a decision. Participation in livestock judging builds character.