Livestock Judging

The award-winning livestock judging team has a rich tradition of excellence at Lake Land College. Coach Hayden Wilder leads the nationally recognized team, training them to compete in the areas of beef cattle, swine, sheep and goat judging along with the presentation of oral reasons. The team annually competes from September through April in more than fifteen major events throughout the country, including:

• Top Notch Swine Contest – Paragould, AR (Sophomores)
• National Barrow Show – Austin, MN (Sophomores)
• World Beef Expo – Milwaukee, WI (Sophomores)
• Kansas Junior Livestock Show – Hutchinson, KS (Sophomores)
• Tulsa State Fair – Tulsa, OK (Sophomores)
• Boilermaker Classic – Lafayette, IN (Freshmen)
• American Royal – Kansas City, MO (Sophomores)
• NAILE – Louisville, KY (Sophomores)
• Hoosier Beef Congress – Indianapolis, IN (Freshmen)
• Cattlemen’s Congress – Oklahoma City, OK (Sophomores)
• National Western Stock Show Livestock & Carload Contests – Denver, CO (Sophomores)
  Sioux Empire Livestock Show – Sioux Falls, SD (Freshmen)
• Dixie National – Jackson, MS (Freshman and Sophomores)
• Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo – Houston, TX (Sophomores)
• Master’s Invitational – Warner, OK (Freshmen)
• Blue Dragon Classic – Lyons, KS (Freshmen)

Over the past several years, Lake Land has been fortunate to have multiple students named to the Junior College Academic All-American Team. The top fifteen students in Junior College Livestock Judging are selected to this team each school year based on a combination of both academic commitment and performance at national judging contests. Recent Lake Land Academic All-Americans include the following students:

• 2023-2024: Skyler Ward – New Paris, OH
• 2022-2023: Cole Murphy – Houstonia, MO and Ty Knodle – Fillmore, IL
• 2021-2022: Emma Freebairn – Ottawa, IL
• 2020-2021: Tara Hummel – Cabery, IL
• 2019-2020: Jenna Wheeler – Jacksonville, IL and Ellie Sennett – Waynetown, IN
• 2018-2019: Tucker Schlipf – El Paso, IL

During freshman year, judging team members enroll in Livestock Evaluation (AGR-061) which prepares them for the busy sophomore year of competition. Prospective incoming freshman students should reach out to coach Hayden Wilder (hwilder@lakelandcollege.edu) prior to enrolling in this course to receive more information. A limited number of Livestock Judging Scholarships are awarded to students who, in the coach’s judgment, have the outstanding ability to perform on the competitive team.