WILMINGTON, Ohio -- When participating in the Wilmington College Aggies’ Livestock Judging Contest eclipsed a record 1,402 last year, no one could have imagined that a year later, in the midst of a pandemic, the 63rd annual event stands to shatter that record by thousands.

 he event, which is going virtual this year, will be held March 3 and more than 5,000 students from across the nation are expected to participate.

“In years past, the event (held at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ohio) attracted high school students from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky,” said Sawyer Starrett, vice president of the Wilmington College Aggies Club. “This year we expect more than 5,000 students from across the country because the event is going virtual this year. In the first week after our announcement of going virtual we surpassed last year’s attendance, so we expect 5,000 or more participants.”

The Wilmington College Aggies’ Livestock Judging Contest is known as the new year’s first and largest judging contests east of the Mississippi River.

The virtual presentation will allow for an unlimited number of students to participate in not only the usual one category, but in as many as they or their school determines as appropriate. The registration fees are much more affordable this year since each team or school will be charged a flat fee rather than individual fees.

Students will hone their skills in agronomy, swine, sheep, goats, equine, beef and dairy cattle during the competition, which will be available through professionally produced, pre-recorded videos of the animals accessible throughout the day, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.

“We’ve gathered videos and pictures of all the animals and the participants will be able to see all four animals at the same time and be able to compare them,” Starrett said. “They can review videos that we have and then they enter their judging in the computer.”

Wilmington College junior Carley Asher, secretary for the Aggies/Collegiate 4H Club, is one of the event organizers. She said the annual Livestock Judging Contest has been a community service put on by students for more than six decades.

“When we knew it would be impossible to hold an in-person contest due to COVID-19, we felt that we could be successful with a virtual competition, one that would give participants a worthwhile judging experience,” Asher said. “It’s going to be different, but I like the idea of expanding the opportunity to an even greater number of students than the 1,402 we hosted last year.” 

This year’s virtual contest may be so successful that the annual in-person event may be a thing of the past.

“If this virtual contest does as well as expected it may be something we do every year because it allows students from all states to participate,” Starrett said, “or perhaps we could have both an in-person contest and virtual contest. That’s something we will contemplate.”

The Wilmington College’s Livestock Judging Contest represents real life application and a hands-on learning experience for both the high school students and Wilmington College’s agriculture students who stage the event. 

The contest will consist of video judging/photo ID, as well as written examinations. Further details in regard to the contest setup can be found on the Ohio FFA website.

Registration for the contest is now open and runs through March 2, 2021 at 4 p.m. The contest will open on March 3 at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. of the same day.