Livestock judging campers evaluate a pen of lambs at the Department of Animal & Food Sciences Livestock Arena. || Photo: Kourtney Cornelius
Each summer, hundreds of aspiring livestock and meat judges arrive at Texas Tech eager to sharpen their competitive edge. Many leave with something even more valuable: new skills, lasting mentors and a vision of themselves as future students in the Davis College Department of Animal & Food Sciences.
The three-day camps are about much more than preparing for the next judging contest. They're designed to help students develop critical thinking, communication skills and confidence.
This year's camps attracted approximately 500 students from across the country, representing Alabama, Arizona, California, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Another group traveled from Alberta, Canada, underscoring the national and international reach of the programs.
Those students received immersive, hands-on instruction in state-of-the-art meat science laboratories and livestock evaluation facilities, gaining practical experience while discovering the academic opportunities available through one of the nation's leading animal and food sciences programs.
The department has built its summer Meat Judging and Livestock Judging Camps around the belief that the best learning happens by doing. Guided by nationally respected faculty members, award-winning coaches and current Texas Tech judging team members, the third- through 12th-grade campers work alongside the people and programs that have helped establish the department as a national leader.
The three-day camps, typically held in May and June, are about much more than preparing for the next judging contest. They're designed to help students develop critical thinking, communication skills and confidence while showing them potential career opportunities.
According to Ryan Rathmann, holder of the John W. and Doris Jones Professorship in the Department of Animal & Food Sciences, the camps serve as great opportunities for prospective students to travel to campus. As participation continues to grow, the camps are laying the foundation for the next generation of students who will pursue degrees, careers and leadership roles across the livestock and meat industries. For many, that journey begins during a summer spent learning from the very teams they one day hope to join.
"The experiences gained at livestock judging camps extend far beyond judging animals,” Rathmann said. “We are preparing students for success in agriculture and life. Thank you to the parents for investing in their children's future and for allowing them to spend time learning with us at Texas Tech.”
Meat Judging Camps
Meat Judging Team member Brecken Shipman works on retail identification with the meat judging campers, while meat judging camper Evie Diss compares her notes to the hands-on instruction in the meat lab. | Photos: Kourtney Cornelius
The Meat Judging Summer Camps provide an intensive introduction to meat science through hands-on instruction inside the Gordon W. Davis Meat Science Laboratory. Campers move beyond textbooks to learn how carcasses are evaluated, how retail cuts are identified, how quality and yield grades are determined and how reasons are developed and presented.
The program is led by Blake Foraker, assistant professor and coordinator of Texas Tech's nationally recognized Meat Judging Team. Since joining the faculty in 2024, Foraker has continued the program's tradition of competitive excellence while mentoring students in meat animal evaluation.
“Judging camps provide us with a venue to educate and energize young people about livestock and meat production,” Foraker said. “We also hope campers experience what it means to be a Red Raider while they are here. It’s all about learning, pursuing excellence, and having fun while doing it.”
Graduate assistants Anna Levien and Cooper Carter help direct daily instruction alongside current members of the Texas Tech Meat Judging Team. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with campers inside the laboratory, collegiate students serve as mentors, demonstrating evaluation techniques while sharing their own experiences as competitors and Texas Tech students.
Separate camp sessions accommodate varying experience levels, including two multi-day camps for students entering sixth grade and above, as well as a Junior Meat Camp designed for younger participants beginning their agricultural education.
Livestock Judging Camps
Livestock judging camper, Grant Lackey, takes notes on a class of hogs, while Georgia Tusa handles a class of goats before determining the placing. | Photos: Kourtney Cornelius
The department’s Livestock Judging Summer Camps focus on evaluating live market and breeding animals, challenging participants to analyze beef cattle, swine, sheep and goats while defending their decisions through reasons.
Instruction is led by Ryan Rathmann, associate professor of beef cattle biology and holder of the John W. and Doris Jones Endowed Professorship. Widely regarded as the winningest collegiate livestock judging coach in the nation, Rathmann has helped transform Texas Tech into one of the country's premier livestock judging programs.
Current doctoral student and head coach, Skyler Scotten, the reigning National Coach of the Year, joins Rathmann in leading instruction, assisted by current members of the Texas Tech Livestock Judging Team. Together, they provide individualized coaching that helps participants sharpen evaluation skills while building confidence in communication and decision-making.
“The ability to work one on one with elite students from across the United States and Canada is a unique opportunity for our current Texas Tech students and department as a whole.” Scotten said. “This is one of our highlights every year and try to continue to expose the nation’s best to our campus.”
In addition to the multi-day livestock judging camp, participants can compete in the Fearless Champions Shootout, an evaluation event that challenges experienced judges through specialized livestock classes and high-level competition.
History of Success
The collegiate mentors play a central role throughout each camp, continuing a long-standing Texas Tech tradition of giving back to the youth organizations that helped launch their own judging careers.
That culture of mentorship has been a defining characteristic since the department formalized its combined summer outreach efforts in 2008. What began as an initiative serving just over 125 youth participants has grown into one of the nation's most respected judging camp programs, attracting hundreds of participants to Lubbock each year.
The camps have evolved alongside the remarkable success of Texas Tech's judging programs. The university's Meat Judging Team has captured 15 national championships, while the Livestock Judging Team traces its championship tradition to the university's first national title in 1934, consecutive national championships from 2007 through 2009, and the most recent National Champion title in 2016.
CONTACT: Chance Brooks, Chair and Professor, Department of Animal & Food Sciences, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or chance.brooks@ttu.edu
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