4-H livestock judging teams hone skills at Blinn camp

Agricultural Sciences Program gives teams a look at Brahmans before the State Roundup

June 6, 2025

More than 200 4-H livestock judging participants from across Texas gathered at the Blinn College-Brenham Campus to hone their skills ahead of the State 4-H Roundup.

Hosted by the Blinn College District Agricultural Sciences Program at the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agricultural Complex, the camp gave students the chance to evaluate pens of young Brahman cattle from Bullseye Cattle and Salinas Ranch in Washington County before heading to the Roundup at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Brahman cattle are a breed that some 4-H teams, especially those in north Texas, might not be familiar with, said Blinn coach Quest Newberry.

“Here in Washington County, we’re kind of in the heart of Brahman country,” Newberry said.

Taylor Osbourn and JoJo Carrales were among the volunteers helping with teams from their counties. Carrales, vice president of cattle operations for HeartBrand Beef in Flatonia, is a volunteer livestock judging coach for Fayette County’s team and a proud Blinn alumnus who was on one of its first livestock judging team.

“I came to Blinn in 2002. It was one of the first years ever that they put a team together and gave out some scholarships,” Carrales said. “It was super, super fun. It was a great experience. I made a lot of friends. I loved my time at Blinn.”

Carrales went on to Texas A&M University, where he was a member of its livestock judging team. He then attended Sam Houston State University, earned a master’s degree, and stayed there as a livestock judging coach. He returned to Washington County as a Texas AgriLife Extension agent before joining HeartBrand Beef.

“I’ve been a volunteer for Fayette County for three years now. I really enjoy it. I didn’t think I’d miss it as much as I did,” said Carrales. “Fayette County kids are very good and very competitive.”

Osbourn, AgriLife Extension agent in Llano County, also attended Blinn.

“When we qualify for state, we always come through for these workouts,” he said. “We use them to get ready, to practice, and teach them how to evaluate livestock.”

Osbourn, a Llano native who was on Blinn’s livestock judging team, said, “I came down and visited. I really liked being around these guys and I liked Brenham, so it was an easy choice for me.”

Bret Burgin, a volunteer with the Hansford County team, said both of his children attended Blinn and were involved in livestock judging.

“Over the years, we’ve probably had seven or eight Hansford County students come to Blinn,” Burgin said.

Tatum Bales from Midland will join Blinn’s livestock judging team this fall.

“The campus is very cool. When I came and toured, the community made me feel safe,” Bales said.

Blinn will host two livestock judging camps later this month at the Rankin Agricultural Complex. A session for experienced students (14 and older) will be June 15-17. A camp for novice students (ages 8-13) will be held June 19-21.

The livestock judging team is part of Blinn’s Agricultural Sciences Program, which has one of the most active extracurricular programs in the state, including the Agriculture Club, wildlife, agriculture mechanics, and horticulture. Blinn offers agriculture classes on all its campuses, with the Rankin Agricultural Complex serving as the program’s headquarters.

For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/agricultural-sciences.