Wilmington College senior Ruth Beery peered from the observation deck as hundreds of high school and middle school students entered the general livestock show arena Thursday morning (March 5) for the 68th edition of the WC Aggies' annual Harold Thirey Memorial Judging Contest. The Aggies’ president and her leadership team had been dealing with last-minute details, and fog and rain caused late arrivals, briefly delaying the start.
But the view of 11 animal-filled corrals encircled by students ready to hone their judging skills in general livestock was just the cue she needed to relax and see the Aggies’ hard work come to fruition. She was confident the equine, agronomy and dairy competitions were also enjoying a smooth start concurrently at nearby arenas. “Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief,” said Beery, a veteran of multiple Judging Contests who led the Aggies’ record-setting effort in her swansong senior year.
Indeed, the contest attracted 1,702 students!
The annual event is known for staging a top-quality judging experience for high school and junior high students engaged in 4-H, vocational agriculture and Future Farmers of America. Billed as among the first in the nation each year and the largest east of the Mississippi, the Judging Contest attracts students from Ohio and neighboring states interested in honing their skills in agronomy and judging equine, dairy, poultry and general livestock.
Beery has been impressed with the “longstanding tradition” — now 68 years — of the Judging Contest, which she noted connects her and the other Aggies of 2026 to WC’s agriculture alumni going back to the late 1940s. The Aggies' Judging Contest is Wilmington College's largest student-run event and is named in memory of Harold Thirey, a WC alumnus, long-time agriculture professor and Aggies' adviser who died unexpectedly in 2021.
She is proud that the Aggies are so nimble and dedicated each year that returning students step up and take on leadership roles in staging the signature event. Indeed, WC students run the show. They secure the animals, organize the logistics and get the word out to schools in Ohio and neighboring states, 4-H groups, FFA members and vocational agriculture classes. The contest represents a real-life application and a hands-on learning experience for both the students and WC’s agriculture students who stage the event. Participants use those judging skills fine-tuned at WC's contest at upcoming county and state fairs and other judging competitions.
Beery, alluding to the student leadership aspect of staging such a large event, noted that this is a unique Wilmington College opportunity that students at many larger colleges and universities don’t have. It requires time-management and problem-solving skills, working together as a team and successfully managing people, animals and the use of equipment. “Studying agriculture at Wilmington College is such a unique experience,” she said, noting how impressed she was with WC while engaging in her college search. “But I didn’t realize how different an experience Wilmington offered until I started as a freshman here.” She hopes that many of the students who participated in the 68th Annual Aggies Judging Contest will have that opportunity.
President Corey Cockerill said, with 1,702 students on-site, the Judging Contest is the College’s largest recruitment opportunity. “This is huge. We’re hands-on. We’re experiential and this is an example of our student pipeline and what we can do to facilitate it!”
Agriculture constitutes the largest academic area at Wilmington College. WC’s Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree program features hands-on learning experience on the College Farm and other learning laboratory sites outside the classroom. The agriculture program features concentrations in agricultural business, agronomy, animal science, equine business management, agricultural communications, agricultural education and a new concentration in resource conservation & regenerative agriculture. WC also offers an ag-related major concentration in food policy and agriculture advocacy housed under political science. Related academic minors include agriculture, equine studies and sustainability. Beginning in fall 2026, WC will offer a completely online Master of Science in Agricultural Business and Leadership program.