CORTEZ – Nearly a dozen cloven animals circle with their handlers around the main barn at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds. In the center of the ring, Bradie Midcap keeps a watchful eye on each, her encyclopedic knowledge of each species allowing her to separate the field from top to bottom.
From gait to body structure, she has seen thousands of competitors, and since the winner is seldom head and shoulders – or horns and ears – above the field, Midcap has to turn her focus to the minor details when picking a deserving champion.
The 22-year-old from Wray made her second appearance at the Montezuma County Fair this year, but her first judging each of the goat, swine, sheep and beef categories. In 2024, she judged the county’s swine competition, so she felt honored to get invited back with an even larger role this summer.
“I feel fortunate that the Montezuma County Fair board wanted me back,” said Midcap, who then lauded the Montezuma County 4-H participants, “this group of competitors was nothing short of incredible.”
Midcap started judging livestock through her local Yuma County 4-H program when she was seven, before really honing her skills at Butler Community College in Kansas and then joining the livestock judging team at Texas Tech University while earning her bachelor’s degree in animal science.
Her mother works as an extension director in the northeast corner of the state, which helped connect Midcap with various judging opportunities across the region while she also made a name for herself with her success at the collegiate level – earning a team judging championship at the North American International Livestock Expo.
Not only is Midcap is paying it forward by coaching the Kansas State University livestock judging team as she pursues her master’s degree in ruminant nutrition, she also enjoys serving as a mentor for the 4-H competitors she judges.
“This is always about the kids,” Midcap said of her journey. “My biggest goal when I judge is to give them the experience that I had when I was growing up.”
In a competition that can only have one champion, Midcap knows the importance of giving feedback that keeps kids motivated without taking away their desire to keep competing. “I’m giving as much one-on-one feedback and constructive criticism as I can to make it an enjoyable experience that they’ll want to do again,” said Midcap.
“I see a lot of myself in these kids,” she added, “from the disappointment when they get beat, the joy of being with their family, hearing the cheers from the crowd – it’s fun to be a part of all of it.”
Midcap grew up ranching cattle, so the bovine class holds a place dear to her heart – but she enjoys the different nuances of each species, especially the unique personalities of the goats and pigs.
“My passion is looking at livestock, so getting to see them in different parts of the country is really special – they vary so much even from county to county,” said Midcap, who has the goal of judging state and national livestock events down the road.
“I still have a lot to learn about each species – just like each of these kids do, too – and I know that it takes time and experience,” she said.
