The unexpected judge

When the scheduled judge for the steer show at the Carbon County fair did not show the organizers were lucky to have Corson Kerbs back in the pens.

Corson, now 22, showed at the fair from age 8 to 20 when he left for Butler Community College. Corson followed in his sister Kaylee's footsteps, and the pair were competitive at fair throughout the 2000s. Back in his youth Corson said he won three steer shows and a couple of market lamb shows at the Carbon County Fair.

Coroson is back from school and working with his father, Kip, on the Kerbs 4 Bar ranch, while Kaylee moved out of state. "Now she's down in Texas living the club calf life and I'm back home on the place living the commercial cattle life," Corson said.

Corson credits the 4-H,  Future Farmer's of America (FFA) and his mentors at college that gave him the "outside perspective," to judge steer shows. In FFA Corson was a national semi-finalist in prepared public speaking. At Butler, Marcus Arnold and Dr. Aaron Cooper taught him valuable skills.

"It was exciting for me to step in and do it, but at the same time it was a pressure intense situation," Corson said of being called on to judge the steer show, adding, "That's something I've always been geared for. I'm a game-day performer."

The Carbon County Fair ended up being the third time Corson had judged a steer show this year, having already been called upon for the Hot Springs and Washakie County Fairs. "I was lucky it wasn't my first rodeo, because it might have been an actual rodeo," Corson said.

Corson was back in the pens helping Platte Valley competitors Chaze Wiant and Gage Bartlett get their steers ready for the show when organizer Jenna Barkhurst called upon him to judge.

Corson said he was a little reluctant at first because, "... the Carbon County steer show is probably one of the more competitive ... in the state, just because the quality of steers is extremely consistent." Corson noted that the steer that won was one of the best he has seen shown in the county, adding that three or four of the other steers were worthy candidates for reserve winners.

Based on his experience judging and showing, Corson has some advice for future steer show competitors.  There are some basic standards a steer has to meet, but Corson said he thinks winners come from a competitors work ethic.

"A good market steer is something that has enough muscle, has enough finish and then puts it all together in a pretty enough package," Corson said, noting that judging the steers is, "... as complicated as you want to make it and as simple as it can be at the same time."

Corson's advice for the steer show competitor: "The more time you spend with your animal, the more it's going to pay off in the end." He notes that an animal whose hair has not been managed all summer is not going to instantly clean up for the show.

Paraphrasing a quote he said he heard a long time ago in relation to show animals, Corson said, "Champions are only recognized in the ring, but if you want to see where they are truly made you need to observe their daily rituals."