Tara Hummel, is from Cabery, Illinois. Tara still resides in Cabery, and just lives a few miles from her family’s farm. Tara wasn’t involved in judging during high school, but she later found her passion. She has become a well known name across the country-and an even better role model. 

 “My name is Tara Hummel, I was raised in a livestock family involved in show goats and our Angus cattle operation, Hummel Livestock.”

Tara went on to attend Lakeland College and Kansas State University, where she competed on livestock judging teams while earning a degree in Animal Science. “I currently still help at our family’s farm and work with HL clients across the country. However, my full-time job is working with farmers as a District Sales Manager at Wyffels Hybrids, while also operating a local dog grooming business, 612 Dog Grooming.”

Tara started as a local 4-H kid, showing goats with her brother at the county fair and local jackpots. She gained hands-on experience with kidding, breeding, and the daily chores. As her family started their show goat and Angus cattle operation. The hands-on nature of the work is what made Tara fall in love with this industry.   

“That small beginning grew into building our family’s show goat breeding operation, hauling goats from Texas, and becoming deeply involved in the breeding, daily care, and showing livestock. That hands-on experience, from chores to kidding to showing home-raised animals at county, state, and national levels, is what truly pulled me into the industry.”

Showing livestock teaches you a lot and Tara learned that early. Growing up immersed in  livestock instilled responsibility, grit, and an appreciation for hard work. Those values are what drew her appreciation for this industry at such a young age. 

“Being involved as a family and working through both successes and setbacks helped shape how I approach challenges, the effort it takes to meet goals, and how much I value learning from others.” 

Although Tara had limited judging experience in 4-H and high school, her passion for evaluation took shape once she entered college. She leaned in fully, committing herself to livestock judging from the start of her livestock judging career.

“I dove deep into livestock judging when I started college at Lakeland and I knew it would be a major part of my path through college. I later transferred to Kansas State University where I loved that it offered the right balance of elite judging and coaching with academic opportunities. Both programs emphasized fundamentals first and then encouraged developing your own style and preferences, which was instrumental in shaping how I evaluate livestock today. To top it off, many of my closest friends were peers in AG programs at these two schools. I strongly believe college livestock judging is extremely beneficial.”

Judging contests and judging shows are very  different, however Tara believes the skills gained in college judging really sends you far in your judging career.  “The skills gained through college judging—critical thinking, public speaking, decision making under pressure, discipline, and relationship building—translate far beyond the show ring. Those experiences prepare students not just to evaluate livestock, but to succeed in life and their careers.”

When judging the top things Tara focuses on is the fundamentals and showmanship. “I value fundamentals first and foremost, but I also am always looking for good showmanship in the ring. I think aside from animal management at home and leading up to the show, showmanship is one of the most important factors we can consider. I feel showmanship can have a major impact on how an animal is perceived in the ring and should be high up on a list of priorities to get nailed down.”

Tara thinks the industry needs to focus on creating a place for each showman to feel comfortable asking questions. “That applies not only to new families, but also to those who have been around livestock for years. Open communication, willingness to help, and sharing knowledge are key to keeping the industry strong and welcoming. Despite our family having been in the industry for years, we are still constantly learning when we are at shows, talking to our show families and with other breeders. The more open people are willing to be, the more everyone benefits.”

When judging I asked Tara (What is your judging pet peeve?) She said, “Something that is incredibly common to be a topic of discussion at shows is the amount of time a show is taking.”

Tara believes judging shouldn’t take forever but each kid has practiced for this moment. So,Tara believes giving them their moment is big. “From my perspective, there’s a happy medium between keeping a show moving efficiently and still giving each exhibitor the time and attention they deserve, which is the whole point of being in the ring. Having been on both sides of the ring, I understand the frustration from ringside, and I also recognize that there is no way to make everyone happy. Because of that, my goal as a judge is to genuinely interact with every exhibitor and make their time in the ring positive, while remaining efficient, consistent, and fair from class to class.”

A Note to Young Judges:

“Learn the fundamentals and stay grounded in them. Be confident in your decisions, stay open to learning, and remember that judging is about doing what you truly believe is right when it comes to the livestock and the exhibitors—not about pleasing everyone.”