A three-day camp for youth interested in improving their knowledge of livestock evaluation will be held May 25-27 in Curtis at the University of Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

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The "Standard of Excellence" livestock judging camp targets 4-H and FFA youth from Nebraska and surrounding states.

Individuals and teams can hone livestock judging skills and the oral reasons for justifying their selections under the guidance of collegiate instructors and students, said NCTA Assistant Professor Doug Smith.

"From beginner judges to more experienced students who have competed in contests regionally and nationally, the camp is customized to youth and broadens their practical, hands-on opportunities for selecting meat animals," said Smith, who also is NCTA's livestock judging coach.

The camp includes evaluating classes of market and breeding beef cattle, swine and sheep as well as working on oral reasons.

Students will reside two nights at NCTA's dormitory, Aggie West. Registration begins at 1 p.m. on May 25, and activities conclude with an awards ceremony at 4 p.m. on May 27.

The camp fee is $200 and includes lodging, meals, instruction and materials. Advance registration is required by contacting Smith at jsmith41@unl.edu, or 308-367-5286 or 1-800-3CURTIS.

NCTA is part of the University of Nebraska's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and is an affiliate with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The "Standard of Excellence" Livestock Judging Camp will be the sole livestock camp hosted by IANR in 2012.