During youth livestock shows Friday at the Central States Fair, a little girl not much bigger than the goat she struggled with froze in horror as the animal slipped away, retreating to the other side of the show ring.

Addie Schnabel — the judge of goats, sheep, and pigs — calmly helped capture the insubordinate goat and brought it back to her, taking a moment to speak with her one-on-one.

Another child pulled at the leash attached to her goat, with little success. Seeing the frustration, Schnabel crouched down and talked with the girl.

“I love to talk to each kid because I like to know their story, because, much like me, each of the kids that come in the ring has a story,” Schnabel said.

The 23-year-old’s passion for animal husbandry and the show ring is rooted in his family history, his faith, and his personal journey as a struggling teen.

“This morning when I stepped foot in the ring, it just felt like home, and honestly, that’s where I feel closest to God,” Schnabel said.

The farm tax accountant by day grew up near Venturia, ND on his family’s livestock operation raising pigs, sheep, goats and cattle. He began showing animals when he was eight, and the activity helped him through a “dark time,” as a teenager.

“Sometimes kids are mean and people are hard to work with, and as a young youth, that just got to be a lot. There was just some unfortunate circumstances that happened, and I got to a really low point in life and to the point where I didn’t know if life was worth living,” Schnabel told the Journal.

“By the grace of God,” Schnabel got two Hereford show pigs and a short-horned show heifer that turned things around for him.

“God really used those animals to bring me to an understanding of what my purpose is,” he said.

“It was through the calf and pigs that I learned how to be a person who doesn’t care about what the neighbor’s doing, who doesn’t care about who else has got the fanciest clothes and the nicest vehicle, but a person who genuinely cares about animal husbandry,” Schnabel told the youths during his judging at the fairgrounds.

Aside from sharing his personal story with the kids and teens, Schnabel offered advice: "buy what you like, show what you like, and be confident in what you like" — and be thankful to parents for the money and time they spend so their kids can show animals.

“They’re out there trying to make you better,” Schnabel said.

His 15-year career in the show ring as a competitor led to numerous champion ribbons on the county, state and national levels, according to a summary read as his introduction at Central States Fair.

Schnabel won swine at the North Dakota State Fair for three consecutive years and was named reserve high senior individual at the national swine show judging contest in Des Moines, Iowa in 2020.

“We can take this seriously, but we can also have fun in the process, but I definitely believe that the next generation of leaders are showing livestock. It teaches responsibility. It teaches grit and determination in the barn when you’ve been losing for a couple of jackpots in a row. You need to find motivation somewhere,” Schnabel said.

Schnabel’s judging career is fairly new. The first show he judged was just a year ago at the Central States Fair.

“I called my dad and I just kind of cried a little bit because it was like, this is my roots,” he said. “I’m so grateful to Central States Fair for having me back for round two and for giving me the chance to pursue what I love and to work with their kids and the livestock and hopefully touch their lives in a way that nobody else can.”

So far, the most daunting part of judging livestock is getting behind the mic and sharing his opinion.

“You have to be vulnerable about your opinion and you open yourself up to other people questioning and doubting your abilities,” he said.

To avoid getting stuck in that mindset, Schnabel said he focuses on the livestock and the kids more than the opinions of others.

“I always say judging livestock is like picking the flavor of ice cream at the ice cream shop,” Schnabel said. “At the end of the day, everybody’s got a different flavor that they prefer and they like and not being afraid to share that opinion and share what your flavor is regardless of what other people might have.”

Schnabel's life has seen quite a few major milestones in the past year and a half.

He graduated from the University of Jamestown in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, and financial planning and wealth management. A month later, he and his wife Marly tied the knot. The two are expecting a baby in November.

“There’s nothing more in the world that I would love than to impart my passion and desire for the livestock industry and what it means to be a good practitioner of animal husbandry, and if they show livestock, I’m even more into it because I happen to love evaluating livestock and teaching kids about livestock and how to read them,” Schnabel said. “I’m hoping to have those moments as a father with my future kids.”