this past weekend I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival at the Howard County fairgrounds with my rare breed Leicester Longwool's for a Card Grading. A card grading is different from a show in that instead of competing against other animals, your animal competes against the breed's standards. Cards are awarded instead of ribbons. Blue = Excellent, Red = Good, Yellow = Acceptable, and White = Unacceptable. We had 3 judges from the US, Wales, and Tazmania. I brought 4 yearling ewes, one got a Blue (or "Excellent") Card, and 3 Red ("Good") Cards.
