Meet the team
Our Why
Stock Sense was founded as a way to reach young people hungry for success that are determined to reach that next level. We hope to provide a service that can take juniors beyond the normal reaches of 4-H and junior activities and further their love and passion for our incredible industry. We love the sport of livestock judging and have an undimming passion for competition that we would love to share with you. There are so many incredible lessons to be learned through livestock evaluation and if you want to sharpen your skills to compete you are in the right place.
Sue Schafer
For more than 30 years, Sue Schafer has dedicated her career to developing students into confident leaders, skilled communicators, and successful agricultural professionals. As an agricultural educator and nationally recognized livestock judging coach at Taylorville High School, she has led five National Champion Livestock Judging Teams that earned the opportunity to represent the United States at international competitions in Scotland, Ireland, and England over the past seven years. Through her teaching and mentorship, she has helped countless students achieve success at the state, national, and international levels while preparing them for careers and leadership roles beyond the classroom.
Sue’s impact extends far beyond the judging arena. Her students have earned 82 State FFA Proficiency Awards, 19 Star Over Illinois honors, five National FFA Proficiency Awards, four Star Over America finalists, and two Star Over America titles. Recognized with numerous state and national teaching honors, Sue continues investing in future leaders through her work as an educator, mentor, speaker, and founder of Rusty Owl Industries.
Eric Schafer
Eric Schafer was raised on a central Illinois grain and livestock operation where he developed a passion for the livestock industry at an early age. Growing up, he successfully exhibited cattle and swine while building a strong foundation in livestock evaluation and selection. His judging career began at Butler Community College, where he was a member of a nationally competitive livestock judging team and earned Academic All-American honors while recording five Top Ten individual finishes at national contests.
After transferring to Oklahoma State University, Eric continued his success as a livestock judge, culminating with the 2023 National Champion Oklahoma State Livestock Judging Team. Individually, he earned numerous accolades, including High Individual Overall at the 2023 Cattlemen’s Congress and Top Five finishes at both the North American International Livestock Exposition and National Western Stock Show. In 2022, he completed his term on the National Junior Angus Board of Directors, where he developed a passion for mentoring and educating youth involved in the livestock industry.
Following graduation, Eric served as a livestock judging coach at Casper College from 2024–2025, helping students develop the technical knowledge, confidence, and communication skills necessary for success in the classroom and contest arena. Today, he works alongside his family on their cattle operation, marketing competitive show cattle nationwide and producing Angus and SimAngus bulls for commercial cattlemen. Eric's teaching strengths center on oral reasons development, contest strategy, and helping students understand the logic behind successful livestock evaluation. His passion for education and proven track record of success make him a valuable resource for livestock judging students of all experience levels.
Lizzie Schafer
Livestock have been a part of Lizzie Schafer's life for as long as she can remember. She attended her first livestock judging contest at just three years old and spent her childhood competing in livestock judging, showing cattle and swine, and becoming actively involved in 4-H and FFA. Her passion for livestock evaluation led to a successful judging career highlighted by membership on the National Champion Livestock Judging Team at the National Western Roundup as a freshman in high school, earning the opportunity to represent the United States at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland. She later competed on the National Champion Team at the American Royal and again represented the United States through international livestock judging competition in Europe during her senior year.
Following high school, Lizzie attended Butler Community College, where she was a member of the Reserve Champion Team at the National Western Livestock Judging Contest. She later transferred to Kansas State University, earning a degree in Animal Sciences and Industry. While at K-State, she combined her passion for agriculture and storytelling through work in collegiate athletics, live event production, and video content creation. She was the official Rowing Team Videographer, created content for ESPN, and worked on the court with broadcast talent for the first and second rounds of March Madness in 2025.
In 2024, Lizzie was named the National FFA Star Over America in Agriscience Research, the organization's highest individual research honor. She has since assisted in coaching state and national champion FFA students while helping them develop the confidence, communication skills, and decision-making abilities necessary for success both in and out of the contest arena. Today, Lizzie is the owner of Elizabeth's Edits where she manages social media platforms and creates video promotions, logos, advertisements, and websites. Lizzie is committed to investing in the next generation of livestock judging competitors and agricultural leaders through promotion, education, mentorship, and opportunity.
