By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A trio of Val Verde County 4-H members were honored by county commissioners court Wednesday after placing first in a statewide mohair judging competition.
Tommy Yeater, county agent for agriculture and natural resources, told the court, “I’d like to take a few minutes to recognize our wool and mohair judging team and their coaches.”
Yeater said one of the coaches, Val Verde County rancher William “Bill” Zuberbueler, “has been dedicated to the 4-H youth program for about 40 years.” He said Zuberbueler was recognized with a “Salute of Excellence” by the state 4-H organization as an outstanding volunteer, reminding the court that in 2025, another local volunteer, Gary Humphreys, was similarly recognized.
Yeater said, “These young kids would not be able to accomplish what they have without the dedication of our coaches and our volunteers. (This year) we took 15 kids to state. They qualified in different categories: fashion, shooting, photography and food show, so we got several kids that accomplished a lot this year.
“But I want to special recognize this group, Neal Billings, John Zuberbueler, Helen Zuberbueler and coaches Bill Zuberbueler and Adriana Acosta. We appreciate all they’ve done. These kids have worked for years,” Yeater added.
He said the trio of 4-Hers — Neal, John and Helen — won third overall in the state for wool judging.
The county agent added, “They were the number one team in the state for mohair judging this year.”
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. congratulated the group and led the court and audience in a round of applause.
Owens said, “This court and previous courts, anything that the county can do for you all, let us know.”
He recognized former Val Verde County Judge Laura Allen, who was in the audience.
“I think, under her leadership, we spent a couple hundred thousand dollars on the barn where you all hold your show animals. That used to be dirt. New concrete was poured there, and restrooms were done and renovations done,” Owens said.
