On Tuesday, October 20, the American Royal Association and the K-State Animal Sciences Department, hosted the 2020 National 4-H Meat Judging Contest in Manhattan, Kansas.
This year, Florida 4-H was represented by your 2020 state champion team, named back in August, Escambia County 4-H, with team members Jessica Conti, Ethan Thorne and Hannah Thorne. They are coached by Brian Estevez.
As a team, they placed as the high team in beef judging, reserve high team in pork judging, total judging, retail identification and reasons, and were named as the national reserve champion team overall.
Individually, Jessica Conti placed as the overall high individual in beef judging and total placings, fourth in pork judging, third in reasons, fifth in retail identification and as the high individual overall for the entire contest.
Ethan Thorne was third in retail identification, with a perfect score, sixth in pork judging, ninth in reasons and fifth place overall, and Hannah Thorne was sixth in beef judging, tenth in pork judging, reasons and retail identification, and eighth place overall.
The purpose of Meat Judging is to test the identification and evaluation skills of youth over wholesale and retail cuts and carcasses of beef, pork and lamb, along with decision making and public speaking skills through oral reasons.
For more information, visit meatscience.org/students/meat-judging-program/national-4-h-meat-judging. For complete results, visit judgingcard.com/Results/Events.aspx?ID=13552.
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(Photo via UF IFAS Escambia County 4-H on Facebook)