On Saturday, January 11, the Western National Roundup in Denver, along with the Colorado State University Department of Animal Sciences in Fort Collins, Colo. hosted this year’s Western National Roundup 4-H/FFA Meats Judging Contest.
Host to one of two national-level meats judging events for youth, the Western National Roundup provides a place for youth to compete nationally while encouraging teamwork and self-confidence, and while focusing on the 4-H mission mandates: STEM, healthy living and citizenship.
This year, Florida was represented by your reserve state champion team from the state contest in the spring of 2019, Escambia County 4-H, with team members Jessica Conti, Ethan Thorne, Hannah Thorne and Hannah Schnupp.
As a team, they placed fourth in retail ID, eighth in placings, eighth in reasons and fourth overall. Individually, Conti placed sixth in retail ID and tenth overall. The team is coached by Brian Estevez.
A total of 12 teams and 44 individuals compete in this year’s contest. Congratulations to these youth on being the first of many teams from their county to travel to this national competition, and best of luck to them in their future endeavors in meats judging and beyond.
The purpose of meat judging is to test the evaluation and decision making skills of youth over beef, pork and lamb carcasses, wholesale cuts and retail cuts, along with retail meat identification and defense of their decisions via oral reasons.
For more information and complete results, visit www.judgingcard.com/Results/Events.aspx?ID=12558.
(Photo from Western National Roundup on Flickr)
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