Urbana FFA members took part in the Marysville Invitational, with teams taking part in judging contests. Among these were the contests of Dairy Products, General Livestock, Equine judging and Meat judging. These competitions promote leadership and life skills for the students involved. All students take part in practices before the contests to learn the skills they will need for the competitions. Teams are made up of four members, and are given an accumulative score on the three highest ratings.
In the Dairy Products Contest contestants identify and score milk defects. They must also ID different cheeses, do CMT scores on samples of milk, and identify the fat content of milk products. Finally they must take a test based on the dairy industry and trends within the industry. The participants from Urbana were, Rebecca Preston 11th, McKinley Preece 14th, Brittney Fiest, Jackson James, Levi Hunter, Olivia Maurice, Kaylin Lance, Lexus Greene, Kendra Baccus, Nick Crumley and Jessica Salyers, and Zackery Collins. The team placed 3rd overall.
The Meat Judging contest members are Ashlyn Dunn 9th, Savannah Copeland 17th, Ally Pierce 25th, Taylor Cordial 28th. The team placed 5th overall. During Meat contests students are asked to identify different retail cuts of meat, along with the primal cut, and what species they are from. They must also answer questions on classes of meat, and place those classes based on fat content, leanness, and texture. Finally the team had to take a test on meat science and the meat industry.
The Equine Management contest is an educational activity designed as a practical method of teaching students current horse evaluation and selection techniques in addition to developing management skills necessary for success in the equine industry. The team placed 40th overall with team members McKenzie Richards, Jesse Craig and Hailey Combs.
The General Livestock Team consisted of Conor Thomas, Peyton Tener, Connor Trawick, Janie Wallace and Justin Preece. Students judge two classes of beef, swine, goats, and sheep based on market and breeding characteristics. They also have one female selection class and test based on the animal industry, as well as answer questions on market grids. The team placed 68th overall.
Congratulations to all the contestants on a job well done. The judging season is off to a great start!
