Carcass Contest winners announced
The first of many shows and contests for the 4-H and Jr. Fair are completed. Many would ask what a Carcass Contest is – well, it is just what the name describes.
This contest is created to judge not only the animal’s body structure and the exhibitor’s ability to handle, but the carcass itself. The great part about the contests is it gives the exhibitor an opportunity to learn and see the end results. Exhibitors are working hard to train their animals to show at the county fair, praying the animal behaves in the arena while judge and parents are watching.
The judges at the fair judge the animals’ movements and body structure on the hoof. Afterward, the animal leaves the fairgrounds on the truck, and this brings the lesson to an end. But with the Carcass Show that is only the beginning.
After the live show, the processors have allowed a judge(s) to come into the cooler to judge the meat. After the placing of the carcasses, the judge(s) then talk to the kids on the importance of making sure they have a quality product because, in the end, bringing wholesome food to the table is very important to a consumer and buyers of their meat.
Three species in the carcass contest
Currently we have three species that have Carcass Contests: beef, lamb, and goat. The interest in these contests is growing!
The Beef Carcass Contest live show was held on Aug. 24. Beef steers and dairy steers were brought into the coliseum to be weighed and judged by Beau Johnson. After the live show, all steers were loaded up and taken to Heffelfinger’s Meat Market in Ashland.
The following Monday, Aug. 28, the carcass judge, Keayla Harr, came to judge the meat carcass. Before giving results Kaeyla explained what she was looking for - the marbling score, the yield grade, and how all those numbers and more gave the value of the carcass. Kaeyla had the honor of announcing the top ten winners of the beef steers and the top 10 of the dairy beef steers.
The 2023 Grand Champion Beef Steer Carcass winner is Sarah Armstrong, and the 2023 Reserve Champion Beef Steer Carcass winner is Haley Caldwell. The 2023 Grand Champion Dairy Beef Steer Carcass winner is Marley Snyder, and the 2023 Reserve Champion Dairy Beef Steer Carcass winner is Elizabeth Laney.
These four prize-winning carcasses will be sold at the Wayne County Fair Auction on Thursday, Sept. 14. Congratulations, ladies! There were a total of 20 beef steers and twenty dairy beef steers in the contest. All of the exhibitors did a fantastic job and we are so proud of each of you, and the hard work that you put into your steers!
The Lamb and Goat Carcass Contests were held on Aug. 26 with Brady Campbell as the judge for the live portion. When the live show was complete, the committee brought out a couple of lambs and goats for the exhibitors to get their hands on and compare the animals, ask the judge questions, and learn what to look for on the live animal. When that was complete, the animals were then shipped to 3D Meats in Dalton, Ohio where the hanging results show was held Aug. 30.
The carcass judges, Greg Fogle and Garth Ruff, came in to evaluate the meat. Again, the judges had the opportunity to speak to the exhibitors and their families about what the judges and market are looking for in quality of the meat.
The 2023 Grand Champion Lamb Carcass winner is Elaina Winchell, and the 2023 Reserve Champion Lamb Carcass winner is Blake Simmons. The 2023 Grand Champion Goat Carcass winner is Kinsley Rupp, and the 2023 Reserve Grand Champion Goat Carcass winner is Darin Schaffer. Congratulations, everyone! These four individuals’ carcasses will also sell at the Wayne County Fair Auction on Wednesday, Sept. 13. There were a total of 30 lambs and goats that were entered into the carcass contest. Each of those exhibitors did a fantastic job.
We want to thank Heffelfinger’s and 3D Meats for opening their doors to our exhibitors and allowing this opportunity for our 4-H/FFA Jr Fair Exhibitors. We are grateful to have committee members volunteering their time to organize and put the details together, to give the exhibitors and their parents access to judges and learn the ‘why’ behind the project, and how to raise a quality product. Congratulations to all of those who participated, you should be proud of the end product you brought!
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Carcass Contest shows off local skills in livestock
