Local 4-H members attend National meat judging contest

Submitted photo Uniontown 4-H Club members Cole and Drew George and Hiattville 4-H Club member Katelyn Vincent, competed in the 2010 National Western Meats Contest in Fort Collins and Denver, Colo. The team placed fifth in the identification class.

The Bourbon County 4-H Meats teams recently competed in the 2010 National Western Meats Contest in Fort Collins and Denver, Colorado. Team members were Cole and Drew George of the Uniontown 4-H Club, and Katelyn Vincent of the Hiattville 4-H Club.

The team qualified by receiving third place at the State 4-H meats contest on the campus of Kansas State University during the 1st Annual Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes in August.

The contest, held on the Colorado State University campus, consisted of six placings classes of carcasses, wholesale and retail cuts, three sets of oral reasons, and thirty cuts of retail identification. Each placing class is comprised of four cuts or carcasses; it is up to the individual to place the class based on quality, quantity, and trimness. Of these six classes, three were selected as reasons classes for the 4-Hers to verbally defend their placings. The identification points are earned by determining the species (beef, pork or lamb), primal/wholesale cut, retail cut, type, and cookery method of each cut.

Drew placed 10th in placings and the team was 5th in identification.

Following the contest, members traveled to Denver to be part of the Western National 4-H Round-Up and to attend the National Western Stock Show. They chose to attend a Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza and the Free Style Reining events while at the NWSS.

This awards trip was made possible with the local support of the Bourbon County 4-H Council and the Bourbon County Extension Council.