The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2008 Junior Beef Excellence Program and the Livestock Evaluation Contest during a special awards program at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore.

Fifty-seven students entered 74 steers in this year's event, which highlights the carcass merit of steers shown at junior livestock shows in eight southern Oklahoma counties. The top 10 entries were awarded a total of $12,500 as part of the annual contest.

Jacob Ayres, Wilson FFA, entered this year's champion steer. As the 1st place finisher, Ayres earned $2,500 and a custom winner's jacket. The 2nd through 10th place winners are:

2nd place, Seth Cleary, Lindsay FFA, $2,000;
3rd place, Joseph Buzridragis, Wilson FFA, $1,500;
4th place, Lisa Richeson, Milburn 4-H, $1,250;
5th place, Lane Stewart, Healdton 4-H, $1,000;
6th place, Levi Shelby, Madill 4-H, $950;
7th place, Andrew McArthur, Wilson FFA, $900;
8th place, Joseph Buzridragis, Wilson FFA;
9th place, Jeremy Brown, Lone Grove 4-H, $800; and
10th place, Bryson Crawford, Marlow FFA, $750.

"It takes a lot of diligence and hard work to maintain a steer and get it to the end of this process, and the Junior Beef Excellence Program strives to reward superior results related to that effort," said Shan Ingram, Noble Foundation education and special projects manager. "Participants in the program did a great job, and we're proud to reward the excellence of their effort."

Each of the contest steers is individually priced on a grid, meaning they are sold on their own merit instead of on the average. Ingram said that the average total price for a contest steer was $1,110.87, which is divided by the average live weight of 1,214 pounds for an equivalent live price of $91.67 per hundred pounds.

"This year, the market was a little lower, but the price was still good. The participants' steers still brought in a lot of money on a per-head basis," Ingram said. "The rewarding thing is that the contest steers beat the industry average by about $2 per hundredweight for the week they were marketed. That translates to about $25.00 per head. That is a good deal for the kids."

The winners of this year's Live Animal Evaluation Contest were also announced during the awards program. The contest is held annually as part of the Junior Beef Excellence Program. During the contest, participants evaluate five live steers and estimate the attributes that affect the carcass merit of each animal. Scorecards are submitted the day of the contest, and winners are selected in five divisions.

This year, 58 individuals took part in the contest with each division winner receiving a custom-monogrammed leather duffel bag. The top three individuals in each division are:

4-H Division
1. Jaysa Northcutt
2. Cole Niblett
3. Jake Standridge

FFA Division
1. Randal Callaway
2. Terrick McAlpin
3. Patrick Ferris

Adult Division
1. Jeff Willis
2. Troy Shelby
3. Donald Callaway

Adult Division
1. Wilma Willis
2. Mary Ann Lee
3. Merrily Shelby

Expert Division
1. Jayson Northcutt
2. Dale Rich
3. Diane Niblett

This is the 13th year for the Junior Beef Excellence Program in its expanded format. All participants are from Carter, Garvin, Jefferson, Johnston, Love, Marshall, Murray or Stephens counties, and all steers must have been shown in a county junior livestock show prior to entry. The steers are delivered to Ardmore, weighed-in and commingled for two days before being sent to the Cargill Meat Solutions plant in Plainview, Texas.

Members of the Junior Beef Committee are Ingram and Robert Wells, Ph.D., both of the Noble Foundation, and Leland McDaniel, Carter County Extension agent. Brad Morgan, Ph.D., OSU meat scientist, assisted with the awards program and served as contest official.

For additional information about next year's program, call the Noble Foundation at 580.223.5810 or visit Junior Beef Excellence Program information on the Noble Foundation's Web site at www.noble.org/Ag/JrBeef.

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Photo:

Photo caption:

Winners of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Junior Beef Excellence Program include: (from left to right): Jacob Ayres, Andrew McArthur, Levi Shelby, Bryson Crawford, Lane Stewart, Jeremy Brown, Lisa Richeson and Seth Cleary. (Not pictured: Joseph Buzridragis, who took 3rd and 8th place.)