Live Animal Evaluation Contest is Open to the Public

The Noble Foundation announces the 2006 Junior Beef Excellence Program will begin with the spring delivery of steers on Saturday, March 11, at Noble's Pasture Demonstration Farm (PDF) west of Ardmore. To participate, exhibitors must have entered their steer with the Noble Foundation in the fall of 2005.

The Junior Beef Excellence Program, which has existed in its current format since 1996, recognizes the carcass merit of steers exhibited at the junior livestock shows by 4-H and FFA members in nine south-central Oklahoma counties. Cash awards are given to the exhibitors of the top 10 steers. The champion steer owner receives $2,500, and the remaining winners receive lesser amounts. Prize monies total $12,500.

In conjunction with Junior Beef Excellence Program steer delivery, Noble offers an opportunity for members of the public to test their cattle evaluation skills in the Live Animal Evaluation Contest. The contest has five divisions: 4-H (youth), FFA (youth), men, women and expert (Noble Foundation employees and past adult winners). The Live Animal Evaluation Contest, also held at PDF, will begin at 9:30 a.m. and concludes at 11:30 a.m.

Contest participants will evaluate five live steers and estimate their carcass characteristics. The evaluation commonly takes about 30 minutes to complete. A university meat specialist will determine the official carcass placing, and each participant's estimates will be compared to the actual measurements. Scorecards will be submitted on the day of the contest, and winners will be announced when the carcass data is returned.

Individuals with the best estimate in each division will be awarded a prize during the Junior Beef Excellence awards program on Thursday, March 30, starting at 7 p.m. at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center (SOTC). SOTC is located two miles east of Ardmore on Sam Noble Parkway (Highway 199, just east of the Noble Foundation).

To see the results of previous years' contests, visit www.noble.org/Ag/JrBeef/index.html.

To get to PDF, take Exit 33 off I-35 and go west about 2 miles on Prairie Valley Road to the four-way stop. Turn right (north) on King's Road go about 1.5 miles. Turn left (west) on Noble Foundation Road and go 0.5 miles to PDF.

For more information about the Junior Beef Excellence Program or the Live Animal Evaluation Contest, call Shan Ingram at (580) 224-6412.

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News Release Issued: Feb. 28, 2006

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.