Noble Foundation announces 2009 Junior Beef winners

NEWS RELEASE
Issued - April 8, 2009

ARDMORE, Okla. — The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2009 Junior Beef Excellence Program and Livestock Evaluation Contest during a special awards program at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore.

Sixty-one students entered 71 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.

Chase Willis, Marietta 4-H, entered this year's champion steer. As the 1st place finisher, Willis earned $2,500 and a custom winner's jacket. The 2nd through 10th place winners are:

3rd place, Nichole Hartin, Madill 4-H, $1,500;

4th place, Austin Vernon, Tishomingo 4-H, $1,250;

5th place, Brett Willis, Marietta FFA, $1,000;

6th place, Judge Hartin, Madill 4-H, $950;

7th place, John West, Tishomingo 4-H, $900;

8th place, Ty Tooley, Wilson FFA, 850;

9th place, Matt Williams, Dickson FFA, $800; and

"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 $1,011.65, which is divided by the average live weight of 1,223 pounds for an equivalent live price of $82.74 per hundred pounds.

"This year, the general level of market is lower compared to previous years. Unfortunately, the participants are experiencing what commercial producers are all too familiar with," Ingram said. "The participants' steers still outperformed the industry average by about $2 per hundredweight for the week they were marketed. That translates to about $25 per head, which does help them some."

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, 54 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. Colt Jones, Pauls Valley
2. Alli Willis, Marietta
3. Nathan Northcutt, Tishomingo

FFA Division
1. Sarah Coffey, Davis
2. Seth Coffey, Davis
3. Seth Cleary, Lindsay

Men's Division
1. Kent Vernon, Mill Creek
2. Robert Jones, Pauls Valley
3. Bob Cleary, Lindsay

Women's Division
1. Tomi Tice, Stratford
2. Jowana Scott, Elmore City
3. Jerri Wilson, Loco

Expert Division
1. Luther Harbert, Tishomingo
2. Jon Willis, Marietta
3. Russell Stevens, Overbrook

This is the 14th 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 their county junior livestock show prior to entry. The steers are delivered to Ardmore, weighed-in and commingled for two days before being sent to Cargill Meat Solutions in Plainview, Texas.

Members of the Junior Beef Committee are Ingram, Ryan Reuter, Ph.D. and Robert Wells, Ph.D., all of the Noble Foundation, and Leland McDaniel, Carter County Extension. 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 view Junior Beef Excellence Program information on the Noble Foundation's Web site at www.noble.org/Ag/JrBeef.

###

Photos (Agricultural Division Director Billy Cook, Ph.D., presents each participant with their winnings):: Austin Vernon; Brett Willis; Cade Tibbs; Chase Willis; John West; Judge Hartin; Nichole Hartin; Trent Cleary; Ty Tooley

09-021

For media inquiries concerning the Noble Foundation, please contact:

J. Adam Calaway

jacalaway@noble.org

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.