MSU Livestock Judging Team finishes first competition

MSU News Services

 1/16/2002

              BOZEMAN -- The re-born Montana State University Livestock Judging Team has returned from its first national competition.

            The five-member MSU team competed at the Arizona National Livestock Show Dec. 27 - Jan. 2 in Phoenix, taking sixth place overall but fourth in judging beef, fifth in judging sheep and fifth in oral reasons given. They competed against 13 other four-year colleges, including universities such as Texas A&M and Colorado State University.

            Team members are Tami Arlian of Big Timber, Shawn Miller of Buffalo, Wyo., RaeLynn Stoddard of Elko, Nev., Ryan Fisher of Kalispell, and Travis Standley of Cascade.

            Most team members first began practicing during the fall semester of 2001.

            "Phoenix was our first judging competition," says the team's coach, Marc King of Big Timber. "We did well except in pig judging. With no pigs on campus to practice on, it's a killer for us."

            The program is useful for students in several ways, says King. The students learn critical thinking, decision-making and oral communications skills, not to mention how to judge and select livestock. Other benefits include learning how to work individually, in teams and with supervisors.

            There had been no MSU Livestock Judging Team for several years due to funding problems. The team was re-inaugurated last year after the Montana Beef Council gave a grant to help pay for the team's coach and travel to such competitions. The Montana Dairy Producers have also contributed to funding the team. The next contests for the team will be the National Western Stock Show in Denver and the Houston Stock Show.

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Send questions or comments to Carol Flaherty, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717 or email Flaherty at carolf@montana.edu.

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