MSU team wins meat animal
evaluation at All East contest

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Students from Michigan State University (MSU) took second place in the All East Intercollegiate Livestock Judging Contest April 16-19 at The Ohio State University. Seven teams and Michigan State University Livestock Judging teams and 61 individuals competed in the three-day event.

The MSU Livestock Judging team consisted of: Bailey Albright, Coldwater, Mich.; Paul Ayers, Edmore, Mich.; Rebecca Brown, Pittsburgh, Penn.; Anjuli Doyle, Big Rapids, Mich.; Cally Hass, Cassopolis, Mich.; and Kelli Rau, West Branch, Mich. The team was coached by Ashley Bushman and Elin Westover.

The All East is an intense three-day competition for Intercollegiate Livestock Judging Teams. Students are required to not only judge classes of livestock and present oral reasons, but also to participate in meat animal evaluation and breeding animal selection.

Day one of the All East is the meat animal evaluation contest. Students evaluated eight animals of each species (beef cattle, swine and sheep) for backfat, expected lean cut yield, live market value and an economic performance ranking.

Day two is the selection contest. Three breeding animal keep/cull classes of each species are provided, requiring students to denote which four animals to keep and which four to cull based on each animal’s phenotype, performance data and adaptability to the scenario given.

Day three, the final day, features a standard livestock judging contest. Each participant judges 12 classes of livestock, both breeding and market animals, and gives eight sets of oral reasons.

For the combined three-day contest score, MSU was the 2nd high team overall. Hass, Rau, and Ayers were sixth, ninth, and 10th high individuals overall.