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Meat-ing the challenge in Craig

Erin Fenner
Moffat County High School FFA students compete against North Fork high school students in meat judging Monday at Brother's Custom Processing.
Erin Fenner

Where did Moffat County place in the FFA competitions?

Meat Judging: Junior Jerica Delong, placed first. Sophomore Brady Springer placed second. Sophomore Andrea Maneotis placed third.

Agricultural Mechanics: Senior Tyler Jenkins placed third.

Livestock Evaluation: Senior Travis Walsh placed third.

Horse Evaluation: Sophomore Katia Voloshin placed first.

Floriculture: Junior Erin Parrot placed first.

Decked out in lab coats and hard hats, carrying questionnaires and pens, high school students carefully eyed various cuts of meat Monday afternoon.

They were scribbling against the clock, evaluating retail-packaged meat for type and quality. When their time was up with the retail section, the group of students spun around to confront hunks of cattle and hog carcasses.

They were up against each other in the Future Farmer’s of America (FFA) meat-judging competition on Monday at Brother’s Custom Processing.



It takes a certain type of personality to get involved with meat judging, said Eric Wellman, North Fork High FFA advisor.

“Analytical people. It’s very quantitative,” he said. “It’s a critical-thinking piece.”



Moffat County FFA students mastered the district meat-judging competition against the North Fork high school team. Three Moffat County students took the top three spots and will go on to the FFA state championships May 4 and 5 in Fort Collins.

They will make the trip with several of their classmates who won in other FFA competitions, including agricultural mechanics, livestock evaluation, horse evaluation and floriculture.

“The contests are career development events,” said Rick Murr, agriculture education instructor at Moffat County High School. “It gives students a way to compete in particular areas of interest that are an integral part of the curriculum we teach in class. It’s ways for them to figure out if they like it.”

The FFA helps train students in career-oriented and practical skills, he said.

“It’s a great way for those students to compete in something that’s real world,” Murr said.

Angie Satterwhite, part-owner of Brother’s, was in the FFA and judged meat when she was in high school, she said. The skills she learned with FFA helped her in with her position at Brother’s.

“It’s important for kids to know where their food comes from,” she said. “A lot of them are able to further this into a career.”

Contact Erin Fenner at 970-875-1794 or efenner@craigdailypress.com.


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