“Champion Team Overall”Congratulations to Colorado State’s Animal Sciences’ Meat Judging Team who was crowned “Champion Team Overall” for the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging 2009 Tournament at the University of New England, Armidale! 
Intercollegiate Meat Judging started in 1927 by Meat Science Professors in the United States. With 60 Land Grant Colleges, including Colorado State University, the United States was undoubtedly a great place to begin Intercollegiate Meat Judging. For decades now, Meat Judging has been extremely successful, well acknowledged and has continued to grow in popularity. Colorado State has attributed to the overall success of Meat Judging by keeping a tradition of excellence that builds upon the establishments of Dr. Keith Belk and Dr. Dale Woerner, the support of past teams and the help of faculty members. With that said, Colorado State University has undoubtedly flourished as a renowned contender at international competitions like the tournament in Australia. The Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association (ICMJ) Inc is a non-for-profit association that focuses on exposing students to careers in the meat industry. The university competition and training course held in Armidale, Australia sponsored by ICMJ, is one of the Association’s main priorities. Participating in this highly competitive event, Colorado State’s 2009 Meat Judging Team brought home the prestigious Roy McDonald shield awarded to the winning team and the Founders Buckle given to the highest individual student. Their hard work, dedication and concentration throughout the year certainly paid off at the competition abroad, as they exceeded expectations and swept away multiple categories. This extraordinary team consists of four team members: Renee Kinsey, Jerilyn Hergenreder, Heather Pierce and Ruth Woiwode. Collegiate meat judging is a huge commitment on the parts of the students, coaches and the department. Led by Coach Scott Howard, preparation for the season begins as soon as possible, with a semester long course that is taught in the fall semester prior to the team’s first contest. The team kicks-off the year at the National Western Stock Show which is then followed by three other competitions in the spring. Howard explains, “Before each contest, teams typically travel on an intense week long road trip to various meat plants and Universities practicing at each location. This provides them with a tremendous experience to see different parts of the packing industry, view different institutions and their facilities, and most importantly, network with a variety of industry professionals along the way.” 
Several months before departing to Armidale, training began at CSU, with the sole focus being Australia. Concentration was crucial as hopes to succeed abroad were high amongst the team. The students were able to workout at different plants in Australia before the competition and had the opportunity to attend a two day workshop at the University of New England, Armidale. This allowed them to get a feel for what the competition would be like. As Howard says, “The Australian contest was similar to any contest in the US in that students were required to evaluate beef, pork and lamb, as well as answer questions and write the reasoning behind their placings. However, a few major differences were apparent. The Australian competition included a retail cut identification class, lacked the standard USDA grading class present in American contests and the beef presented contained substantially less marbling and fat than most presented in the US.” These differences provided yet another chance for the students to gain a global perspective. Firsthand knowledge of the global meat industry, the networking accomplished, the international friendships created and the strong bonds connecting the team members will all stay with this group far into the future. A conversation with Meat Judging Team member, Renee Kinsey, allows for a close-up look at the dynamics of the team and the students’ experience. Kinsey was born and raised in Arizona where she instantly fell in love with all sorts of livestock like cattle, sheep and goats. This precise passion for showing livestock is what brought her to Colorado State, “I chose to attend CSU for their agricultural and judging programs. I have loved my experience here at CSU. I have met so many great people and have gotten to see an insight into the industry.” She is currently a junior, double majoring in Animal Sciences and Agricultural Business with a minor in Spanish. In regards to judging, Kinsey has learned far beyond the basics of meat judging, “Judging has taught me time management skills, decision making and how to have confidence in your abilities.” Lately, she has been thinking about pursuing a career in the meat science industry due to her involvement with the Meat Judging Team. Reflecting on the team’s trip to the land down under, Kinsey says, “Australia was an amazing experience. None of us had ever been there so it was a learning experience for us all.” The five-member team flew into Sydney where they met a team from Western Australia, Murdoch University. Together, the teams traveled to the University of New England, Armidale where they engaged in two educational lecture days inspired by industry speakers from all over the world. Finally, the competition was held on the third and fourth day. Apart from being crowned “Champion Team Overall”, individual winners were honored including Kinsey who was the winner of “Beef Judging Overall Individual” and runner-up for “Founders Buckle”. Ruth Woiwode won “Overall Questions and Reasons” and Jerilyn Hergenreder won “Lamb Judging Individual” and was runner-up for “High Overall”, “Overall Questions and Reasons” and “Beef Judging Overall”. It is safe to say that CSU has a team bursting with talent. After celebrations and congratulations, the team headed back to Sydney for a fun filled day of sight-seeing. Howard and Kinsey agree that the time spent in Australia was much more important than simply judging, it was an unforgettable experience accompanied by success from hard-work, focus, determination and teamwork. Future plans for the team include continuing this tradition in excellence to ensure guaranteed success for future Colorado State Meat Judging Teams. Once again, congratulations to the 2009 Colorado State University Animal Sciences’ Meat Judging Team! |