A 'steak' in the future

They arrive at the packing plant, dressed in lab coats and hard hats. Gloved hands grip pencils and clip boards. The group is lead by two coaches, ready to mark certain carcasses to be judged and graded. As SDSU’s 2008 Intercollegiate Meats Judging Team enters the cooler, they are ready for a long day of work.

Team members Tyler Radke, Katelyn Milton, Eric Hogle, Jace Hollenbeck and Tyler Urban knew that their determination and dedication would pay off in the long run, and they weren’t going to let a little hard work get in the way.

Stick to the basics

To participate in meats judging on a collegiate level, students must first take an introductory class. After completion of the course, those eligible begin spending countless hours in the school meat lab as well as many long days studying carcasses at packing plants. To be successful, terminology must be memorized, reasoning skills must be honed, and the talent of an official USDA grader must be instilled into the student.

For the 2008 SDSU Meats Team, winning was contagious, and with two spring and five fall contests to prepare for, that meant long hours of practice every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Lamb, pork and beef were evaluated with written reasons, placing cards, and grading.

“Meat judging isn’t something you can learn from a text book,” said Katelyn Milton, team member and senior animal science student. “It takes a lot of hours and practice before you start to experience the real life experiences that will help to do well in competitions. I think all of our long practices played a crucial role in our judging season.”

Filling up the trophy case

After months of practice, the hard work and long hours put in by the 2008 team finally paid off. Team members earned prestigious awards throughout their successful season under the coaching skills of Dustin Mohrhauser and Sarah Wells.

With the season complete, the 2008 team boasts a long list of wins. The team won the championship title at the National Western Stock Show and Southwestern Stock Show last winter. This fall brought a new slew of tough competition, but the team still managed to take third place at Pennsylvania’s Eastern Intercollegiate Contest, first place at the Iowa State Invitational, fourth place at the American Royal and third place at the Texas High Plains Contest. The team rounded off the season with a second place finish at the “super bowl” of meats judging contests – The International Intercollegiate Meats Judging Contest.

“The season had a lot of highs and lows for each of us as individuals,” said Milton, who won the Iowa State Invitational and was high place team member in seventh hole at the International. “One contest, I was the high member of the team, the next I was the lowest. As teammates, we pushed each other to improve, but it was also a personal struggle to get past the pressures and challenges to clear your mind and beat your previous achievements.”

Gaining access to fast-paced industry

Meat judging is more than a just competition for college students. The knowledge and skills developed through collegiate meats judging push these students into fast careers in agriculture. Past members of the SDSU meats judging tradition have found employment in the agriculture industry with employers such as Hormel Foods, Tyson Foods, Beef Products Inc., USDA, and countless other locations.

“Meats judging opened up a wide door of career possibilities that I would have never been exposed to otherwise,” said Milton, who hopes to work in meats promotions upon graduation. “We were able to see exciting parts of the country, take tours of the major packing plants in the United States, and meet industry professionals with great advice for your people.”

Looking to the future, the 2009 Meats Judging Team will begin its spring season at the National Western Stock Show in Denver this January.

“I think there is a strong group coming up,” said Milton, who works at the SDSU Meat Lab in Brookings, SD. “My advice to them is that you only get out of what you put into meats judging. If they can put the time and work in, they are capable to have a very successful year.”

Undoubtedly, the future of the animal agriculture industry will continue to grow as students like these continue to dedicate their careers towards keeping meat at the center of the dinner plate.