UW Meat Judging Team Wraps Up Fall Season

After a successful spring season, the University of Wyoming's collegiate meat judging team finished the year with an impressive fall judging performance.

Members of the 2024 collegiate meat judging team are Jordan Anderson, of Centre Hall, Pa.; Kristy Benjamin, of Boulder; Kaitlyn Brandenburg, of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Aida Hester, of Hot Sulphur Springs, Colo.; Assistant Coach Tessa Maurer, of Arvada, Colo.; Joe Mills, of Peyton, Colo.; Stella Ordahl, of Savage, Minn.; Emi Ramirez, of Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Hailey Rasmussen, of Estes Park, Colo.; Koy Stanley, of Midland, Texas; Sarah Turner, of Cheyenne; and Samantha Waller, of Basalt, Colo.

"I don't know that I've ever worked with a group of students who have been so closely connected," says McKensie Phillips, UW collegiate meat judging team coordinator. "This year, especially, they were all very enthusiastic and motivating for each other. They really committed to figuring out where their performance was and improving it."

The UW team finished in the top 10 overall in all four contests in which it competed during the fall season. The team achieved both individual and team successes, particularly in its last two tournaments.

In its third contest of the season, the team finished third in lamb judging at the Cargill High Plains Meat Judging Contest in Friona, Texas. UW judges Brandenburg, Hester, Mills, Rasmussen and Turner each earned a perfect score in the specifications division. Brandenburg also finished second in the beef grading category, third in overall beef and first in the placings division, earning her 10th place overall.

The UW team's final contest of the year, the American Meat Science Association's International Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest, took place in Dakota City, Neb. The team again won third in lamb judging, and two students finished in the top 10. Hester achieved seventh place, and Turner finished ninth overall.

The 2024 team has now completed its final season of collegiate meat judging. Members of collegiate judging teams are eligible to compete for one year, beginning with a spring season and concluding in the fall.

At the end of the fall season, judges from each collegiate team honor one of their members who exemplifies the work ethic, teamwork and supportive attitude of Rachel Hamilton, a former program director of the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Program. The UW meat judging team nominated Ordahl as UW's Rachel Hamilton Memorial Spirit Award winner for her positivity, enthusiasm and dedication.

To learn more about meat judging at UW, call Phillips at (307) 766-2334 or email [email protected].

About University of Wyoming Extension

UW Extension serves Wyoming communities by helping residents apply university research and resources to practical problems. Since 1914, UW Extension has provided educational programs and tools to the state's 23 counties and the Wind River Indian Reservation. From 4-H programming and pesticide safety education to food preservation and nutrition courses, Extension upholds the university's land-grant mission by offering learning opportunities for people of all ages. UW Extension staff members help Wyoming residents boost agricultural production, care for lawns and gardens, cultivate future leaders, support individual and community well-being, and develop thriving businesses.

To learn more, call (307) 766-5124 or visit www.uwyo.edu/uwe.