Aggies judge at two weekend contests

Oct. 5, 2020

By NCTA News

Two livestock evaluation teams with the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture competed Friday in Kansas, then back to Nebraska for a workout on Saturday, and a contest Sunday.

The season opener for the freshmen and sophomores was the Flint Hills / Mid-America Classic Judging Contest at Hutchinson, Kansas where the team evaluated classes of livestock in beef, sheep, swine and goats, said Aggie Coach Doug Smith.

Then, they proceeded to Bertrand Saturday to assist with the 4-H and FFA Ber-Mis Livestock Judging contest, before traveling on to the 2020 “Fall Upgrade” Livestock Judging Contest at State Fair Park in Grand Island.

Overall, the team officially and unofficially evaluated 42 sets of livestock in four days.

“It was a great weekend for the young evaluators in seeing high-quality livestock and continuing to improve over their travels,” said Smith. “I was excited to see the improvement over the weekend and hope to see more as they continue to grow in their skills.” 

Freshmen Team:

The freshmen team was comprised of Audrey Brawner, Wood Lake; Lexi Rice, Mullen; Cassidy Frey, Guide Rock; Olivia Nyberg, Stromsburg; Emily Grote, Madelia, Minnesota, Megan Spahr, Wayne, and Clayton Runkle, Elkhart, Kansas.

At the Mid-America contest, Audrey Brawner led the freshmen squad by placing 10^th in oral reasons as the team was 21st overall. They were 19th in beef, 19th in reasons, 20th in sheep, 20th in goats, and 21st in swine.

At the Fall Upgrade, the team was fifth place overall among freshmen teams from two-year colleges, and fifth in beef, reasons, sheep, and swine, and sixth in goats. Top-placing Brawner, a graduate of Valentine Rural High School, was 23rd in sheep and 24th in beef.

Sophomore Team:

The sophomore judges are Avery Bermel, Randolph; Jose De La Cruz, Columbus; Lauren Nichols, Scottsbluff; Melody MacDonald, Fullerton; and Bailey Johnson, Hastings.

In the Mid-America, the Aggie sophs were 17th overall, with their best placings in swine at 13th, 16th in sheep and goats, 17th in beef, and 17th in reasons.

They fared 8th overall among sophomore teams from two-year colleges at the Fall Upgrade in Grand Island by placing 7th in sheep, and 8th in beef, reasons, swine and goats. Individuals in the top 30 were Avery Bermel, 20th in beef; Jose De La Cruz, 22nd in sheep; and Lauren Nichols, 26th in swine.

Next, the Aggie teams will be hosting two district FFA judging contests at the NCTA campus, and sending a team to serve as evaluators for an FFA district contest elsewhere, Smith said.

For information about Aggie livestock judging, contact Smith at 308.367.5286 or email doug.smith@unl.edu.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.