Congratulations to the winners of the 2014 Carcass Contest! 4-H and FFA members received monetary awards following a carcass evaluation presentation given by David Lile, Lassen County Extension Director. The annual carcass contest is the end to their livestock projects and the final results can prove to be rewarding and educational.
What is a carcass contest you might ask? Carcass contests help create an awareness of current carcass qualities that are considered desirable by the industry and by consumers. It’s a chance for the kids, and buyers to know how their meat really compares, not just by the look of the animal but by the actual quality of the meat.
The contest judge uses carcass quality (how good the carcass is) and yield (how much meat is in the carcass) grades to identify superior carcasses. ‘Carcass quality components’ consist of carcass age and marbling (flecks of fat in the ribeye). Whereas ‘carcass yield components’ consist of carcass weight, ribeye area, fat thickness, and other factors that are species specific.
First place winners received a beautiful belt buckle and 1st-2nd place received cash awards.
The Beef buckle was donated by the Hagata Family in Memory of Frank Hagata, and the beef cash awards were donated by the Lassen County Cattle Women.
1st Place Buckle—Emily Egan Richmond 4-H, 2nd—Jack Mallery, Richmond 4-H, 3rd—Jonathan Langston, Thompson Peak 4-H.
The Swine buckle was donated by Jim Bronson in Memory of JE Bronson Sr. and the Jr. Livestock Auction committee, and the swine and cash awards were donated by Plumas Bank.
1st Place Buckle—Hannah Heimbigner (buckle was donated by her grandfather), Richmond 4-H, 2nd—Callie Wemple, Susanville FFA, 3rd—Dylan Bond, Standish 4-H.
The Sheep buckle was donated by Curt and Joan Moran and the cash awards were donated by the Lassen County Farm Bureau.
1st Place Buckle—Bailey Olsen, Susanville FFA, 2nd—Ronnie Merrill, Thompson Peak 4-H, 3rd—Katelyn Ernaga, Richmond 4-H.
