Events & Special Projects: May, 2002 May, 2002 Table of Contents

by Shan Ingram

We recently concluded the 2002 edition of the Junior Beef Excellence Program. In case you are not aware of this activity, here's a little background. Since 1996, the Noble Foundation has sponsored this program, which focuses on educating youth about beef quality. It is open to 4-H and FFA members from eight southern Oklahoma counties who exhibit beef steers in their local county shows. Exhibitors with the top 10 steers (based on carcass merit) receive prize money donated by the Noble Foundation.

By creating this outreach to youth, the Foundation is also able to make contact with the exhibitors' parents, grandparents, neighbors, vocational agriculture instructors and cattle breeders — as well as others with an interest in this beef-related youth activity. To actively include these groups, we created a side contest called the Live Animal Evaluation. Each year on delivery date, we set up a "class" of five steers. Then we ask everyone who shows up, young and old alike, to fill out an evaluation card estimating the carcass merit of each of the five steers on display. This exercise usually humbles even the most knowledgeable cattle people.

After the steers are harvested and data is collected, we have a results meeting that unveils the carcass merits of the top 10 steers entered by participants, as well as who did the best job in the Live Animal Evaluation Contest.

Some cattlemen are quite critical of the show ring and the cattle that 4-H and FFA members exhibit. I think these cattlemen could learn something if they would open their eyes and their minds a little bit. Steers from the Junior Beef Excellence Program have consistently exhibited both better quality and yield grades than the "average" beef steer. For the results, see Figure 1.

These are pretty impressive results, especially considering that there were no yield grades 4 or 5, there were no light weight carcasses, and only three of the 74 steers received a slight discount for having a carcass of more than 950 pounds (and this was due to their exceptional dressing percent). Bottom line, the kids' "show ring" steers are significantly better than what the beef cattle industry is producing on average — something a lot of learned cattlemen don't realize. The results of the 2001 and the 2002 Junior Beef Excellence Program and the Live Animal Evaluation Contest can be seen on the Web at http://www.noble.org/Ag/JrBeef/index.html.

Another youth activity the Foundation sponsors annually is AgVenture. This is a four-day summer camp for high school students who reside or attend high school in the Agricultural Division's 47-county service area. I have been involved with this program since its beginning several years ago and have been coordinating it for the last two years. The idea is for the kids to learn about agriculture — but a lot can also be learned from the kids!

By now you may be asking, "What is this guy rambling about?"  I am trying to convince you of two things:

1. It is rewarding and educational (for all parties) to become involved in activities designed to educate youth about agriculture.
2. We should work to motivate and keep our youth involved in agriculture.