The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2007 Junior Beef Excellence Program and the Livestock Evaluation Contest during a special awards program at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore.

Seventy youths entered 81 steers in this year's event, which highlights the carcass merit of steers shown at junior livestock shows in nine southern Oklahoma counties. The top 10 entries were awarded a total of $12,500 as part of the annual contest.

• 2nd place, Joseph Buzridragis, Wilson FFA, $2,000;
• 3rd place, Doran Lovett, Tishomingo 4-H, $1,500;
• 4th place, Payton Sweeten, Dickson 4-H, $1,250;
• 5th place, Jessica Collins, Wapanucka FFA, $1,000;
• 6th place, Brittley Hartman, Wilson FFA, $950;
• 7th place, Newly Peyrot, Thackerville 4-H, $900;
• 8th place, Seth Temple, Pauls Valley FFA, $850;
• 9th place, Chase Willis, Marietta 4-H, $800; and
• 10th place, Laci Jones, Dickson FFA, $750.

"All participants in the program did a great job with their steers," said Shan Ingram, Noble Foundation education and special projects manager. "It takes a lot of diligence and hard work to maintain a steer and get it to the endpoint of this process, and the Junior Beef Excellence Program strives to reward that effort."

Each of the contest steers is individually priced on a grid, meaning they are sold on their own merit instead of on the average. Ingram said that the average total price for a contest steer was $1,213.25, which is divided by the average live weight of 1,202 pounds for an equivalent live price of $100.94 per hundred pounds.

"This year, these cattle hit the market at a very good time and received the benefit of an excellent price. The participants' steers brought in a lot of money on a per-head basis," Ingram said. "The rewarding thing is that the contest steers beat the industry average by about $3 per hundredweight for the week they were marketed. That translates to $35.33 per head. That is outstanding and a good deal for the kids."

The winners of this year's Live Animal Evaluation Contest were also announced during the awards program. The contest is held annually as part of the Junior Beef Excellence Program. During the contest, participants evaluate five live steers and estimate the attributes that affect the carcass merit of each animal. Scorecards are submitted the day of the contest, and winners are selected in five divisions.

This year, 72 individuals took part in the contest with each division winner receiving a custom-monogrammed leather duffel bag. The top three individuals in each division are:

4-H Division

1. Alli Willis, Marietta
2. Seth Cleary, Lindsay
3. Chase Willis, Marietta

FFA Division

1. Jean Lam, Pauls Valley
2. Seth Coffey, Davis
3. Patrick Ferris, Wapanucka

Adult Men

1. Jon Willis, Marietta
2. Glen McCarthick, Milburn
3. Glen Jones, Ardmore

Adult Women

1. Carrie Sweeten, Gene Autry
2. Wilma Willis, Marietta
3. Joan Willis, Marietta

Expert Division

1. Chuck Coffey, Springer
2. Steve Howard, Ringling
3. Robert Wells, Overbrook

This is the twelfth year for the Junior Beef Excellence Program in its expanded format. All participants are from Carter, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Johnston, Love, Marshall, Murray or Stephens counties, and all steers must have been shown in a county junior livestock show prior to entry. The steers are delivered to Ardmore, weighed-in and commingled for two days before being sent to the Cargill Meat Solutions plant in Plainview, Texas.

Members of the Junior Beef Committee are Ingram, Kyle Stutts and Robert Wells, all of the Noble Foundation, and Leland McDaniel, Carter County Extension agent. Brad Morgan, Ph.D., OSU meat scientist, assisted with the awards program and served as contest official. Bill Harrison, a field representative for Alliance Programs with Cargill Meat Solutions, provided information comparing the contest cattle to industry averages.

For additional information about next year's program, call the Noble Foundation at 580.223.5810 or visit Junior Beef Excellence Program information on the Noble Foundation's Web site at www.noble.org/Ag/JrBeef.

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Photo:
Photo caption:	Winners of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Junior Beef Excellence Program include: (from left to right) Laci Jones, Brittley Hartman, Chase Willis, Joseph Buzridragis, Newly Peyrot, Seth Temple, Payton Sweeten, Doron Lovett and Kadie Peyrot. Jessica Collins did not attend.

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News Release Issued: April 8, 2007

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.