Missouri Students Participate in Swine Skillathon

Columbia, Mo.,— On Thursday, August 7, FFA and 4-H members participated in the 2014 Youth Swine Skillathon at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. Participants competed in three age brackets during the contest, which is sponsored by the Missouri Pork Association and the University of Missouri Extension.

In the Age 12 and Under division, first place went to Mason Brown from Lamar. Annie Robinson from Wellsville placed second, and Brylee Williams from Princeton received third.

In the Age 13-15 division, Audrey Martin from Bucklin received first, Will Robinson from Wellsville received second, and third place went to Cole Schlup from California.

The top three winners in each category received a cash award, and the top individual in each category also received a plaque.

The first part of the three-stage contest is a hands-on swine management test including breed identification, equipment identification, ear notching, feed medication withdrawal, calculation growth performance, pork carcass cuts, meat quality evaluation, environmental issues and feed ingredient identification. The second section is a short quiz that covers current events and general information about the swine industry in Missouri, the United States and internationally. The final stage is a 5 minute personal interview about their swine project and the Youth Pork Quality Assurance Plus Program.

Source:  Missouri Pork Association