A team of West Virginia University students brought their knowledge of livestock to a regional tournament and came back with a second-place finish.
WVU’s Livestock Judging Team traveled to Harrisburg, Pa., on Oct. 4 for the Keystone International Livestock Expo. The WVU team finished second overall, second place team in both sheep and swine and third place team in cattle and reasons.
Robby Currey, an agricultural and extension education major from Salem, Wa., was second place individual overall, first in sheep, second in reasons and fourth in cattle. Shawna Rhodes, an animal and nutritional sciences major from Statts Mill, was eighth place individual overall, second in sheep and third in swine. Amanda Kline, an animal and nutritional sciences major from Sabillasville, Md., was tenth place individual overall and fourth in swine.
WVU’s team competed against students from Ohio State University, the University of Missouri, Clemson, the University of Florida, the University of Tennessee, Penn State, North Carolina State and Delaware Valley College.
They are coached by Scott Bowdridge, assistant professor of animal science in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, and Taylor Harrison, a graduate student pursuing a degree in beef nutrition.
“We have a very talented and hard-working group of students that have an ability to compete with schools with a tradition of winning these national contests,” Bowdridge said. “The students will be spending the next few weeks in preparation for the final two contests of the year and their careers as collegiate livestock judges. I am very excited about their potential to perform well in the coming weeks.”
This success comes off from a top ten overall finish and fifth-place finish in swine at Ak-Sar-Ben competition in Omaha, Ne. on Sept. 28. The team kicked off the fall season in Austin, Minn., Sept. 9 at the National Barrow Show, traveling to various swine producers throughout the Midwest prior to the contest.
The team’s next contest is Oct. 31 in Kansas City, Mo., at the American Royal where they will be competing against 30 other teams from across the United States. The season will round out at the national championship in Louisville, Ky., competing at the North American International Livestock Expo on Nov. 17.
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CONTACT: David Welsh, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
304.293.2394, David.Welsh@mail.wvu.edu
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