MUSCATINE, Iowa–Neither distance nor winter weather could stop the Muscatine FFA meats team from putting up a good showing at the National Western Roundup in Fort Collins, Colorado the second weekend of January. Though Muscatine brought a very young team, with several members competing in their first competition, they earned seventh place in the nation, with junior Bob Carver earning eighth place as an individual.
Meats evaluation helps students understand how butchers and meat packers assess meat quality and identify different cuts as well as what people use those different cuts for in cooking. To prepare, students worked with Hy-Vee, Fareway, and Bud’s Custom Meats in Riverside to familiarize themselves with different common cuts of meat. “They’ve been good partners, letting the kids come in and identify the cuts,” said Muscatine FFA leader Dave Tometich.
As part of the competition, students looked at carcasses and cuts of meat to identify their quality as well as the amount of lean meat they would yield. They also identified commonly sold cuts of meat, where they come from, and what people typically make out of them. They also completed a math test (where they calculated the percentage of lean meat in a selection as well as the most affordable cuts) and a general knowledge test covering topics like safety rules and regulations and common ailments in meat animals.
Tometich felt students did well at the competition, and that it helped the students gain confidence and experience that will help them in the future. “I’m very pleased–anytime they can leave Muscatine and compete against others, it shows they can do anything,” he said. “It’s not easy being a young person or an adult in today’s society, but they gained a lot of confidence,” he added.
Along with the competition, students got to visit many new places, learning about the meat industry in a variety of ways. Students toured both the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University, which both have robust agriculture programs. While at Colorado State, they also got to see the office of Temple Grandin, a renowned animal science professor who specializes in animal behavior and an advocate for those with autism.
They also toured a large lamb feedlot where they learned about how feedlots work, how they can contribute to international animal research (such as by regularly drawing blood from animals for genetics research), and the special practices feedlots implement when they sell kosher and halal meats. “It was really great to learn about the industry as a whole,” observed sophomore Jenna Lovstad.
Though the weather proved too cold to stay long, students got to visit Rocky Mountain National Park as well. Since the competition they attended coincided with the National Western Stock Show, they also attended that event too, gaining more valuable experience. As Tometich put it, “the meat cuts were good, but the experience was better.”
He hopes all the different learning opportunities students had will positively shape them as they continue their school and FFA careers. “That’s what we do in the ag department; we help kids find passions and develop life skills,” he observed with a smile.
