If you’ve ever heard of meat judging, you might think it is a contest based on tasting meat or looking at random steaks. If you’ve been educated on the details of meat judging, you know that is it a rigorous contest containing various categories such as beef, pork, and lamb judging, written reasons, questions, specifications, and beef grading. However, if you have ever participated on a meat judging team, you know that it is so much more. Students credit meat judging to being a part of something bigger than themselves. Their journey through the 2022 meat judging season is unique and competitive, but most important educational.
Early in the 2022 spring semester, students from across the country loaded vans to travel to the National Western in Honor of R. Paul Clayton Meat Judging Contest in hopes to bring the championship trophy home. The morning of the contest, 105 attendees layered their clothes and put on hard hats and frocks, ready to conquer their first meat judging contest as a collegiate judger. Though the teams were new to meat judging at the time, they were nothing short of competitive and skilled. In the B-Division, Texas A&M University came out on top winning first place by 17 points over Texas Tech University. Candace Landrum from Tarleton State won the high individual honors. In the A-Division, Eastern Oklahoma State College won Champion Team, followed by the University of Georgia. Daniel Raab from Clarendon College won high individual. Concluding the awards banquet, the 16 meat judging programs loaded their vans and headed home to prepare for the next contest, the Southwestern Meat Judging Contest.