A3O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 7, 1992
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ing team.
“Being fresh out of college, he
had up-to-date information on
meat cuts and judging,” Hughes
said explaining that George had
been on the PSU meats judging
team.
“I too had been on the Penn
State meats judging team,” Hugh
es said. “But that was in 1975.”
Recruiting the first team mem
bers was challenging, according to
Hughes.
“Fortunately,” Hughes said, “in
’B4, four of the kids didn’t make it
on the livestock judging team and
were recruited (for the meats judg
ing team) and did very well.”
That team won the state compet
ition and went on to national com
petition. They ended up fifth in the
nation overall, high team for beef,
and team member Greg Musser
was first nationally for beef judg
ing and fourth individual overall.
“We felt we were pretty well off
and could put a good team
together,” Hughes said.
But with George only employed
temporarily, Hughes was on his
own with die team until 1988 Sue
Ann Claudon came to take over the
team.
Hughes said Claudon, of 111.,
was working for the Packers and
Stockyard administration of the
USDA in Pennsylvania and so
came with a strong knowledge of
meats.
In 1988, a Lancaster County
team again went to the national
contest for Pennsylvania and did
well, taking first in beef, first in
pork, and first in total judging.
They ended fifth overall. The
team’s week spot was in retail cuts
identification being able to
identify the location of the cut of
meat on the carcass, the difference
between names for cut in which
one has been de-boned and the
other retains the bone, or perhaps a
small portion of another muscle,
etc..
1988 team member Rob Rush
was first in beef judging nationally
and Mike Craig was sixth indivi
dual overall.
“We’ve been competitive when
we went out there,” Hughes said.
As in many organized youth
programs, older siblings influence
their younger brothers and sisters
to become involved, and former
participants have come back to the
team wanting to help.
Of the current team coaches,
Jeff Craig is a former team mem
ber and an older brother of Mike
Craig, who had been sixth overall
back in 1985.
(Another Craig, Tim, was sup
posed to be on the current 4-H
meats team, but he won the state
competition on the FFA division
team and is to compete nationally
for FFA. He was replaced by Wen
dall Landis.)
After high school, Jeff went to
work full time as a butcher for
Stoltzfus Meats in Intercourse.
For the team, having Craig as a
coach is a great help not only
does he have the competitive
experience, but, because of his
work, his is also able to pass on his
current knowledge of meat cuts.
Also Stoltzfus allows him use the
shop after hours to give the team
practice on judging meats.
The other coach, Anita Meek, of
Refton, was a 1990 team member
and brings a variety of livestock
meats information. Her strength
for the team is her knowledge of
the cookery and retail cuts.
Her background includes grow
ing up on a family beef-swine
poultry farm. Her positions as a
Meat Judging Team Goes To Nationals
beef industry representative, pork
industry representative and poultry
queen helped her develop a more
intensive knowledge of the various
livestock meats.
Hughes explained the aspects of
the competition as primarily four
fold; retail cuts, cookery, carcass
and wholesale cuts evaluations,
and giving oral reasons.
The major meat species of lives
tock are swine, sheep and beef, and
the youth must be able to tell the
difference between meats, all mix
ed together in the same test
display.
As an example of what members
must be able to do, in retail cuts
judging they must be able to iden
tify the species from the appear
ance of the meat; the cuts itself,
where it came from, the common
name and basic methods of recom
mended cooking, such as frying,
roasting, broiling, etc.
The coaches split up areas of
responsibility according to their
strengths Hughes stresses
coaching on wholesale and carcass
education; Meek stresses cookery
and assists with retail cuts; and
Craig stresses retail cuts.
There are actually three team
members’ scores counted during
each of the competitions, but four
members are allowed to compete
and the lowest score is dropped.
Therefore, there really is no posi
tion on the team that the team treats
as second string. No one sits on the
bench, in practice or competition.
At state level competition, York
County has hosted a number of
winning teams and is the team to
beat, Hughes said.
This past state win came with
Erb taking fourth overall, Bollin
ger third, Landis ninth and Liven
good first. The team also went to
York in July and won that county’s
meats judging contest, held at
Godfrey Brothers in Loganville.
All the members share an inter
est in livestock judging and animal
raising, and they were all raised on
farmettes, instead of the larger
dairy, beef cattle or forage and
grain crop operations.
Most of all, each of the team
members is actively involved in
their organizations.
Dwain Livengood
Dwain Livengood, 19, is the son
of Earl and Joyce Livengood, who
live along Momingside Drive
where they have a small farm to
raise and retail produce. They also
have a carriage restoration
business.
Dwain, a 1991 graduate of Faith
Mennonite High School, is
employed at the farm, learning the
carriage restoration trade and help
ing with the vegetable truck
operation.
Currently the president of the
Red Rose 4-H Beef Club, Liven
good also competed on the coun
ty’s livestock judging team and
last year was third place individual
in die nation. He has one year
experience in meats judging.
Wendall Landis
Wendall Landis is the team
anchor, Hughes said. The 17-year
old student at Lancaster Menno
nite High School, he was on last
year’s livestock judging team and
was second in the nation
individually.
The son of Abe and Dottie
Landis, Manheim, Hughes said
that Wendall is considered the
“anchor” of the team because,
although hp got a late start, coming
in to help after Tim Craig left to
compete on the FFA team, “he
judged livestock for a number of
years and he picks up fast,” Hugh
es said. “He was able to learn fast
From the left, the Lancaster County 4-H Meat Judging team, which will represent
Pennsylvania this week at national competitions is comprised of members, from the
left, front row, Wendall Landis, Tracy Bollinger, Angela Erb, and coach Anita Meek. In
the back row, from the left, are Dwain Livingood, coach Jeff Kraig, and Chester Hugh
es, coach and county extension livestock agent.
and he’s excellent on (oral) rea
sons. Having him come on the
team was a boost because it added
depth.”
Landis is currently president of
the Lancaster County 4-H Wool
ies, and a member of the county
4-H swine club. He breeds and
shows Hampshire sheep.
Tracy Bollinger
Tracy Bollinger, IS, is the
daughter of Eugene and Carol Bol
linger, of Manheim. A student at
Manheim Central High School,
she is the youngest member and is
on her second year on the team.
She is currently secretary of the
Lancaster County Woolies and is
vice president of the county swine
club.
She raises pigs and sheep as 4-H
projects and is 'referred to by
Hughes as the “glue” of the team.
“She keeps things together and
keeps after the others to make
practices and she has helped with
recruiting members,” Hughes said.
Bollinger has also helped the
team financially. During the coun
ty livestock auction, she donated
all the proceeds from her 4-H
market swine to help cover travel
expenses to Kansas City.
Her benefactory spirit apparent
ly caught on and William Camp
bell, president of Hoss’s Steak and
Sea House, purchased Tracy’s sis
ter’s pair of market swine and
donated them back to the club to be
sold for fund raising for the trip.
Angela Erb
Angela Erb, 16, is the daugther
of Rick and Grace Erb, of Eli
zabethtown. Her father owns Leo
Kob Co. Inc.
A friend of Bollingers, she is
also a second-year team member.
In addition to her knowledge,
Hughes said he credits her with
bringing enthusiasm to the team.
Erb is a student at Lancaster -
Mennonite High School and is
assistant treasurer in the county
Woolies club.
The leant is fortunate to have a
number of supportive commercial
organizations and educatfonal
facilities, Hughes said.
“One of the keys to a successful
(meats judging team) program is
the cooperation of meat establish
ments,” Hughes said. “We’ve been
fortunate.”
According to Hughes, in addi
tion to the woik being done at
Stoltzfus’s with Jeff working
there, the team has been helped
with pork carcass juding at Groff
Meats, in Elizabethtown; beef car
cass judging at John F. Martin &
Sons, of Stevens; and retail meats
and lamb cuts at Willie the Butch
er’s, part of Stauffer’s of Kissel
Hill on Rt. SOI near the Lancaster
airport, where Tim Kreider works.
They have also beat able to
practice at Hess Butcher Shop in
Willow Street; and in the past,
before the owner retired, at the
Stonebridge butcher shop.
Out of county, they have prac
ticed at the Penn State Meats
Laboratory; Taylor Packing in
Wyalusing (Bradford County);
and at Godfrey’s.
“It’s not always easy for them
(the meat shops) to work around
their schedules (to let us in), but
these people have been very gener
ous in allowing us to come in and
work,” Hughes said.
In fact, Kunzler Meats had
helped get the whole program off
to a start, allowing the 1985 team
to come in for practice. However,
since the business uses a lot of box
ed meats, it doesn’t offer the same
educational experience as the fresh
cut and carcass operations, which
the competitions are based upon.
However, in the future, with the
industry trends going more toward
boxed wholesale meats, learning
how to judge those meat products
may become relevant, Hughes
said.
The team is adequately financed
for their trip to Kansas, Hughes
Metzger Resigns, AGA
Takes Applications
REYNOLDSBURG. Ohio
Erick A. Metzger, executive
secretaryrtreasurer of the Ameri
can Guernsey Association, has
resigned his position with the
organization effective Nov. 1, to
assume the * responsibilities of
superintendent of records with
The American Jersey Cattle Club.
Metzger expressed his appreci
ation for having the opportunity to
work with the AGA and its mem
bers for nearly 10 years.
He said, “I enjoyed being
involved with developing prog
rams to accelerate the breed’s
genetic progress and to promote
the breed domestically and inter
nationally. Guernsey breeders
have many opportunities available
to them, and I wish the breed and
said. In addition to the donations
by team members, 43 different
businesses, organizations, and
individuals have donated funds to
sponsor the team’s national trip.
Major contributors include the
Pennsylvania Livestock Associa
tion; Hoss’s Steak and Sea House;
Hatfield Quality Meats; and Pen
nsylvania Friends of 4-H.
The Friends of 4-H is ah organi
zation based in State College
which acts as a central repository
for nonspecific donations to Pen
nsylvania 4-H.
"We’ve been fortunate here
with industry support helping with
travel funds and we have very sup
portive parents,” Hughes said.
The outline for the team is to
arrive Tuesday evening, practice
Wednesday at retail meats stores,
wholesale businesses and packing
plants and look at different retail
names and cuts specific to that
region.
The contests are held Thursday,
and on Friday is an awards break
fast. On Saturday, Hughes said the
team will try to go on a ranch tour,
and the team will get to watch
some national invitational junior
steer and sheep shows during the
day and a club calf sale at night.
The team is to return Sunday.
According to Hughes, the teams
which usually are strong at the
national 4-H meats judging contest
come from Florida, Alabama and
Illinois.
its owners every success.”
The American Guernsey Asso
ciation Board of Directors has
appointed Neil Jensen, currently
the director of records and young
sire programs, as interim execu
tive secretary-treasurer until a
replacement for Metzger is hired.
Anyone interested in applying
for the executive secretary
treasurer position should direct his
or her resume and questions to:
AGA President E. Cline Brubaker,
Route 4, Box S4O, Rocky Mount,
VA 24151. (703) 483-2071.
The American Guernsey Asso
ciation is the national organization
for the registration and promotion
of Guernsey cattle and is head
quartered in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.