Columbia, Mo.,—On Thursday, August 11, FFA and 4-H members participated in the 2016 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 Forkner from Richards. Andrew Watt from Green City placed second, and Colton Kendrick from Mexico received third.

 

In the Age 13-15 division, Marlena Long from Paris received first, Anderson Rogers from Princeton received second, and third place went to Tate Welch from Sheridan.

 

In the Age 16 and Older division, Cara Comstock from Deerfield received first. Audrey Martin from Bucklin received second and third place went to Natalie Ayers from Green City.

 

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.