Imbler student Jayda Cant earns cattle award during NJHA Fed Steer Shootout
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, November 1st, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
IMBLER – The National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) recently announced the winners of its 2024 Fed Steer Shootout, an annual competition meant to teach youth about the cattle feeding industry. During the American Hereford Association’s (AHA) annual Membership Meeting and Conference in Kansas City on October 25, it was announced that Imbler’s own Jaday Cant had received a cattle award for “Highest Marbling Score Purebred Division” during the shootout.
Jayda was one of fourteen students to receive a cattle award during the event alongside the six finalists. In total, 72 students from 20 states participated this year. For those unfamiliar with the competition, the AHA provided the following description in a recent press release:
“Contestants collected feedyard performance and carcass data on their pen of three and individual entries of Hereford and commercial Hereford-influenced steers, while gaining comprehensive industry knowledge on topics such as animal health, nutrition and marketing. All steers were fed at HRC Feed Yards, Scott City, Kan., and were hauled to and harvested at National Beef Packing Co. in Dodge City, Kan., as candidates for the Certified Hereford Beef brand. Industry partners such as Merck Animal Health, Allflex Livestock Intelligence and NEOGEN played a vital role in the success of the program as well as involvement from Cargill Inc. in the educational portion of the program and generous sponsors such as Texas Stardance Cattle and Bar One Ranch.
Furthermore, contestants entered performance portfolios responding to questions regarding the data reports they received throughout the feeding period and summarizing what they learned while participating in the program. The top three contestants, in both the junior and senior divisions, were selected from the submitted portfolios. These finalists had the opportunity to compete for the NJHA Fed Steer Shootout Contestant of the Year title.
The NJHA Fed Steer Shootout holds enormous potential to grow your knowledge and understanding of the beef industry through real-world situations. Nov. 1, 2024, is the entry deadline for the NJHA 2025 Fed Steer Shootout, and as these juniors testify, it’s worth it even if it means shipping a steer 23 hours or purchasing some to send. Regardless of participation in the feedout program, all juniors and families are encouraged to attend the annual NJHA Fed Steer Shootout Field Day April 11-12, 2025.”
