COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Livestock Judging Team won the Keystone International Livestock Exposition (KILE) Collegiate Livestock Judging contest on Oct. 4, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Exposition Center in Harrisburg, Penn. The win is the third in a row for OSU at KILE, which is a first for the school.
Ohio State was among nine university teams around the country to judge five cattle classes, four swine classes, and three sheep classes. The competitors presented oral reasons on eight of the 12 classes. OSU swept the team awards by winning each species and oral reasons en route to a 113-point margin of victory.
Individually, four OSU students finished in the top ten overall. Lydia Ulry, Johnstown, Ohio, won the contest and was high individual in beef cattle and swine judging. Courtney Tarvin, Mt. Olivet, Ky., Tonya Fender, Lynchburg, Ohio, and Jacob Ruffing, Republic, Ohio, finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Levi Criswell, Marion, Ohio, finished 11th after losing the tiebreaker for 10th. Fender, and teammate, Megan Hunker, Bellevue, Ohio, posted the highest total reasons scores in the contest. Zach Bartenslager, Lewisburg, W. Va., placed sixth in beef cattle and Cody Shafer, Eaton, Ohio, finished third in sheep judging.
The team is preparing to compete at three more contests this fall; Stockman in Auburn, Ind., American Royal held in Kansas City, Mo., and the national contest held in conjunction with the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky.
For more information about the OSU Livestock Judging Team, please contact Kyle Culp at culp.1045@osu.ed or 614-292-2201.