UF Beef Cattle Show Team Earned National Awards

UF Beef Cattle Show Team sign in front of the nine UF Aberdeen cattle brought to the NWSS

Five students selected from University of Findlay’s Beef Cattle Show Team recently traveled to Denver, CO to participate in the National Western Stock Show (NWSS). While at the NWSS, these students exhibited Aberdeen Angus cattle that they raised at UF’s Dr. C. Beckett Animal Science Building.

Students who made the trip include:

• Shelby Moucha
• Lane Hollingsworth
• Abigail Tooil
• Paige Lucic
• Caroline Winter

Traveling along with the students were Colton Tom, co-barn manager; Farabee McCarthy, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of animal and pre-veterinary studies; and Erin Alava, Ph.D., assistant professor of animal science.

UF Beef Cattle Show Team students working on homework at NWSS

These five students excelled while at the NWSS. “They did a fantastic job balancing classes and working really hard during the week they were gone,” said Alava. “All of their effort and work since this fall preparing the cattle has really paid dividends.”

The NWSS was the team’s best show of the season. Out of the nine UF Aberdeen Angus cattle exhibited, seven of them were division winners or reserve winners. It was also the first time UF has ever won the NWSS heifer show.

The team brought home the following awards:

• National Grand Champion Fullblood Aberdeen Heifer
• National Reserve Champion Fullblood Aberdeen Heifer
• National Reserve Champion Fullblood Aberdeen Bull

This trip was truly a one-of-a-kind experience for the students. “Denver was awesome, we met a lot of people in the industry which will help me move forward in my career after graduation,” said Shelby Moucha, senior animal science major. “The University’s Beef Cattle Show Team is really just an extraordinary and fun opportunity for students to get involved in, whether they’ve worked with cattle or not. It’s a good chance for students to get out to the barn, meet new people, and to travel to new places.”

UF Beef Cattle Show Team member shaking judge’s hand in arena

For more information on Findlay’s Animal Science Program, visit the Animal Science webpage and to learn more about UF’s Beef Cattle Show Team, visit the Beef Cattle Show Team webpage.