The West Texan: WT Meat Judging Team Earns International Acclaim

University continues to enhance agricultural programs

This article appears in the Winter 2022 edition of The West Texan. Click the image to read the full issue.

West Texas A&M University’s reputation as a leading educator for the agricultural industry continues to expand – even internationally.

The university’s renowned meat judging team traveled to Australia in July, taking the top award at the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Conference. And recent gifts pledged to the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences have secured two faculty chairs, bolstering the Department of Agricultural Science’s academic offerings.

“We are located in the heart of this industry, with so many companies in agriculture surrounding us,” said Dr. Loni Lucherk, Gordon W. Davis Endowed Chair in Meat Judging and the meat judging team coach. “It makes sense for WT to produce the best students to the leaders in the meat industry, to make sure this industry is sustainable.”

WT’s meat judging team competes in eight contests each year in the U.S. The invitation to compete in Wagga Wagga, Australia, however, was an added and prestigious opportunity, Lucherk said, as only one team from the United States is selected to attend.

WT’s team, with nine students and a graduate student who serves as co-coach, was named overall champion team at the event, which hosted more than 100 students. WT’s closest competitor, the University of Queensland, was 49 points behind.

Five of WT’s student competitors won individual awards. Cole Petit, a junior animal science major from Seymour, scored six individual awards, including overall runner-up at the event.

The two-day contest included evaluating and grading beef, pork, and lamb carcasses and wholesale cuts. Competitors analyzed and ranked various meats and also wrote reasons explaining their choices. One particular challenge for WT’s team: The Australian competition used metric measurements instead of the standard U.S. measurements.

“There was quite a bit of extra studying and learning,” Lucherk said. “But these students wanted to represent the U.S. and WT well, which they did.”

Students from WT also attended a week-long conference prior to the competition, visited Australian meat processing plants and feedlots, and toured some of Australia’s most famous sights. For some students, the trip was their first opportunity to travel internationally.

“What we have available to us at WT is amazing,” said Caleb Baker, a senior animal science major from Snyder, Colorado, who was runner-up in placings at the competition. “It’s a small university, but with large opportunities.”

Participating on WT’s meat judging team not only trains students for potential careers in the agriculture industry, though, Lucherk said. They also provide skills for any life endeavor. Only about 30 percent of students who participate on WT’s meat judging team enter the meat industry after graduation, she said. Team members represent a variety of disciplines, not only agriculture.

“Regardless of their future plans, being on the team teaches skills of teamwork, communication, hard work, and sacrifice,” Lucherk said. “All of those are important in today’s world.”

Shannon Anderson, a junior agriculture education major from Seguin, placed third in beef judging at the Australian competition. She plans to be an agriculture teacher.

“There are so many lessons you learn in meat judging,” Anderson said. “It builds character; it takes discipline and dedication; you grow yourself as a leader.”

Lucherk, who accompanied the team to Australia, joined the faculty at WT in early 2020. Her endowed chair was funded by Dr. Gordon W. Davis , a Lubbock businessman and former educator, who pledged $3.5 million in 2021. Dr. Davis’s pledge also funds another chair, along with a $1.25 million gift pledged by Caviness Beef Packers. Dr. Ty Lawrence is the Caviness Davis Distinguished Chair in Meat Science.

The two new endowed chairs continue WT’s commitment to excellence in its Department of Agricultural Sciences. WT currently offers eight undergraduate degree programs in the department, four graduate degree programs, and also boasts state-of-the-art agricultural research centers.

“Our goal is to recruit the best students to WT to represent our program at the highest level,” Lucherk said. “We are excited to bring more students to the Panhandle and for them to experience everything else this university offers.

“It’s a great place to be.”