CURTIS, Neb. – Hard work keeps some of the freezing temperatures at bay for livestock evaluation students at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.
“Some low temperatures and snow did not deter this team,” said Coach Doug Smith. “Early mornings and miles to travel is what the team experienced last weekend.”
The freshmen and sophomore students on the NCTA Livestock Judging Team traveled to Valentine on Friday, Feb. 12 for the Heart City Bull Bash Judging Contest.
Then, they went on to Kearney Friday evening to compete Saturday at the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic held at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds.
The sophomore team of placed 12th at the Heart City Bull Bash and 8th at the Cattlemen’s Classic.
Avery Bermel of Curtis was 19th in placings, closely followed by Jose de la Cruz of Columbus in 20th. Other team members are Lauren Nichols, Scottsbluff, and Melody MacDonald of Fullerton.
For the freshmen team, they were 14th at the Heart City Bull Bash and 12th at the Cattlemen’s Classic.
Individual placings were: Clayton Runkle of Elkhart, Kansas, 16th and 13th in Feedlot Cattle at the Classic; Meghan Spahr of Wayne, 18th, and Lexi Rice of Mullen, 20th. Other team members are Audrey Brawner, Wood Lake; Cassidy Frey, Superior; and Olivia Nyberg, Stromsburg. The freshmen team’s next contest will be April 15-16th in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Assistant coach Camden Wilke is a third-year Aggie student from Columbus and travels with the Aggies.
Smith said the team continues to practice on Thursday mornings and throughout the week as class time allows.
