STF Sponsors Morningside University Meat Judging Workshop for High School Students and FFA Advisors

Sioux City, Iowa - The Morningside University Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department hosted the Seaboard Triumph Foods (STF) Meats Judging Workshop on Thursday, June 30th on Morningside’s campus in Sioux City, Iowa. As the main sponsor of the event, STF provided the funding as well as the pork products for the competition.

The event included a mock competition for middle and high school 4-H and FFA students and ag teachers from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, with an unprecedented number of retail ID cuts out of the National FFA Meats Judging Competition.

While students began their day participating in the mock competition including identification of over 104 out of 121 retail cuts from the National competition, a team problem-solving exercise, and a written exam, teachers learned coaching techniques from Jace Hollenbeck, a former coach of a national qualifying FFA Meats Judging Team in South Dakota.

After the completion of the mock competition, advisors and students heard from Erin Cantrell, Sr. Communications Specialist of STF about careers in the food industry, in addition to seeing a window tour of STF’s plant operations.

Scholarships funded by STF were awarded to the First Place Overall Individual and the First Place Overall Team.

The First Place Overall Individual was Blake Oostenink from Sioux Center, receiving a $500 Seaboard Triumph Foods Morningside Scholarship.

The First Place Overall Team from Sioux Center, Iowa; Blake Oostenink, Aidyn Mouw, and Kaden Svoboda, coached by Sioux Center FFA Advisor Eric Koehlmoos. Each member of the Overall Team received a STF grilling set, and a $500 Seaboard Triumph Foods Morningside Scholarship, for a total of $1,500 to the overall team. 

Other categories awarded were:

·       Individual Placings Classes, won by Aidyn Mouw.

·       Individual Retail ID, won by Blake Oostenink.

·       Individual Written Exam, won by Kenny Grimes.

·       Team Problem, won by the Sioux Central team. 

STF would like to congratulate all participants in the mock competition and thank Morningside University for hosting this educational event.

Erin Cantrell (Sr. Communications Specialist of STF) with the Winning Team, Sioux Center FFA.

Winners of the Individual Written Exam

Winners of the Individual Placings Class

The 3rd place team