The U of A poultry judging team recently competed in the 56th National Collegiate Poultry Judging Contest and placed second overall in the team category.

Competitors and coaches from nine colleges across the country gathered in Fayetteville for the competition hosted by the U of A Department of Poultry Science. The event is organized and overseen by Gary Davis, undergraduate recruiter for the Poultry Science Department. Team members competed over a course of two days.

The competition consisted of two divisions in which judgers were required to evaluate poultry and poultry products for quality. Division I was live bird assessment, and Division II was egg and meat product evaluation.

Four team members competed for the U of A team, including Kaleb Barenberg of Lincoln; Kylie Roesler of Katy, Texas; Ethan Strobel of Subiaco; and Cayla Wilson of Kerrville, Texas. The team is coached by Dennis Mason.

Roesler, a senior poultry science major, joined the team this semester and has enjoyed competing with her fellow students.

"I joined the team because poultry judging was my first experience in agriculture," Roesler said. "That eventually led to me choosing poultry science in college. It is something that I have always enjoyed and a skill that proves to me that I can be successful in the poultry industry."

Roesler placed first overall individually, third in Division I and fourth in Division II. Her advice for students who want to compete on the poultry judging team is to stay calm during competition.

"No matter the student's experience, the key factor to winning is staying calm during the contest and sticking to your gut," Roesler said.

Another team member, Strobel, said the knowledge he learned from judging helped in his professional pursuits. The junior poultry science major placed seventh overall in the individual category.

"My favorite part is learning about egg quality, because that knowledge helped me with my internship with Cobb," Strobel said.