Oklahoma Beef Advocate Contest

Cheyenne Sparks, OK | OCW President

Another spring brings another fresh crop of Beef Advocates! The Oklahoma Beef Advocate Contest was held on April 14, 2023 at OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, OK in conjunction with the Commercial Cattle Grading Contest. The OK Beef Advocate Contest was created to provide opportunities to beef industry advocates interested in bridging the gap between the farm and the fork. Ddee Haynes & Tammi Didlot have chaired this event for several years, and I am incredibly thankful for their passion for nurturing the next generation of beef advocates.

The contest is split into two age divisions: Juniors (5th-8th grade) & Seniors (9th-12th grade). The 2023 Senior Division Winners are: First Place, Morley Griffith of Shawnee, Second Place, Bridger Arrington of Mulhall and Third Place, Maysen Garrett of Crescent.

The 2023 Junior Division Winners are: First Place, Kade Henrichs of Okarche, Second Place, Taylor Wilson of Bartlesville, OK and Third Place, Garrett Schoonover of Mulhall. The top three competitors in each division were awarded scholarships and the first-place winners will receive custom Oklahoma Beef Advocate jackets I hope you will join me in congratulating these amazing young beef advocates on a job well done!

Even though there were a select few winners, it was made clear that any student that stepped out of their comfort zone and into the advocacy roles was a winner just for participating! I am already looking forward to next year ’ s event and the return of some familiar faces Students do not need to have competed in speech or advocacy competitions prior to attending They can find resource materials as well as a beef advocate training video featuring 2021 ANCW Collegiate Beef Advocate Member,

Carli Eubank

Of all our resources, children are by far our most valuable resource Our youth are our future leaders, producers, AND consumers I highly recommend any cattlemen or cattlewomen to encourage their kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews, etc to learn about beef advocacy You can find information about our state program as well as the ANCW Collegiate program on our website: okcattlewomen.org.

Please join me in thanking OKC West and the Oklahoma Beef Council for sponsoring this event! We would also like to express our appreciation to all our judges and volunteers that helped this year. Thank you for your dedication to the youth of the beef & blessings.