Sanders County youth take top 2 spots in lamb contest

The Montana State University Extension Service, the Montana 4-H and FFA Programs and Montana Woolgrowers congratulate all our youth and are proud to sponsor this program.

The Montana Youth Certified Fair Lamb Contest is ranked in two divisions on a statewide level, Carcass and Ultrasound. Lambs in the Carcass division are shown, harvested, and graded in the cooler by a trained judge on ribeye area, backfat depth and quality. Lambs in the Ultrasound division are shown, scanned for ribeye area and backfat depth by trained technicians and may or may not be harvested after the fair. 

Data is entered into one of two spreadsheets to calculate percent boneless retail cuts for ranking. Lambs also need to make minimum and/or maximum requirements based on industry standards to be eligible for certification. 

All certified lambs received a certificate and youth who raised the top two lambs in each division will receive an embroidered jacket. Every county in the state participated in the contest with over eight hundred and sixty lambs measured between the two divisions. 

The top two exhibitors in the Carcass division where both from Sanders County: 2nd was Hannah Warnes, and 1st was John McNamara whose 115-pound lamb yielded a Choice+ quality carcass with a 0.05-inch backfat and 4.15 square inch ribeye and a final percent boneless retail cuts score of 52.24. 

The top two exhibitors in the Ultrasound division were: 2nd, Nolan Sutton of Flathead County, and 1st, Owen Rouse whose 125-pound lamb scanned an estimated 0.17-inch backfat and 3.94 square inch ribeye area and a final estimated percent boneless retail cuts score of 50.53.

    Hannah Warnes