06 Jul University of Sydney claims honours at National meat judging competition
For the first time since 2002, the University of Sydney has been crowned the Champion Team Overall at the Australian ICMJ National Competition in Wagga Wagga.
The University of Sydney team, made up of Lucy Baker, Connor Butchard, Alicia Potts and Dror Liraz, finished 14 points ahead of the University of Queensland team who claimed Runners up for the fifth year in a row.
Despite finishing Runners Up, University of Queensland took out Champion Team titles in four of the eight classes including Pork Judging, Lamb Judging and Retail Cut and Saleable Item Identification.
Charles Sturt University’s Catherine Cornish claimed individual honours and was awarded the John Carter ICMJ Founder’s Buckle with 1,195 points out of a possible 1,350. Emma Wilkinson from the University of New England was Runner Up Individual with 1,181 points.
The ICMJ National Competition is one of the main components of the ICMJ National Conference held annually in July at Charles Sturt University and Teys Australia, Wagga Wagga with the awards presented at the ICMJ Thomas Foods International Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday night.
The conference brings together more than 160 participants from Australia, the United States and Japan and helps prepare them for a future career in the red meat industry by exposing them to the fundamentals of meat science, insights from experts working across the supply chain and a range of professional development opportunities and practical workshops.
ICMJ President Professor Peter McGilchrist, who marked 20 years on the ICMJ committee this week, said while the competition was often the drawcard for students, the real impact of the ICMJ program was in the connection between participants and industry leaders and insiders.
“ICMJ ignites a real passion in young people to become involved in the red meat industry and gives them the knowledge and hands-on experience that makes them an incredible asset to our industry,” Professor McGilchrist said.
“Most of the students who attend ICMJ conferences are studying agriculture, veterinary science or agribusiness but many of them have had only limited industry exposure and are not aware of the huge range of career opportunities that exist right across the red meat supply chain,” he said.
This year the ICMJ National Conference included a contingent of young industry professionals who had not previously been part of the ICMJ program.
“We also had a team from the University of Southern Queensland compete and participate in ICMJ for the first time ever, which was fantastic to see,” Professor McGilchrist said.
Several of the teams travel huge distances to take part – including the James Cook University team who drove more than 2,200km over several days to get from Townsville to Wagga Wagga.
Following this week’s conference and competition, a group of 21 Australian university students were selected to participate in the ICMJ Intensive Industry Training Week in Brisbane later this year to further develop their skills and understanding of the Australian red meat industry.
Some of those students will be selected to the Australian ICMJ Team to tour the United States red meat industry and compete on the US meat judging circuit early next year.
The ICMJ National Conference is supported by foundational partners Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Meat Processor Corporation. It is also supported by a range of industry partners including Teys Australia, Australian Pork Limited, Thomas Foods International, JBS Australia, NH Foods, Australian Poll Dorset Association, Fletcher International Exports, Australian Meat Group, Bindaree Food Group, Rimfire Resources, Australian Meat Industry Council, Aus-Meat, Australian Country Choice, Harvest Road (Harvey Beef), Greenham, Stockyard Beef, Gundagai Lamb, Sunpork and Charles Sturt University.