13 Jul Texas A&M University crowned Australian meat judging champions
Texas A&M University have been crowned Australian ICMJ National Competition Champions, finishing just 15 points ahead of the University of Queensland in the event in Wagga Wagga this week.
The winning team, made up of Bryce Borchardt, Harper Parson, Grace Real and Taylor Colvin took out Champion Team in the beef judging class and were Runner Up Team in the Lamb Judging, Commercial Evaluation and Overall Placings classes.
Grace Real was also awarded the John Carter ICMJ Founder’s Buckle as the Champion Individual Overall with 1,146 points out of a possible 1,250. UQ’s Kathryn Fisher was Runner Up with 1,131 points.
It was the second year in a row a team from the United States has taken out the competition and the fourth year in a row the UQ team has finished in second place.
This year’s UQ team, made up of Piper Christensen, Kathryn Fisher, Will Lawrence and Andrew Thomson took out the Retail Cut and Saleable Item Identification and the Pork Judging classes.
Marcus Oldham College were named champion team in the Lamb Judging class while Murdoch University won the Overall Placings class and the University of Sydney took out the Commercial Evaluations class.
The meat judging competition is one of the main components of the ICMJ National Conference held annually in July at Charles Sturt University and Teys Australia.
ICMJ President Professor Peter McGilchrist said the passion and dedication shown by this year’s competitors reinforced that the future of the red meat industry is in incredibly capable hands.
“ICMJ is more than just a competition; it’s a launchpad. It provides unparalleled opportunities for students to connect with industry, gain hands-on experience, and ultimately shape their future in the red meat industry,” Professor McGilchrist said.
“To see these students, many of whom start with limited industry exposure, transform over five days into confident, knowledgeable future leaders is incredibly rewarding. That’s the true power of the ICMJ experience.”
Following this week’s conference and competition, a group of 19 Australian university students were also selected to participate in the ICMJ Intensive Industry Training Week in Brisbane later this year. Some of those students will then be selected to represent Australia on the National ICMJ Team to tour the United States 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, Australian Meat Group, Fletcher International, Rimfire Resources, Angus Australia, Aus-Meat, Gundagai Meat Processors, SunPork Group, Harvey Beef, Australian Agricultural Company, Allflex, Bindaree Food Group and AgriTalent/AgriLabour Australia.
Australian Champion Team Overall
Runner Up: University of Queensland
Piper Christensen, Kathryn Fisher, Will Lawrence, Andrew Thomson
Champion: Texas A&M University
Bryce Borchardt, Harper Parson, Grace Real, Taylor Colvin
Coach of the Champion Team – Drew Cassens
Champion Individual Overall
Runner-Up: Kathryn Fisher, University of Queensland
Champion: Grace Real, Texas A&M University
Tom Carr Award for Coaching Excellence – Jill Burgess and Alice Shirley, University of Sydney
CLASSES RESULTS
Pork Judging
Individual Runner Up: Will Lawrence, University of Queensland
Individual Champion: Grace Real, Texas A&M University
Runner Up Team: University of Melbourne
Duncan Hughes, Tobey Jeffrey, Tom Johnstone, Campbell Macalister
Champion Team: University of Queensland
Piper Christensen, Kathryn Fisher, Will Lawrence, Andrew Thomson
Lamb Judging
Individual Runner Up: Piper Christensen, University of Queensland
Individual Champion: Kathryn Fisher, University of Queensland
Runner Up Team: Texas A&M University
Bryce Borchardt, Harper Parson, Grace Real, Taylor Colvin
Champion Team: Marcus Oldham College
Penelope Crothers, Thomas Kelly, Cooper Pearson, Alicia Nixon
Retail Cut and Saleable Item Identification
Individual Runner Up: Andrew Thomson, University of Queensland
Individual Champion: Kathryn Fisher, University of Queensland
Runner Up Team: University of Sydney
Catherine Baxter, Jade-Lily Jonovski, Jessica Vaughan, Lara Ri
Champion Team: University of Queensland
Piper Christensen, Kathryn Fisher, Will Lawrence, Andrew Thomson
Commercial Evaluation
Individual Runner Up: Kathryn Fisher, University of Queensland
Individual Champion: Bryce Borchardt, Texas A&M University
Runner Up Team: Texas A&M University
Bryce Borchardt, Harper Parson, Grace Real, Taylor Colvin
Champion Team: University of Sydney
Catherine Baxter, Jade-Lily Jonovski, Jessica Vaughan, Lara Ri
Beef Judging
Individual Runner Up: Taylor Colvin, Texas A&M University
Individual Champion: Grace Real, Texas A&M University
Runner Up Team: Murdoch University
Libby Hardingham, Mackenzie Pratt, Amber Turton, Zoe Skinner
Champion Team: Texas A&M University
Bryce Borchardt, Harper Parson, Grace Real, Taylor Colvin
Overall Placings
Individual Runner Up: Amy Collins, University of Queensland
Individual Champion: Michael Jansen, University of Adelaide
Runner Up Team: Texas A&M University
Bryce Borchardt, Harper Parson, Grace Real, Taylor Colvin
Champion Team: Murdoch University
Libby Hardingham, Mackenzie Pratt, Amber Turton, Zoe Skinner
Overall Questions
Individual Overall Runner Up: Kathryn Fisher, University of Queensland
Individual Overall Champion: Grace Real, Texas A&M University
Runner Up Team: University of Queensland
Piper Christensen, Kathryn Fisher, Will Lawrence, Andrew Thomson
Champion Team: Texas A&M University
Bryce Borchardt, Harper Parson, Grace Real, Taylor Colvin