4-H teams from Oliver, Benson and Kidder counties, and the state horse quiz bowl team placed at the recent Western National Roundup in Denver, Colo.

They were among more than 1,100 4-H and FFA youth from 30-plus states and Alberta, Canada, who attended the 97th annual event held in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show.

4-H and FFA members from 14 to 18 years old have the opportunity to qualify for the Western National Roundup by winning their state contests or being selected as a state delegate.

North Dakota 4-H youth competed in livestock judging, hippology, a horse quiz bowl and consumer decision making. Throughout the week, youth also attended workshops on topics such as public speaking, team building and leadership development.

The North Dakota 4-H teams and individuals who placed were:

• Oliver County consumer choices team of Abby Hintz, William Liffrig and Kaitlyn Peterson - fourth in oral reasons, sixth in group think and seventh overall. Peterson placed sixth in oral reasons and fifth individually overall.

“We are very proud of the team and appreciate all of the hard work and dedication they put into preparing for the contest,” says Rick Schmidt, an agent in the Oliver County office of the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

• Benson County horse judging team of Jacob Arnold, Marit Wang, Ashton Wold and Will Rice - fourth place.

“We had a great time,” says Barb Rice, the team’s coach. “The young adults worked hard beforehand and conducted themselves well in Denver. I was very proud of them.”

Kimberly Fox, an agent in the NDSU Extension office in Benson County, says, “They have put countless hours into practicing for these events and their hard work has paid off. We are proud to have such hard working and dedicated 4-H’ers in our program.”

• Kidder County livestock judging team of Jaxon Deckert, Shaye Koester, Michelle Fitterer, Cierra Dockter and Dalton Dockter - fifth in cattle, ninth in reasons and 18th overall. Deckert placed seventh and Cierra Dockter placed ninth in beef.

“Not only is this competition an opportunity to compete on a national level, but it also teaches youth valuable lifelong skills such as public speaking, decision making, teamwork and more,” says Penny Nester, an agent in the NDSU Extension office in Kidder County.

• Kidder County hippology team of Morgan Dutton, Kaden Strom, Cheyenne Klein and Teresa Wald - third in judging, fourth in exam, fourth in station identification, fifth in team problem and fourth overall. Dutton placed first in written exam, fifth in station identification and sixth high point individual overall. Klein placed third and Wald placed eighth in judging.

“Our hippology team probably knows more about animal anatomy and physiology than the average freshman in college,” Nester says.

• North Dakota horse quiz bowl team of Kaitlyn Shockley (Gwinner-Sargent County), Laura Levin (Jamestown-Stutsman County), Victoria Christensen (Courtenay-Stutsman County) and Andrea Skarphol (Ryder-Ward County) - fifth place overall. Christensen placed third individually.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Feb. 2, 2017