Jayson Jordan, an 8th grade student at Rice and a member of Blooming Grove/Barry 4-H took the grand champion ribbon for his market broilers in the poultry division of the 50th Navarro County Youth Exposition.
Ethan Weaver of Blooming Grove FFA was named reserve champion.
Jordan took the reserve honors last year, when Danika Herod won grand champion. This year marks his first grand champion win for poultry.
Dr. Dale Hyatt of Texas A&M; University judged the chickens, based on uniformity between all three birds in the “coop,” the muscle tone, which is determined by breast width, and continues all the way up their body to their keel bone, and the length of the overall body.
“In this show, cockerels and pullets can be combined to make a pen,” said Sarah Chudalla, Navarro County extension agent. “Each kid can show two pens for the entire show.”
Kids drafted friends, family members and in some cases, near-strangers to hold the chickens upside down, which is how the judge checks their muscle tone.
“This is a six-week project, and the kids get the chickens when they are about a day old,” Chudalla said. “They now average about 10 pounds per bird. The chickens cost $1 each, and they all come from A&M.; All the chicks have a wing band, and if it gets lost, they can’t show them.”
Temperatures climbing throughout the day may have contributed to one chicken expiring during the judging.
Jordan’s siblings, Justin and Natalie, both show animals as well. Parents Dale and LaDona Jordan are supportive, and LaDona showed too, as well as her father, Don Taylor, who had the grand champion steer in 1950-51.
“They don’t fuss about working,” said grandmother Betty Taylor. “The kids come in from school and immediately get busy. Their parents help out, but the kids do the work. This is really great for them.”
Long-time poultry chairman John Putman said there were 24 pens competing this year, down slightly from last year.
“It’s a tough competition as usual,” Putman said. “Especially from the west end of the county. Blooming Grove likes to raise birds!
“This year we used different birds than they used in the Houston show, which simplifies things, and makes it easier. It’s the same type of bird, just a different hatch.”
—————
Deanna Brown may be contacted via e-mail at deanna@corsicanadailysun.com
Latest News
Related Photos
Discussion
Number 50 is underway
Poultry, food divisions open up Youth Expo
- Latest News
-
-
Memorial Day ceremony honors servicemen, women
Navarro County turned out in numbers Monday to honor those who made the ultimate sacrafice in service to the U.S. military.
-
One killed, five hurt in Interstate rollover
One man was killed and five others injured Sunday when a Ford Expedition rolled several times and jumped a cable barrier on Interstate 45 south of Corsicana.
-
Memorial Day services Monday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Monday is Memorial Day, and Corsicana will host two separate ceremonies to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.
-
Downtown's 'The Diner' to close its doors Thursday
The Diner, in downtown Corsicana, will close its doors after the close of business Thursday, owner Richard Arnett said Sunday.
-
Sample Ballots, Polling Places for May 29 Election
Click this link to get sample ballots for the May 29 Primary Election
Early voting
Early voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays Monday thru Friday May 14 through May 18, and May 21 through May 25, 2012, in the basement of the Navarro County Courthouse, 300 W. Third Ave., Corsicana.
Early voting will be held on the weekend from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday May 19, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, in the basement of the Navarro County Courthouse, 300 W. Third Ave., Corsicana. -
Commissioners to meet Tuesday
The Navarro County Commissioners Court is scheduled to meet in special session at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 29, in the county courtroom of the Navarro County Courthouse.
The meeting was moved from Monday, May 28, due to the Memorial Day holiday. -
Business News
The Texas Bankers Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Texas Bankers Association, presented a Cornerstone Award to Community National Bank & Trust of Texas, Corsicana
-
Local Beat 5/28/12
A listing of meetings and events of interest from throughout Navarro County
-
Candidate Q&A: U.S. Representative, District 6
The race for District 6
After the redistricting conflicts that took nearly eight months and multiple lawsuits to resolve, a new congressional districts were carved out, but Navarro County remains in District 6 with incumbent Representative Joe Barton.
However, Barton is facing his toughest challenge to his seat in more than a decade. He has four Republican opponents in the primary, and four Democrats are also vying for the seat in that primary.
All the candidates in both parties were given the same questions and asked to submit their answers for Corsicana Daily Sun readers. These are the four responses we received.
-
CHS Val and Sal speeches
Corsicana High School held graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2012 Friday at the CHS Gymnasium. Ryan Hitt was chosen valedictorian, and Alberto Miranda was the salutatorian. Here are the speeches delivered by the two at the Friday ceremonies.
- More Latest News Headlines
-
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
