Cattlemen youth awarded at BEST banquet for a successful season

The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association’s (OCA) Beef Exhibitor Show Total (BEST) program wrapped up the 2021-2022 BEST season on May 7 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. Over 800 BEST exhibitors and families gathered to watch youth receive awards for their show success, cattle industry knowledge, photography skills, community service efforts and more.

This year’s BEST program featured seven weekends of sanctioned shows that wove their way across the state. It was the biggest season yet with over 676 youth participants showing around 1,030 head of market animals and heifers throughout the season.

This season’s sponsoring partners were Ag-Pro Companies and John Deere, Bane-Welker Equipment, Bob Evans Farms, Diamond T Land & Cattle Co., Dickson Cattle Co., D&E Electric – The Young Family, M.H. EBY, Inc., Farm Credit Mid-America, Ohio Farm Bureau, The Folks Printing, Jones Show Cattle, R.D. Jones Excavating, Ricer Equipment and Weaver Livestock.

“There is no other program in the country like Ohio’s BEST program,” said Karigan Blue, BEST program coordinator. “We are proud to not only host competitive cattle shows, but additional divisions such as Stockmanship, community service, and more that mold these youth to become the future leaders of our industry.”

View/Download Banquet Photos

View Award Winners

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Donation

The banquet kicked off with the annual Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) donation. BEST exhibitors raised money earlier in the year through the Celebrity Showdown and collected pop tabs all year.

Over 710 pounds of pop tabs were accumulated and this year’s donation total was $22,948.

The highest donations were from HR Cattle Co., Huron County, with $2,025 and Austin Sutherly, Clark County, with $1,300.

Brock Perry, Ottawa County, submitted the most pop tabs with 137 pounds.

Learn more about the BEST community service opportunities

Awards & Giveaways

Awards and prizes filled the stage as BEST participants were recognized for their point accumulations throughout the season in their respective breed and/or division. Awards were also given for Stockmanship, photography skills, Novice and much more. Some of the awards handed out include wooden trunks, leather topped bar stools, wood photo displays, belt buckles and Aztec luggage bags.

In addition to the awards earned, all BEST attendees were entered to win over 100 different giveaways handed out throughout the evening such as gift cards, feed pans, t-shirts, combs/brushes, show sticks and more!

The top giveaways of the evening are below: