COLUMBUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—On Saturday, February 21, young speakers from across the state gathered to showcase their skills in the Ohio Beef Youth Council (OBYC) Prepared Speech Contest, held at the new Multispecies Animal Learning Complex on The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences campus.

This contest is the second of five events in the OBYC Stockmanship Program, sponsored by AgCredit, designed to enhance youth’s public speaking abilities while highlighting the significance of effective communication, confidence, and industry terminology.

Participants were encouraged to choose topics they were passionate about, leading to a diverse array of speeches evaluated on criteria such as language, voice, delivery, and overall subject matter knowledge. The competition featured four age divisions: Beginner, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior, with over 20 exhibitors participating.

The winners of each division were as follows:

Beginner Division:
– Overall High Individual: Tyson Arnett, Richland County
– Second High Individual: Ashley Shaver, Medina County

Junior Division:
– Overall High Individual: Jordan Hartschuh, Crawford County
– Second High Individual: Natalie Atterholt, Ashland County
– Third High Individual: Sadie Hoffman, Fairfield County
– Fourth High Individual: Dwight Hartschuh, Crawford County
– Fifth High Individual: Claire Atterholt, Ashland County

Intermediate Division:
– Overall High Individual: Grace Cade, Hancock County
– Second High Individual: Lilly Gahler, Ottawa County
– Third High Individual: Griffin Gahler, Ottawa County

Senior Division:
– Overall High Individual: Emma Lewis, Lorain County
– Second High Individual: Kelsey Kaeser, Ashland County

The OBYC Stockmanship contests receive support from the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association and the Ohio Beef Council, promoting industry knowledge, hands-on learning, and leadership development among Ohio’s future beef producers and advocates.

Registration is currently open through April 4 for the upcoming Skill-a-thon and Salesmanship contests, scheduled for April 18 in Columbus. Awards for the OBYC Stockmanship program will be presented at the end-of-year OBYC celebration on June 5 in Columbus, Ohio.

For more details about the Ohio Beef Youth Council and its contests, please visit the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association website.