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The Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) livestock judging team recently took top honors at the Dixie National contest along with numerous other accolades. The Dixie National contest took place Saturday, Feb. 14th in Jackson, Mississippi. This is the first time in the last decade for NEO to claim the title.   Dixie National rankings: NEO was named Champion Team and won first in steers, Continental cattle and British cattle and first in reasons.

In addition to the team’s accomplishments, the following names were called:  Dylan Davis: fourth overall, first in market steers and second in reasons Clay McGuire: third overall, third in market steers, fifth in Brahman influence, seventh in Continental and fourth in reasons Jake Pickering: fifth overall, second in Brahman influence, fourth in market steers and third in reasons Cole Kaufman: eighth overall Brody Cridelbaugh: sixth place in British cattle Deekota Williams: sixth in the Continental breeds  Morgan Scroggin: ninth overall

The team is coached by Tyler Dewey and Chris Hofschulte. “This was a great victory for our group,” Dewey said. “It’s a great feeling to go into the final two contests with strong momentum.”

History of the Dixie National  According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce’s website, the Dixie National Rodeo and Livestock Show has been outrageously successful since 1965. The event not only features cook offs, music festivities the numerous rodeo competitions and the livestock shows that bring in more than 100,000 visitors to the state fairgrounds during the month long event.  Close to 1,000 contestants enter to compete for close to $250,000 in winnings in the multiple rodeo and livestock events. The Dixie National Livestock and Rodeo Show is one of the popular events to attend when visiting Mississippi.  Various types of breeds of animals are shown at the Dixie National, and after the show’s most of the animals are auctioned off at the end of the event, awarding the highest bidder the ownership of some of the best beef, pork, lamb and poultry around.

Team members include: Michaela Branen – Collinsville, Okla. Travis Brewer – Guymon, Okla. Rachel Calvert – Rocky Comfort, Mo. Phil Collier – Vilonia, Ark. Brody Cridlebaugh- Princeton, Mo. Dylan Davis – Chatsworth, Ga. Canyon Dewey – Lavaca, Ark. Chelsea Ellington – Broadway, Va. Natalie Hofschulte – Wyandotte, Okla. Cole Kaufman –Weyers Cave, Va. Clay McGuire – Auburn, Ala. Jake Pickering – Oroville, Calif. Morgan Scroggin – Greenbrier, Ark. Deekota Williams – Walters, Okla.  From left: Coach Tyler Dewey, Brody Cridlebaugh, Cole Kaufman, Canyon Dewey, Jake Pickering, Dylan Davis, Clay McGuire, Michaela Branen, Morgan Scroggin and Rachel Calvert